For a while, the owners of the Hot Chocolatier had a running joke. Want your building renovated or sold? Take them on as a tenant. “Apparently, there’s something following us,” said Brandon Buckner, who co-owns the cocoa shop with his wife, Wendy. “A curse or something.” During a phone interview, Buckner expressed his concerns for what many in Chattanooga’s food and restaurant industry are facing: rising rent costs. Read more about how the Hot Chocolatier and other small food businesses have been grappling with rent hikes in the Chattanooga area. Photo 1 / Staff photo by Lyric Lewin / The new location of The Hot Chocolatier is 1423 Market St. Photo 2 / Staff photo by Lyric Lewin / The new location of The Hot Chocolatier, 1423 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN. #chattanooga #tennessee #nooga #mychatt #timesfreepress #local #community #food #rent