Clockwise from top left, the Muddy Rudder, Coals, Golden Lotus, Thistle & Grouse and Ohno restaurants have closed in recent weeks. A surge of restaurant closures in Greater Portland that started in early September accelerated in recent weeks when a popular Bayside pizzeria, a recently opened Old Port gastropub and a longtime Yarmouth landmark all announced they were shutting down. With food and labor costs rising as the industry’s slowest season approaches, more could be coming.
In the past month, more than a half dozen restaurants have announced their plans to shutter, from the 10-month-old Thistle & Grouse to the 48-year-old Muddy Rudder . Local social media sites were abuzz Friday with word of more impending closures that the Press Herald could not immediately confirm. Though not all of the business owners explained their decisions publicly or returned calls seeking interviews, common factors for many included sharply rising expenses and increased competition in an intensely seasonal market.
Other local restaurateurs said people are dining out less often and, with the industry’s busiest time of year behind it, the rash of fall closures is not surprising. “It’s been a perfect storm of challenges for the restaurant industry,” said Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce CEO Quincy Hentzel. “The economics of running a restaurant have not gotten better since COVID.
I think they’re still struggling with staffing shortages. Then inflation, rising food costs and higher.
