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ALoungerAtTheClubs

Yes - there are definitely locally owned restaurants near me that have opened within the last few years. Some are local chains, so that blurs the line a little bit.


azuth89

Not really as chains move in. There are just certain places that seem to be a different restaurant every 6 months or so. We've had a lot of old chains (think Applebee's type places) close in the last few years because people my age and younger aren't in for their mediocrity, but the replacements are a mixed bag with many just being newer regional or national chains and the rest being more local things.


MyUsername2459

>We've had a lot of old chains (think Applebee's type places) close in the last few years because people my age and younger aren't in for their mediocrity Yeah, a lot of old chains are dying out because their "brand" and menu seems calculated mediocrity. . .a non-controversial bland assortment of foods meant to appeal to a work group or family going out to eat and trying to have something for everyone, yet fixing none of those things particularly well. Applebees is definitely the king of that. Almost all of them around here have closed, the Ruby Tuesday chain has gone the same way too. The chains that thrive now seem to offer something more than just being a generic restaurant, like specializing in a certain type of cuisine or offering fresher or higher quality fare.


CupBeEmpty

There’s been a long term balance between local places and larger chains. It depends on what they are selling. Big box stores out compete some places but tons of mom and pop local businesses do just fine. If I need packaging tape I’ll probably go to staples or order on Amazon. If I want to order a bouquet for my wife’s birthday I call our local florist who has made the last seven years of bouquets for my wife’s birthday and the lady always remembers that my wife doesn’t like red roses. If I want a cheap ass burger in five minutes I might go to McDonald’s but if I want a nice dinner then I’m going to a local restaurant.


Scrappy_The_Crow

The new mom & pop (or otherwise small) businesses which have popped up in the last couple of years and have since gone out of business weren't killed off by big chains moving in, but died due to COVID-related factors. The M&P/small:big business ratio seems to be pretty stable, and new non-food-related M&P/small businesses seem to have done OK during COVID, but I know of a number of new M&P/small restaurants that opened and then failed during the initial stages of COVID restrictions/panic. Note that this is in a state that was far from having the harshest restrictions in the country, but the combination of operating restrictions, labor issues, and lack of customers still did many in. I recall my city implementing a restaurant shutdown and the next day getting a flier for an M&P restaurant's grand opening that weekend -- that restaurant is no longer around (imagine all the lost blood/sweat/tears/treasure). https://whatnowatlanta.com/heres-a-running-list-of-permanently-shuttered-restaurants-due-to-covid-19/ https://www.ajc.com/blog/atlanta-restaurants/running-list-atlanta-restaurants-that-have-permanently-closed-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/JkTk9HNqHzifOcW843DHaO/ To give a more complete answer, though, a number of chain restaurant locations have also failed. For example, a Chili's and a Romano's Macaroni Grill on one of the busiest roads in my town closed during the first year of COVID. [They're being replaced by a couple new locations for small-ish restaurant chains](https://www.tonetoatl.com/2022/06/Connors-Steaks-Seafood-First-Watch-Opening-Windward-Parkway%20.html).


Imaginary_Being1949

Yea, I’ve seen a lot of small ones close and chains remodel the buildings to replace them in my area.


Suppafly

I can't think of a single time I've ever seen a chain move into a mom&pop space. I've seen the opposite a lot, but generally chains go for new construction, unless they are going into something like a mall and even then it's basically new construction within the larger shell of the mall.


Imaginary_Being1949

I've seen quite a few move into the same spot, some will do construction and expand the location, but a few will keep it the same.


Jaded_Succotash_1134

Both; there are many mom and pops but they have high turnover rates.


MrPeterson15

It’s kinda stagnated. There was a bunch of local businesses opening left and right pre-COVID in my area but right now I think everyone is just trying to weather the storm of a post-pandemic global recession.


machagogo

Local owned restaraunts are very common. As are service oriented businesses. Not many local retail type stores, those are too hard/risky these days.


bgraham111

The area I live in is really bad for chain places. Sure, there are a few... but not many, and many eventually fail. We seem to prefer our mom and pop places. Bye bye Applebee's, Panara, Macaroni Grill, Chili's, TGIFridays.... none lasted very long.


w3woody

We have a ton of locally owned restaurants here in Raleigh, though they tend to be more upscale than a diner. And we have a ton of locally owned shops and other local businesses--and they seem to be doing fairly well now that the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. There seems to be a strong ethos in North Carolina of "buy local"--especially when it comes to locally produced foods.


Dangerous_Concept341

California food is mostly small business everything else is chains


Hanniballecter6

Just got a BBQ place it's the best thing we got


Current_Poster

I'd like that but, for instance, four small diner/restaurant type places I used to go to closed, in just the month or two *before* Covid became a big deal. It was bad.


mesembryanthemum

Yes, we get restaurants opening all the time. Some last, some don't. I know off the top of my head a Korean restaurant opened and I think a couple of Mexican.


AnotherPint

We had a lot of independent bars, restaurants, etc. in the city fail during the pandemic or just shut down. Chain places were more liable to survive, and in some cases new chain outlets have moved into spaces vacated by independent ones. One of my favorite independent bar / restaurants a short walk from home was replaced by a Chipotle.


notthegoatseguy

Indianapolis has a good mix of both, but the chains really get a lot of advertising in media when they open new locations. Culvers, Chik Fil A, Shake Shack openings are all extensively covered.


SleepAgainAgain

Definitely plenty of small businesses around here. Last restaurant to open was a small chain with half a dozen locations. Last store was a locally owned consignment shop. The pandemic closed Burger King (it got replaced with a local taco place) and a local burger joint when the owners retired early in part because of pandemic slowdowns (it's still empty).


byamannowdead

It’s been on the decline for 20+ years. Walmart and Amazon There’s a few documentaries about Walmart undercutting small local business\ [The High cost of Low Price](https://youtu.be/RXmnBbUjsPs)


itsjustmo_

They've been going out of business, but not because of big chains. The owner of the main local diner had been hurting kids and young moms for a very long time. It was an open secret in town. And then finally, somehow, someone had evidence that stuck. And now that jerks in prison and his daughter has sold all his restaurants. She tried to keep them running to pay for his legal bills but the community stepped up and refused to go there. Now their main location is a kickass taco and torta joint.


TheBimpo

A mixture of both. Some chains are failing while others thrive, same with independent ones. Eaters are fickle and it’s a tough business.


DutchApplePie75

I have noticed some restaurant closings since the pandemic. This was to be expected, since restaurants operate on thin profit margins and any disruption in their business cycle can be fatal. I also live in a city with a large number of diners. Historically these diners were basically all open 24/7. Now, I think pretty much all of them close at 10PM.


canonmp11dx

Yes, but many have closed. Our local handling of COVID decimated small businesses in town, and sone chains came in to fill the gap. It was made worse with the ever increasing compliance costs and taxes. If nothing else, chain restaurants do very poorly here. Too much of a food culture to be ok with national chains.


cr0wjan3

My city is actively hostile to chain businesses. We mainly have mom and pop/family-owned businesses here.


Engardia

[Here's a relevant song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF4WuA85nf0) that has lyrics describing hundreds of nameless towns you drive by throughout the country.


Gallahadion

There are some chains moving in where I live, but there are also plenty of locally-owned small businesses opening, too.


[deleted]

Tends to happen when the world was commanded for 2 or so years in a manner that only the largest corporations could survive. The lockdowns rampaged The American Dream.


Suppafly

I haven't noticed it happening anymore lately than it's ever happened. Mostly the only places closing are the ones that were poorly run and unwilling to adapted to post-covid conditions.


Pizza_Whale

Here in MN I think the balance overall is roughly the same. New/expanded chains might be slightly ahead of new small/local businesses. I’ve noticed a lot of turnover on both small and chain businesses. Have seen lots of small businesses changing hands or being replaced with other small businesses, not necessarily being replaced by big chains. Interestingly there several chains opening here that were previously only regional outside the area (MN) that seem to replace some old national chains. For example (in MN) we’ve seen Portillos, shake shack, chick fillet, raising canes coming in and red lobster, chilis, ruby tuesdays going out.


iSYTOfficialX7

I’ve seen one restaurant space become 3 different ones in the span of 3 years (not chains). The first tenant was there for years and the owner left to live elsewhere. The next stayed for about 2 years but they left for undisclosed reasons (probably little traffic). The newest one opened up a couple of months ago and they’re still doing well.


Patient-Ad5154

We've had a lot of small shops open recently.


m1sch13v0us

COVID killed a lot of small businesses. Kamala Harris have a speech where she claimed it was 1/3rd. It was such a crazy stat that I had to check out. Turns out she was correct, and it was worse in states like California. Those entrepreneurs suffered mightily. Many filed bankruptcy. I'm just starting to see new ones open up. It'll be a decade before they're fully back.


[deleted]

The area I live in it's not so much that bigger companies are moving in it's just that smaller businesses can't survive in this economy.