Unpopular opinion: there are too many restaurants, most of them serving horrible for you food, or slop, or reheated food or just not great quality
But yes there is going to be pain in how many restaurants close this year
Last year several restaurant industry folks said we'd see recorded closures this year.
"During the past year, several franchisees of major restaurant chains have closed stores, filed for bankruptcy protection or conducted other financial restructuring amid larger industry challenges. Companies filing for bankruptcy protection in late 2025 and early 2026 included multiunit franchisees of Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr., Popeyes, Panera Bread, Burger King, Subway and Firehouse Subs.
In late March, Atlanta-based Neighborhood Restaurant Partners, operator of more than 50 Applebee’s locations in Georgia, Alabama and Florida, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The franchisee has kept its remaining stores open with plans to sell them as part of efforts to restructure its finances, after it closed a total of 14 locations in 2025 and early 2026. NRP’s bankruptcy filing cited factors including softening sales and high inflation.
Pasadena, California-based Dine Brands Global is now acting as the “stalking horse” bidder in the NRP bankruptcy case, seeking to take control of the franchisee’s remaining locations to stabilize their operations."