There has to be something fundamentally wrong - restaurant closure

TBF it's not a zero sum game. Those people can and probably will find other jobs. This might just be a recalibration of how we currently understand hospitality as an industry.

They needed to charge more.

I'd rather see lower commercial rents and lower business rates than a reduction in the minimum wage.

When those jobs disappear entirely, as the pub or restaurant shuts, you'll be paying Universal Credit for the whole amount, not just topping it up.

This is a really interesting thread. As a huge fan of pubs and restaurants, I don't want to see them closing down, but they are vanishing from the town I live in, with only the large chains surviving.

It's hard to see what the solution is. People don't have nearly as much disposable income as they did pre-pandemic and pre-Brexit, so can't afford expensive meals out. Dinner in Pizzaland for four people is well over £100 now. Places I used to think of as 'cheap' are not cheap any more. There aren't enough people in the workforce so wages have had to go up, but at the same time, bills have gone up even more so disposable income remains squeezed.

Business rates reduction would be a good idea, but this never seems to happen - not entirely sure why. It's far cheaper to run an online business than anything involving bricks and mortar, which suggests that takeaway/delivery places will survive but restaurants will gradually disappear. Apart from Taco Bell, Auntie Annies, and all the fast food places - perhaps.

I don't want to see lower wages and an increased reliance on Universal Credit to top them up.

I'll tell you what the government do control - minimum wage, and employers' National Insurance contributions.

Oh dear. We have plenty of empty retail/restaurant units in our town centre and I expect that will increase, then.

There are always comments on a local Facebook page saying the council rents on business premises are too high. They aren't owned by the council though they are owned by private landlords. Neither the council or Central government are involved.

It's most likely the Landlords and lease. What they get out of having empty premises rather than occupied ones I have no idea. I have friends in the trade who come to the end of a lease and landlords see a business and think they put the rent up by 50%. As many of my friends say, there's no point in working for free. Or so little you'd be better off working at someone else's gaff.

Look what's happening to Veeraswarmy - London's oldest Indian Restaurant, Michelin *, hugely popular (v expensive) - Crown Estates are 'redeveloping' the building in Regent Street.

Likewise the much more affordable, also hugely popular India Club on the strand closed after 50 years because the building owners were 'redeveloping' (a modern hotel) .

Happening in every sector across the country

staffing costs have gone through the roof along with the cost of everything else

Why is everything "the governments" responsiblity ?

And to sound very harsh, businesses I don't use going out of business is not necessarily my main priority in life.

The UK wanted to be poorer. Got it's wish. And now people are upset.

I think Clinton's have near enough disappeared. There used to be loads of them. But Moonpig etc and stuff I think put paid to them. And supermarkets and online you can get really cheap cards.

Not saying governments should stop restaurants closing, but it is entirely consistent with a capitalist economy for a government to regulate how it runs. Unless you espouse unfettered, laissez faire capitalism, of course.

I bet they own the building or the lease

We’ve seen a lot of this in Dublin. Businesses just run out of rope. Things are already tight, but the bills are killing them.

Also, times move on. A few big UK operators have entered the market. And young folk favour casual food, pizza slices etc…

Hospitality is very demanding - the hours can be brutal. I can absolutely understand why the next generation does not want to commit to taking over a family business - they have seen it firsthand!

I'm definitely eating out a lot less than I used to - it's not as enjoyable or as good value as it used to be. Plus food at home has improved so much in the last 30 years. I've pretty much stopped drinking and it seems to be very prevalent amongst my generation (40s) and the younger adults I see about. I will order sparkling water, but will not pay for still - and it seems much more socially acceptable to order tap water for the table. I used to order a starter, but I rarely see one that grabs me nowaways. I used to drink mint tea while everyone had puddings, but now it seems rare for people (other than under12s) to have one. So as well as the rising cost of everything, there is less opportunity to increase profit per table.

We run a small business. Covid was a shock, but we pivoted and did really well. I do note locally that the business who adapted and kept going are doing a lot better than the ones who gave up and took the government cheese.

There’s an Indian restaurant near me that has been going 40 years. It’s recognised as the best in the city. The food has never changed.

The November Budget is leading to huge increases in business rates - as much as 100% in some cases. That is a Government matter. It is not the same thing as rent.

I think the extra NI employers have to make has tipped the scales for a lot of employers. It’s just another debt to be paid

Our local independent Italian restaurant closed because the owners wanted to retire and the owners children weren’t interested, the business was put up for sale as a going concern but no interest. A local jewellers closed for the same reasons. It’s not always profitability per se but whether anyone wants to run the business. Our local high street shops are owned by the local authority so it’s not even a remote landlord issue

Surbiton has a high proportion of good rated restaurants I think they just move off the beaten track and new dining areas become a thing because of rents

Although I know why it has to be this way I would let newer customers who hadn’t experienced the previous better times enjoy dining there its a generational thing for me . I can’t unknow the higher standard for less money

There's no need to be so doom-mongering. Running a restaurant has always been notoriously precarious. Round here (suburbs of London), restaurants open and close all the time. Has the number of restaurants in the UK been on a downward trend for several years? I have no idea - but I think we'd need to know that to know if it is a real trend.