Restaurant closings hit area

High costs of food, rent are factors as well as influx of chains.

Intensifying competition and rising costs have triggered a surge in independent-restaurant closings in the Dayton area in recent months.

Some restaurateurs who have been forced to shut their doors have several years of experience in the local restaurant scene, but could not survive the current challenging climate.

“Higher rent, labor and food costs are driving many restaurants — those that were on the bubble and just getting by — to close,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic Inc., a Chicagobased food service research and consulting firm.

Nationwide, independent restaurants are doing well in larger markets that are experiencing population growth and rising incomes — “but in middle-of-the-road markets like Dayton, where the competition is fierce and demand has been relatively stable, small profit margins are forcing some independents to close,” Tristano said.

Shanon Morgan, president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association, said there is constant churning and turnover in the volatile restaurant industry. But the most recent round of closings have a different feel: “It’s tougher to take when it’s the folks who have been around a long time who are shutting down,” Morgan said.

This region’s recent closings include: