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Some of Los Angeles’ most beloved and emblematic restaurants have recently closed their doors, including Curtis Stone’s Gwen, Ricardo Zarate’s Rosaline, Michael Mina’s Mother Tongue, and the historic Cole’s, which dates back to 1908. These closures reflect a deeper, long-running crisis that’s shaking the city’s once-thriving dining scene to its core.
A golden era fades
In the 2000s and 2010s, Los Angeles was proudly emerging as one of the most exciting food cities in the country. Talented chefs sought creative freedom, rents were comparatively low, and the city’s access to fresh produce made experimentation easy. New places opened with ambition, and diners responded with enthusiasm.
But post-pandemic, this momentum has slowed sharply. Restaurants are now grappling with thinner margins, changing consumer habits, and a seemingly endless series of setbacks. It feels like a slow unraveling, with each closure leaving behind an echo of what used to be a vibrant culinary ecosystem.
Declining foot traffic and vanishing margins
OpenTable data paints a stark picture: restaurant visits in L.A. dropped by 5% during the first eight months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. When every table counts, this sort of downturn can be the difference between surviving and shuttering. To read Gwen Stefani headlines magical 2025 Disney Christmas Parade
Pablo Rivero, who oversees reservation platforms Resy and Tock, summed it up bluntly: even a small shock can destabilize a business already on the edge. In a city like Los Angeles, those shocks haven’t stopped coming.
Josh Loeb, owner of Westside mainstays like Rustic Canyon and Birdie G’s, opened up about the struggle to preserve even a single-digit profit margin. Birdie G’s, despite a loyal following, will close at the end of the year. “We’re fighting gravity,” he seems to suggest—and losing.
New habits, fewer diners
The challenges aren’t just economic. The cultural and behavioral shifts that followed the pandemic have changed who goes out—and how often.
Several restaurant owners point to the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, a sharp decline in alcohol consumption among Gen Z, and a drop in international tourism. According to some operators, Canadian travelers have stopped coming in large numbers, deterred by the return of steep U.S. tariffs and stricter immigration policies under President Trump.
And then there’s streaming. Josiah Citrin, the chef behind the Michelin-starred Mélisse, recalls a time when dinner and a movie was routine. Now, with entire libraries of films available at home, fewer people are motivated to go out. When I think back to going to the theater, then grabbing a bite on Sawtelle or in Beverly Grove—it’s become a rare outing. To read Toho expands into Europe with bold anime distribution moves
The blow from Hollywood
One of the most visible casualties of L.A.’s evolving economy has been Hollywood itself. The 2023 writers and actors strikes were more than a political event—they chilled the entire entertainment sector. Blue-collar and white-collar layoffs alike meant fewer industry workers frequenting their usual spots.
Tal Ronnen of Crossroads Kitchen knows the pattern well: studio layoffs mean empty tables. “Our regulars disappeared,” he explained.
I can’t help but feel the loss here personally. Restaurants fed off the pulse of nearby studios and production houses. Remove that, and the rhythms change. Places once full of industry chatter and dealmaking go quiet.
A cascade of crises
Restaurateurs describe their recent history as a near-constant parade of challenges:
- COVID-19 forced closures and capacity limits.
- Wildfires scared away tourists and complicated operations.
- Immigration raids and related unrest dampened activity, especially in downtown.
- Public safety issues—including homelessness and crime—have pushed diners away from key neighborhoods.
Sang Yoon, who owns Helms Bakery and Father’s Office, doesn’t mince words. His downtown location had to shut down this summer, and he attributes it partly to the turmoil around immigration enforcement.
Several owners, including Alejandro Marin (formerly of Cha Cha Cha), feel frustrated. They point out that ~similar cities~—New York, Paris, Tokyo—aren’t facing the same combination of long-term challenges.
Costs that just keep climbing
If there’s one thread tying all of this together, it’s cost. Every aspect of running a restaurant has become more expensive: ingredients, labor, insurance, and even equipment repairs.
- Ingredient prices are inflated due to global supply disruptions.
- Repairs take longer and cost more, leaving kitchens halted.
- Minimum wages have jumped significantly, with West Hollywood now at $19.65 per hour.
- Lawsuits tied to accessibility and workers’ comp have skyrocketed insurance premiums.
Matt Egan, who runs Mirate and The Daisy, emphasized how legal liabilities are draining resources faster than ever. That’s a kind of invisible threat—one not always seen by diners, but very real behind the scenes.
And then there’s the housing crisis. Cobi Levy, partner at Alba, put it plainly: he can’t fix the region’s rent problem, yet it continues to affect his team and his clientele.
A glimmer of hope
Despite all this, not everyone is giving up. There’s a kind of quiet resilience among L.A.’s restaurant owners—many of whom have been here before.
Josiah Citrin, with more than 25 years in the game, still believes in a turnaround. He’s seen hard times before and knows this city’s capacity to reinvent itself.
Alejandro Marin, too, remains hopeful. “We’re at the bottom of a cycle,” he said. “It will go back up. At some point.”
He may be right. L.A. has a way of writing its own second acts.
