Restaurantes em NY têm o pior trimestre em 36 anos – sim, pior que na covid

In New York State, the number of restaurants and bars declined from 50,856 in the first quarter of 2025 to 48,928 in the first quarter of 2025, marking the largest quarterly loss in 36 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This decline surpasses any other quarter during the pandemic, when social distancing measures caused a widespread crisis in the industry, and it marks a negative trend of four consecutive quarters of reduced restaurant numbers in the state since 2021.

The area most affected by closures is the metropolitan region that includes New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island, which lost 491 restaurants in the first half of 2025, the highest number in the country, according to the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. In New York City alone, 117 restaurants closed during this period.

The crisis can be attributed to rising costs for maintaining restaurants in the region. In 2025, employee health insurance costs for businesses in New York City increased by 12.9%, while insurance for businesses rose by 7% and utility costs increased by 8.5%, all of which exceed the national average. While the BLS and Manhattan Chamber of Commerce present different numbers, both indicate that the restaurant sector's problem in the state is not limited to a single neighborhood or type of establishment, but rather stems from high operational expenses without corresponding increases in customer traffic.