The New Hampshire restaurant industry in 2025 tells two stories at once. On one hand, more than 44 new restaurants have opened their doors across the state this year, a sign of entrepreneurial optimism and genuine demand. On the other, at least 16 have closed in the first half of the year alone — some of them beloved institutions — as labor shortages, rising costs, and post-pandemic headwinds continue to squeeze operators from every direction.
The result is a churn that has become the defining feature of New Hampshire’s dining landscape: a revolving door where new concepts rush in even as established names quietly bow out.
Some of the year’s most painful losses have been restaurants with deep roots. The Franklin, a Portsmouth oyster bar that had been a fixture for a decade, announced its closure on Facebook in January 2025 and served its final plates in March. For regulars, it was more than a restaurant — it was a gathering spot that had survived the worst of COVID only to succumb to the grinding economics of the post-pandemic era.
Bridge Street Bistrot & Wine Bar, owned and operated by Stephen and Christine Mayeux, permanently closed on September 1, 2025. The French-inspired bistro had earned a loyal following, but loyalty alone couldn’t offset the financial pressures that have become relentless for independent operators.
In Manchester, The Green Beautiful shut down on August 10, 2025, after roughly three years in business. Its short lifespan underscores a harsh reality: even restaurants that open with momentum and good reviews can find themselves underwater before they ever reach profitability.
WOKQ has been tracking closures statewide and counted more than 16 in just the first half of the year. That pace, if it holds, would make 2025 one of the more volatile years for the industry since the pandemic itself — when the NH Lodging and Restaurant Association reported that approximately 200 restaurants closed between March 2020 and March 2021.
For every closing, there have been nearly three openings. Shark 105.3 has tracked more than 44 new restaurant openings across New Hampshire in 2025, and the diversity of concepts suggests the appetite for dining out remains strong.
Tostimo’s Pizza Kitchen, which built a following at its original Seabrook location, opened a second spot in Portsmouth on August 28, 2025. Cafe at Bravo launched in Manchester on August 14, joining a growing roster of new options in the Queen City. Sunny Cafe, already established in Manchester, expanded with a second location. Zizza Authentic Pizzeria and La Fiamma both opened in 2025 as well — Zizza in Manchester, La Fiamma in Hampstead — adding to a wave of new Italian and pizza-focused concepts statewide.
The openings reflect something important: entrepreneurs still see opportunity in New Hampshire dining. The state’s hospitality sector remains a top-five employment sector, and consumer demand hasn’t disappeared. People want to eat out. The question is whether the economics allow restaurants to survive long enough to find their footing.
The numbers facing restaurant owners in 2025 are brutal by any measure. Labor costs have risen more than 30 percent in recent years, driven by a tight labor market and the simple reality that workers can now command higher wages. Average hourly earnings in New Hampshire’s hospitality sector climbed from $16.84 in January 2020 to $22.53 in January 2025 — a jump that has actually outpaced inflation by roughly 8.6 percent.
That’s good news for workers in an industry historically known for low pay. It’s a financial vise for owners, many of whom are simultaneously absorbing wholesale food price increases of 18 to 20 percent over the last couple of years. The result is a margin squeeze that has become unsustainable for many operations, particularly those without the corporate backing to weather sustained losses.
Despite the challenges, the cycle continues. New restaurants keep opening, convinced they can be the exception to the brutal arithmetic. Others close, becoming statistics in a trend that shows no signs of reversing. For diners, it means a constantly changing landscape where favorites disappear and newcomers arrive in equal measure — a reminder that in the restaurant business, permanence is the exception, not the rule.
Sources: WOKQ, Seacoast Online, Business NH Magazine, NH Lodging and Restaurant Association