Heights - River Oaks - Montrose Edition | April 2026

The cost of staying open From the cover

Current situation

Mapping it out Throughout the past year, Community Impact reported multiple closings in the area.

Name

Closed

Over the past year, dozens of restaurants have closed throughout the Houston Heights, River Oaks and Montrose areas. While local restaurant owners give a variety of reasons for the closings, the most common ones are a rise in rent and a decrease in demand from consumers. The closures, which have aected longtime established neighborhood favorites, new businesses and national franchises, seem to be a sign of an industry that is slow to adapt to rising trends, local restaurateurs said. Arnaldo Richards, owner of local Mexican restaurant Picos near River Oaks, said he planned to close his restaurant after four decades of business due to the decline in foot trac. “There’s a certain threshold … where you start deciding if you’re going to stay open or not [and] if it makes economic sense,” Richards said. “In my case, I have probably subsidized the restaurant for the past 18 months, meaning that I have to pay for everything out of my pocket to cover expenses. That is not sustainable.” Richards announced the closing of Picos in August, but after an outpouring of local support, he decided to stay open and relocate to a smaller establishment later this year.

Shanghai River 1891 American Eatery & Bar

Jan. 31, 2025

610

March 2025

290

Mi Cocina

March 20, 2025

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20THST.

Good Dog Houston April 2025

12 13

Auden

April 6, 2025 April 24, 2025 June 1, 2025 June 16, 2025 Sept. 19, 2025

La Madeline B.B. Lemon Churrascos Salad & Go

HEMPSTEAD RD.

Bosscat Kitchen & Libations Ginger & Fork Jenni's Noodle House Houston Cider Company

Sept. 28, 2025

WESTCOTT ST.

Oct. 25, 2025

MEMORIAL DR.

Oct. 26, 2025

610

6 17

Nov. 15, 2025

3 10

H E

Ninja Ramen

Dec. 30, 2025

Grati Raw Dec. 31, 2025

Paulie's

Dec. 31, 2025

Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille

Jan. 24, 2026

MONTROSE BLVD.

Succulent Fine Dining

288

Feb. 5, 2026

N © GOOGLE EARTH PRO

NOTE: THIS LIST IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE

SOURCE: COMMUNITY IMPACT

A closer look

Put in perspective

greatest for food. The CPI, which measures the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consum- ers, showed that prices for food away from home, or costs for dining out, were 1.5% higher than those for food at home, such as groceries. Industry experts contribute part of the issue to the fact that restaurants still haven’t fully recovered from the pandemic.

In 2025, 50% of restaurants in Texas reported that they were not protable, according to a March presentation from Kelsey Erickson Streufert, chief public aairs ocer of the Texas Restaurant Association. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also showed that among energy, shelter and transportation services, the 12-month percent- age change for the Consumer Price Index was

Data from the Texas Restaurant Association also shows that the cost of food is up by more than 30% since the pandemic.

Restaurant owners see increased cost of ingredients per pound The cost of common restaurant food staples has continued to grow over the past ve years.

2022 2026

Beef steaks

$9.83

+25.13%

Food prices on the rise

The CPI for food shows prices rose by 2.9% from January 2025 to 2026. Below is a breakdown of the price index for food away from home and food at home over that time.

$12.30

Food away from home Food at home

Chicken breast $3.73 $4.17

+11.8%

3.9

0 1 2 3 5 4

3.4

Co ee

$5.14

+82.3%

$9.37

2.2

2.1

1.9

Milk*

$3.79 $4.10

Jan. 2025

Feb. 2025

March 2025

April 2025

May 2025

June 2025

July 2025

Aug. 2025

Sept. 2025

Oct. 2025

Nov. 2025

Dec. 2025

Jan. 2026

+8.18%

*PRICE PER GALLON

SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICSCOMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM