Americana and Django, two iconic Des Moines restaurants, are gone for good and they're not alone. 600 restaurants in Iowa will be closing in 2026 and it's because the challenges are too many to count. Scott Carlson, owner of The Craft Beer Tent, and Gilroy's opens up about Americana's closing.

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Increasing taxes, work from home, zero-proof, changing food preferences, homeless population, increasing food and labor costs, regulatory burdens, food delivery, and rising insurance rates are just a few challenges most restaurateurs have to deal with. But Iowa eateries are dealing with all of them simultaneously. Carlson breaks down what happened and what needs to change.

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome - Meet Scott Carlson

01:18 - Why Americana Is Closing: 'Death by a Thousand Cuts'

02:21 - Downtown Des Moines After COVID: Lost Office Crowds & Corporate Spending

04:54 - Western Gateway Headwinds: Homelessness, Street Closures, Construction & Plumbing

06:29 - The Bigger Picture

08:44 - New Pressures on Margins

11:56 - What Can Government Do? Small Business Blind Spots & the 'Slow Exit from COVID' Warning

15:20 - Regulation, Liquor Liability, Insurance & Credit Card Fees Squeezing Restaurants

18:59 - Changing Food Preferences

20:07 - Food cost spikes & the limits of raising menu prices

22:07 - Adapting without alienating customers

23:47 - Seed oils vs beef tallow: how health rules reshaped frying

26:11 - Food vs fuel

27:17 - Why it's called Gilroy's: the ginger-themed origin story

27:56 - Survival strategy: Des Moines' "Golden Circle"

31:04 - Construction & downtown events: the hidden cost to restaurants

33:38 - The downtown dining experience

35:57 - Wrap-up