You could start listing the locally owned restaurants that have closed already this year and tell a pretty dire story: Margot, Varallos, Pelican & Pig. And we’re just three months into the year. 

But restaurants that are part of out-of-town investment groups have closed too — all while new concepts are opening up. Is it simply natural churn in a volatile business? We know it’s more expensive than ever to open and maintain a restaurant, so we're looking at the economics and the local food scene with the people who watch it most closely.

This episode was produced by Josh Deepan. 

Guests: