Trend of restaurants closing continues
UC economics professor tells WLWT the industry's struggles have increased recently
Dozens of restaurants in the Cincinnati region have closed in recent months, with a national chain shuttering locations this past weekend, WLWT reported.
Erwin Erhardt, PhD, associate professor - educator of economics.
TGI Fridays, which filed for bankruptcy in November, closed multiple restaurants in the area.
That comes on the heels of a Cincinnati icon, Frisch's, closing many of its locations. University of Cincinnati Real Estate Center Executive Director Carl Goertemoeller attributed the struggles of Frisch's to a sale-leaseback transaction by the company.
And it's not just chains that are struggling. Independent businesses have been affected, too.
Erwin Erhardt, PhD, an associate professor - educator in the economics department at UC's Carl H. Lindner College of Business, said the restaurant industry has faced problems for years.
“I think they've been closing slowly over the past 10 to 12 years, but now it's accelerating,” Erhardt said.
Featured image at top: TGI Fridays sign. Photo/Viktor Forgacs via Unsplash
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Rain, steep slopes put NY community at risk of landslides, geologist warns
April 23, 2026
UC Associate Professor Dan Sturmer tells News10 that heavy rain combined with steep slopes is a recipe for landslides in one New York community.
UC expands partnership with Thales for AI research
April 22, 2026
The University of Cincinnati’s interdisciplinary research facility Digital Futures welcomed its first industrial partner, Thales, at the beginning of Research + Innovation week. Thales is a global aerospace, defense and digital technology firm. Headquartered in France, it employs 83,000 people in dozens of countries, according to the Business Courier.
BearcatGPT: UC becomes first Ohio university to offer AI platform
April 22, 2026
Local news media highlight UC's private AI platform, BearcatGPT, that offers a suite of tools for students, faculty and staff.