The last few years have undoubtedly been a rough ride for many of the Miami Valley restaurants. In 2024 over 30 restaurant closed.  With rising food and rent costs, labor shortages, lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation  continue to create obstacles establishments have to face to keep the doors open and kitchens serving.This year it looks like 38 restaurants have closed.  Here’s a look back on the eateries that closed in 2025.

Jan 2025

Scramble by Cafe 19– Dillon Allen posted on Facebook, “Over the last couple weeks, we’ve been discussing the viability of what we set out to make with our scramble location. Last week I was in a panic because of how bad our finances were with trying to fix this building. What it came down to was we don’t have the capital, resources or traffic to pull off what needs to be done to fix all these issues. Rising food costs and slimmer margins have not helped either. Our costs of goods have gone up substantially this year and it makes it even harder to figure out another way to pull it off.

Roost Modern Italian – Chef Dana Downs said “We’re just moving forward in our journey. We’re going to miss our customers and our employees, but sometimes you have to do things for you.”

Uno Pizzeria –  After 25 years in business they abruptly closed with a note on the door,  leaving the community surprised, though the exact reason wasn’t given, with general factors like declining foot traffic possibly playing a role in the closure.

Taste of Belgium at The Greene– after opening in June 2023, due to lower-than-expected holiday sales, changing consumer habits, and the challenge of expanding outside the Cincinnati market, with founder Jean-Francois Flechet citing evolving dining trends and a need to refocus on core locations. 

Jubie’s Creamery Moraine– “Our partnership with Dorothy Lane Market has really expanded our wholesale and catering accounts, which is both exciting and (a) whole lot of work,” Julie Domicone, who owns the business with her father, Fred, and mother, Stacey, wrote in a Jan. 15 Facebook post. “Their wide reaching network allows us the opportunity to still provide the best ice cream on the planet to those surrounding our Moraine location.”

Ariake Grille & Sushi Bar  – Ariake in Miamisburg was sold and transformed into Thai Smile and Sushi Bar.

Babylon – Miamisburg location closed due to financial strain and it was converted into the 2nd location for Taste Of Jerusalem. 

1Eleven Flaver House – permanently closed its restaurant, but its owners reopened as The Flavor House in a new, smaller location nearby, continuing to offer Caribbean comfort food with takeout and catering options, plus hosting events, and eventually moved to a new spot on W. 2nd Street

Curry & Grill – closed it’s spot at 1501 Lyons Rd, which now houses the Green Chili Indian Restaurant and then opened on National Road in Vandalia in September

Feb 2025

Tim Horton’s Moraine– posted a sign citing difficult business decisions, encouraging customers to visit their Patterson Road location instead.

Chicken Heads – closed to focus on a new Dayton location. While the ghost kitchen is gone, owner Anthony Head said hewas renovating Quincy’s building for a permanent spot, aiming for a grand reopening, but faced issues like zoning violations and fire code complaints that temporarily paused things and we’ve heard nothing since.

Fusian Centerville – closed due to its lease ending after 10 years, but they encouraged customers to visit their other Dayton-area spots in Beavercreek and on Brown Street. 

The Local 937 –  Owner Rachel Gannon says they closed after about 15 months in business, due to financial challenges.

March 2025

Slap’N Lizard Tap House – Owners Joe and Michelle Kennedy of Clayton said they were not making it month-to-month and ultimately never had the business they needed to stay open.

Local Cantina – It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to our Dayton location,” said George Tanchevski, founder of Local Cantina. “The Dayton community has shown us immense support throughout the years, and we are sincerely thankful for the relationships and memories that we have built here. New ownership will be assuming control of the property. ”

April 2025

Corner Kitchen – the management cited declining foot traffic in the Oregon District and rising costs as reasons for the closure.

Doubledays Homeplate – they closed down their carryout location on 725, but don’t worry-on line orders are still being accepted, just now through the kitchen of The Famous Restaurant in Centerville, with door dash and uber eats delivering.

Primo Middletown -Owned and operated by Nelson and Karoll Castillo said there are no plans for it to reopen, according to Linda Moorman, who owns the building and leased the space. Castillo said the business was having “operations issues.

May 2025

Elsa’s on the Border – was closed due to the franchisee wanting to leave the

business.

Habibi’s – Habibis made its debut in August 2023 as International Cafe & Delicatessen, but eventually changed its name. It announced via social media it was closed and but L’s Kusina, which will offer Filipino cuisine, will open in its place.

Panera Miller Lane – The restaurant sits vacant, the Panera Bread name, awnings, and signage removed from the property.  Operated by Warren, Ohio-based Covelli Enterprises. Covelli Enterprises did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thai Street Noodles –  Challenges like a difficult lease situation and potential low customer traffic played roles in the closing. The family opened  Tee Nee Thai Cuisine in Troy in July.

June 2025
Gather by Ghostlight – after almost 2 years, this location was taken over by The Hospitalité Group , the owners of Table 33, and transitioned into Lucho, featuring Tex-Mex food and an array of tequila’s.

July 2025
Fuji Grill – it was purchased by new owners, who closed it for a few months before reopening it as Yami Grill Hibachi & Sushi Buffet this past October.

El Rancho Grande Brown Street- Marketing Director Nathan Taylor said they decided to sell the location to someone else because El Rancho Grande is more of a family-oriented restaurant and that location was heavily student focused. Kupbop –  closed after 3 years in operation and no information was found regarding the closing.

August 2025

Brio Tuscan Grille – their parent company, Bravo Brio Restaurants, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (twice, in 2020 and again in 2025) due to severer financial distress from rising food/labor costs and declining customer demand. The company closed underperforming locations to restructure debt and operations for survival.

Primo Middletown – The restaurant’s owners were involved in two lawsuits; In the December 2024 lawsuit, Castillo is accused of misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars by Cincinnati Restaurant Holdings LLC, which owns Prime Cincinnati.

Sept 2025

La Catrina Troy – After 6 years in business the family announced their closing on social media, saying “Your loyalty and kindness have carried us through the years and for that, we will always be grateful.” They ended their message to the community by saying that this isn’t a “goodbye.” “We look forward to the next, better, and exciting chapter,” the owners wrote.

Yellow Springs Smokehouse – owner Brian Rainey shared they  struggled to become profitable and never got “into the black,” leading to its closure after about 10 months of operation.

October 2025

China Dynasty- A sign posted at the location explains that “ongoing health issues” is the reason for the closure. “This decision was not made lightly,” said the Lin Family, owners of the eatery. “Due to ongoing health issues, we have made the difficult decision to retire and focus on our well-being.”

Dolly’s Burgers & Shakes–  they closed  due to an unresolved legal battle with Frisch’s Big Boy over rights to the Big Boy brand in Ohio, forcing the parent company, Big Boy Restaurant Group (BBRG), to stop using the name and eventually shut down its temporary “Dolly’s” locations in Cincinnati and Dayton. Unable to operate as Big Boy and facing low customer traffic as “Dolly’s,” BBRG decided the venture was unsustainable, with the closures signaling the end of BBRG’s attempt to re-enter the market

Nov 2025

The Dock – closed after 31 years due to the passing of owner  Jim  Schumann  and his widow’s desire to retire.

Taco Street– owner Anthony Thomas decided to  focus on his construction business and launch a new venture coming to Wright Dunbar,  XO Burger Vibez + Cocktails.

Speakeasy Miso – owner, Kim Frazier, noted that after she took over sales were growing, covering costs for the big location was difficult, and Troy residents preferred more traditional dining options

Indigo- The Silo’s – Owner Katie Mathews indicated it was time for a new phase, shifting  focus away from restaurant’s operations for a new personal challenge.

El Toro Express  – owner said it closed the Miamisburg location to  facilitate the move to the new Kettering location, expanding the brand in the Miami Valley area. 

December

Smashburger UD– After 215 yers, the parent company (Jollibee Group) says they faced struggles, including intense competition, pandemic impacts, and evolving consumer preferences away from traditional burgers, leading to  closure.

Entropy Brewing Co– Opened in July of 24, owners sited a crowded craft beer market and changing -pandemic consumer habits with fewer people visiting taprooms as frequently and rising costs making operations not profitable.

The Neighborhood Nest – Owner Amber Tipton shared on social media the bakery is no longer sustainable with the rise in food costs and utilities over the last year. Tipton said food costs have risen anywhere from 20-50%. In addition, the bakery’s lease was set to double in January 2026.