Does Chicago Have Too Many Restaurants?

Chicago's long restaurant boom has peaked, as rising costs, excess supply and dwindling demand are driving eateries out of business. The number of restaurants in greater Chicago fell 4 percent between spring 2018 and spring 2019, after increasing 19 percent during the previous four years, according to data from NPD Group. Restaurant owners blame the incipient shakeout on a range of pressures squeezing the industry's narrow profit margins.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/restaur ... estaurants

Does Chicago have too many restaurants? Well, owning a restaurant is a daunting task. Between labor costs, food costs, rent, and location it's no wonder so many restaurants fail. By restaurant, I assume you mean the following: Place where you are seated and served. This includes high-end restaurants and also family restaurants. But there are also places like Kumas and other bar places that serve food and of course lastly the places where you order at the counter and pick up your food on a tray or it's brought out to you. Where the last two I mentioned are not considered restaurants per se they are dining establishments and are subject to the same things that make or break restaurants. With Chicago continually gentrifying the opportunity for new places to eat is always flourishing. Will they make it? Location, word of mouth, and price of the product will ultimately determine that. I don't think there are too many restaurants/dining establishments in Chicago. Some parts of the city have too few places due to the area; other parts of the city want too much rent. One place that has survived the gentrification of its location and is thriving is the Cozy Corner Restaurant and Pancake house at Milwaukee and California.

Up 19% for 4 years then down 4%? Seems like the market is corrected any overexpansion.