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I had no idea this was the case.

According to the Texas Restaurant Association, 9000 restaurants in the state have closed since March of last year.

That seems like an extraordinary number, and I did not know that there were that many closures in the state.

According to KXAN-TV in Austin:

TRA says 9,000 restaurants, about 20%, in the state have closed since March 2020, and restaurants still open in Austin are enduring obstacles as they brace for the holiday season — one that’s expecting an influx of customers as we get closer to a post-pandemic lifestyle.

The story from KXAN mentions that restaurants in the state are feeling the crunch of high prices for food just like consumers experience at the grocery store. The story also says some restaurants are consolidating their menus to deal with higher food prices.

Have you seen restaurants struggle here in San Angelo? Are there restaurants that you used to go to that have closed in the last year and a half or so? I ask because I haven't really seen this.

It is in the news a lot, but are restaurants really struggling? I go out quite a bit. I don't want to name names, but the places I've gone to seem to be packed when I go out to eat. I also notice that drive-thru waits are still long here in San Angelo when I want to get a quick bite.

I know prices are higher, but I'm not sure that discourages people from going to a place if they like the food and service. Usually, it's bad service and bad food that make people not want to go to a certain restaurant.

So, I wonder if all these closures are economic and related to the pandemic. Or did these places have bad service and food? Maybe it's a combination of both, but I suspect the latter had more to do with most of these closures.

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