Up to 20% of restaurants in Kyiv could close before spring, an expert says

Up to 20% of restaurants in Kyiv could close before spring. This forecast was voiced by restaurant consultant Olha Nasonova.

According to her, since December the industry has seen a “restaurant die-off,” which is still continuing.

Usually, December is considered one of the best months thanks to corporate parties and the New Year holidays, but this year it disappointed most venues.

“December didn’t bring the desired level of customer traffic, and January turned out to be simply catastrophic,” Nasonova says.

At the same time, a so-called “golden league” remains on the market — about 10% of establishments that still feel relatively stable.

“They have customers, they have problems, but they aren’t operating at a loss and overall are holding up normal. But this is a very small share of the market,” the expert notes.

A new phenomenon for the sector has been temporary closures. Restaurants are suspending operations because there is no point in bearing the costs of salaries, heating, and generators.

“Some say they’re closing temporarily, but they’ve already decided for themselves that they won’t reopen,” Nasonova explains.

“Given what’s happening, I think that before spring we really could see those 20% of the market close,” she concluded.