2025 have seen both restaurant closures and openings: Can more be done to support independent eateries?

National World - LocalTV

Bristol’s food scene has always been a reflection of the city itself—diverse, bold, and ever-evolving. But in the past five years, the mix has shifted.

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00:00Well, 2025 has welcomed a new wave of openings across Bristol. It's also been a year of hard

00:08goodbyes from family run cafes to award-winning restaurants. Many beloved venues have shut

00:14victims of rising costs, changing habits and the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

00:21Flower and Ash, the Hideaway and Boston Tea Party in Soapscroft were more than just places to eat.

00:26They were part of the city's identity. I noticed there's a lot more chains around. There's not so

00:33much independent stuff as I would like to see. And when you see chains pop up, they sort of take

00:39over a bit. People seem to see the chains and they don't see the independent ones. So the small

00:44businesses do seem to be getting forgotten about. Bristol's food scene has always been a reflection

00:49of the city itself. Diverse, bold and ever-evolving. But in the past five years, the mix has shifted.

00:56From pandemic pivots to pop-ups becoming permanent. From big name closures to new global flavours,

01:02the city's culinary culture looks and feels different. We've lost old favourites, but we've

01:08also gained fresh talent and new ideas. So today we're asking people, how do they think Bristol's

01:15food scene has changed? And is it for the better or the worst?

01:19There's a great variety of restaurants available open. Particularly here, there's a good range

01:25of streetside dining. I'm not aware of any that have closed in the time that I've been

01:30here. Independent restaurants are the heart and soul of Bristol's food scene. But keeping

01:36their doors open has never been harder. In just the first few months of this year, places

01:42like the not found kitchen and the hideaway have had to call it a day. From rising rent

01:48to energy bills, the pressure is very real. And some say more help is needed from the council,

01:53from landlords and from locals. But what do locals think? Is there enough being done to

01:59support the city's independence? Or are we letting them slip away?

02:03There I think it could be more done with perhaps the way the park is controlled. You know, in

02:10this particular street where you've got sort of enclosed, a closed sort of street to allow

02:16pedestrian access, which probably facilitates a little bit more sort of easy access to restaurants,

02:20allow them to allow pedestrians sort of mingle and perhaps take a bit more time to look between

02:26the restaurants. When a local favourite shuts its doors, the impact often goes far beyond the

02:32plate. Restaurants like the hideaway weren't just serving meals. They were actually community

02:38hubs. And when you see chains pop up, they sort of take over a bit. People seem to see

02:43the chains and they don't see the independent ones. So, you know, the small businesses seem

02:47to be, do seem to be getting forgotten about. And would perhaps you like more support for

02:51the smaller businesses? I suppose so, within reason. I guess it depends on what that support

02:55would look like. But yeah, support for small businesses, I think is a good thing.

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