While it’s a number you often hear cited, 90% of restaurants do not fail in the first year.

That’s an exaggerated statistic meant to show the massive challenge of opening a new restaurant. It’s not real, but the actual numbers show that the business is still daunting.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data show that the average restaurant in the United States lasts for six years, with roughly half closing within the first five years.

An industry analysis from Toast, using the BLS survival data, highlights this as a broader pattern of restaurant longevity, rather than a spike in early-year failure rates.

Toast calculated the closure rate using BLS data by tracking how long restaurants from a single year stayed open.

That sobering reality shows the challenge of opening a restaurant at all and the amazing feat it takes to stay open for decades. In this light, the closure of Pekin Noodle Parlor, a 117-year-old Chinese restaurant, is both a tragedy and a triumph.

Keeping a restaurant open is a major challenge

No one formula guarantees restaurant longevity, but experts have shared some of what goes into keeping an eatery open for decades or longer.

Alex Susskind, associate professor of Food and Beverage Management at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, thinks there’s one thing in common between all restaurants that make it to the 100-year mark.

“There’s one thing that holds true,” he told Serve It Up Safe. “It’s consistency — doing the same thing day in and day out for your customers, growing and developing with them. It’s not giving into trends and fads, but knowing who they are and why they’re coming.”

Brad Rosenstein, president and owner of Jack’s Oyster House in Albany, N.Y., which just celebrated its 100th anniversary, believes that if guests are the first priority, staff is just behind that.

“Making the staff feel appreciated, empowering each individual to take ownership of their position, and allowing them to make mistakes (as long as they didn’t do it on purpose) is so important,” he told Restaurant Business.

Gino Ferraro, owner of Ferraro’s Restaurant in Las Vegas, told Restaurant Hospitality that hustle matters.

“Don’t be afraid to work long, long hours,” he said. “After 31 years, I still come to work almost every day. If I weren’t here all the time, we probably wouldn’t have survived 31 years.” 

Pekin Noodle Parlor closes its doors

Restaurants that last decades aren’t just popular. They build repeat customers, match their market, control costs from day one, and continuously prove their value as consumer expectations change.

Pekin Noodle Parlor did that in Butte, Minnesota, for more than 115 years, but its owners have made the decision to close their doors.

“This decision has not come easily. Changing economic conditions over the years have made it increasingly difficult to continue, and despite our best efforts, we have reached a point where we must say goodbye,” the restaurant’s owners posted on Facebook.

Former U.S. Senator Max Baucus even got Pekin into the Congressional record, recognizing it on June 23, 2011, The Daily Montanan reported.

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“For generations, the parlor has been a centerpiece of Chinatown and an evolving Butte community,” Baucus said then.

Montana Western assistant Yu Li took students on a tour of Butte’s historic Chinatown a day after the Pekin closed. She was hoping to have dinner there, KXLF reported.

“That is not only a loss for business, but that also is a loss of a living piece of history,” Li said.

Very few restaurants last for over 20, let alone 100, years.

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100-year-old restaurants are incredibly rare

Restaurant operators consistently say longevity has less to do with innovation than with hiring the right people and maintaining consistency.

“What is greatness if not consistency? Anyone can make one amazing meal. But to make thousands over decades is what makes a truly great chef,” celebrity chef Thomas Keller told the Institute of Culinary Education.

It’s impressive for a restaurant to last 20 years, which makes this list of American eateries with over 100 years a very short one.

• Tadich Grill: Founded 1849 Source: Tadich Grill
• Antoine’s Restaurant: Founded 1840 Source: Antoines
• Buckhorn Exchange: Founded 1893 Source: Buckhorn
• McGillin’s Olde Ale House: Founded 1860 Source: McGillins
• The Old Clam House: Founded 1861 Source: The Old Clam House
• Middleton Tavern: Established 1750 Source: Middleton Tavern
• Union Oyster House: In continuous operation since 1826 Source: Union Oyster House
• Old Homestead Steakhouse: Frequently listed among the oldest steakhouses in the U.S. (founded in 1868, per several historical‑restaurant lists) Source: Old Homestead Steakhouse
• Breitbach’s Country Dining: Founded 1852 Source: Breitbach’s Country Dining

Related: 47-year-old high-end steakhouse closed over 80% of its restaurants