Beer pubs, breweries, and gastropubs have seen an outsized rate of closures compared to other types of restaurants.
According to the Brewer’s Association, 339 craft breweries closed down, while only 335 opened up in 2024.
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That’s a marked difference from the years prior.
For over a decade, the beer industry had boomed as consumers sought out new and inventive beers from different parts of the country.
“Some of the most challenged regions are some of the most developed, like here in Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, and the West Coast in general,” Brewer’s Association CEO Bart Watson said in early 2025.
Still, breweries and pubs tend to do better than the restaurant industry’s average.
Brewpubs have a long-term failure rate of just over 48%, whereas just over 60% of restaurants overall fail within three years.
Most successful restaurants in 2025
The most profitable kinds of restaurants in the U.S. are:
- Bars and pubs
- Fast food, quick service restaurants (QSRs)
- Food trucks
- Ghost kitchens
- Pizzerias
- Fast casual restaurants
Further down on the list are catering businesses, specialty shops like juice or smoothie bars, and diners.
Trolley Wing Co. is closing its remaining locations.
Image source: Getty Images
Trolley Wing Co. closes down
It remains tricky to run a bar, particularly if you have to ship in lots of different kinds of beer or beverages.
Trolley Wing Co., a Utah-based beer and wing pub, is closing all of its remaining locations in July 2025.
The chicken wings and beer bar has been in business since 1999 in the Salt Lake City area.
It had two remaining locations open in:
- Taylorsville, Utah
- Midvale, Utah
The restaurants will shutter on July 26 and August 3, 2025, respectively.
“After years of pouring drinks, swapping stories, and making epic memories under these dim lights, Trolley Wing Co. will be closing its doors for the last time,” the chain posted on its Facebook, adding, “We’re heartbroken to say goodbye — but we’re also deeply grateful.”
Trolley Wing Co. made big changes before
The popular Utah wing chain did not cite why it was closing.
It has encountered transitions before, though.
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In 2010, Trolley Wing Co. was evicted from its original streetcar location to accommodate a large-scale development plan, which included a new Whole Foods grocery store.
So it moved to a bigger brick-and-mortar location in 2010 and expanded into its additional Midvale location in 2018.
Utah puts pressure on bars and liquor stores
The state of Utah has notoriously strict liquor laws.
“One of the biggest wrinkles in Utah liquor laws is the difference between a bar and a restaurant,” Utah.com writes. “That might not be a big deal elsewhere, but in Utah it makes all the difference. Beer, liquor and wine can still be ordered in a restaurant from 11:30 a.m. – 1 a.m., but since the establishment is licensed as a restaurant, those drinks need to be ordered with food.”
Over 60% of Utah residents identify as members of the Latter Day Saints, a faith group that prohibits or limits the intake of alcohol.
Utah also tightly manages alcohol sales and licensing at the state level, along with 16 other U.S. states.
Combine the state’s culture and legislation with an overall decline in foot traffic at bars and restaurants over the past few years, and expansion — or even just survival — becomes either tricky or impossible for some restaurants.