Jason Chin said his James Beard Award-nominated Good Salt Restaurant Group’s normal rate of new restaurants is one every two to four years.
In 2025, he opened two restaurants with his wife and partner Sue.
It was a year that he and others in the Orlando restaurant industry described as tough economic times.
“Not just in a general sense, but especially in terms of restaurant economics,” Chin said.
Over the past few years, with COVID-19 and beyond, “we’ve all been a little reeling trying to make sense of everything with inflation and wages and things like that,” he said.
And in an industry where profit margins are notoriously thin, “we’re always flying by the seat of our pants.”
As in previous years, Orlando’s restaurant industry was in a rush to open new stores.
Some notable ones include Chapman and Corner Chop House in Winter Park, the arrival of the long-awaited newest PigFloyd on Lee Road, and the stunning new Glass Knife on Park Avenue.
At Dr. Phillips, lovers of great international cuisine have joined the growing United Nations on Turkey Lake Road (Rawsha Mediterranean cuisine and amazing hand-pulled noodles).
Another multi-year James Beard semi-finalist/finalist, Henry Moso of Kabooki Sushi, has expanded his portfolio with two Mosonori locations.
And TMG Group, whose reputation as Mother’s Social Gathering and other nightspots was temporarily eclipsed by Primrose Lanes’ pricey homemade hot dogs, has added twin stars to its roster with Nouri’s Tavern and its thin-crust pies and Thornton Park’s fine June.
Enthusiastic about corn and great Mexican inspired menus coming in June | Review
Conversely, the Michelin recommendation didn’t cause Barkada to close (though early peeks at neighboring Perla’s Pizza, which successfully revived the concept in 2021, seem decidedly positive for restaurateur Michael Collantes). Just as the aardvark said goodbye in “Curry Ford,” so did Lewis Lin’s hotpot concept in “Dr. Phillips.”
We lost Chez Vincent, Little Saigon, and Shogun Japanese Steakhouse, the late Harris Rosen’s favorite family gathering spot in his hotel portfolio.
Chef McGlamery brings new concept to Winter Park’s Chez Vincent space
In the shadow of City Food Hall, Arden shifted its food concept from small plates brought to you by Seth Parker and Elliott Hillis of Red Panda fame, but before it closed for good, chef DJ Tangalin took over the reins and changed the direction of serving asin at Arden.
“I knew this was going to be a tough year,” Hillis said. “So our way to stem the blood loss was to open (fried chicken truck) Baba Yaga and try to diversify as much as possible.”
Summer was especially difficult.
“There was a general decline in enthusiasm,” Hillis said, echoing the experience of many who have said the same thing during less fortunate times.
The new truck, which has become a staple at Tuesday’s Tasty Takeover event in Orlando’s Milk District, certainly shocked them.
“Still, as summer was coming to an end, we were down 11% year over year,” he says. “Even though it was a new truck, despite all the good press and all the good things. I can’t imagine what it was like for you guys. Because for us it was really bad.”
Downsizing, he said, was the answer. So he and Parker did more and sold less.
“You need to make sure you keep your core strong, so you’re more careful about what you do to save money.”
Since then, making the Red Panda Noodle Truck a permanent fixture in Downtown’s A La Car City has been a boon, changing the line from red to black.
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“We’ve enjoyed a lot of downtown workers and new people who were excited because they hadn’t been able to try us before. We’re now their favorite lunch spot.”
After working for several years at his own indie spot, Danilo’s Pasta Bar in East End Market, Mr. Tangalin was present at several Colantes projects, including City Food Hall’s Taglish, which re-conceptualized Lotte Market, and its second-floor French restaurant, Chez Le Copin, as well as Assin’s efforts at Arden, as well as witnessing those closings.
What was supposed to be a thoughtful French homecoming for the couple, who met while cooking for world-famous chef Eric Ripert, got off to a rocky start due to delays at the food hall, Tangarine said.
“There were a lot of blockades before we opened,” he said, noting that the dates kept moving. They trained entirely new staff twice and worked towards an opening date that had been changed many times. It was devastating.
“We ran out of a lot of money. And we had to open a third round as well, whether the facility downstairs was up or not. We were six months late. We were about to run out of money,” he said.
They opened in the middle of the holiday season, but “one of the biggest challenges was having to open without a liquor license.”
Delays there further hampered efforts. By the time everything was in place, the cost was too great.
Looking at drinking trends, alcohol may not have saved people sooner.
Chin says it’s definitely had an impact on revenue for all of Good Salt’s venues, including Seito Sushi, The Osprey, Reyes Mezcaleria, and two new entrants, Sparrow and Osteria Estel.
“People are already eating out less because the economy is tight and everything is more expensive, but younger generations are also less likely to drink alcohol. And that used to be a big part of profitability.”
The same increase Bruno Zacchini is seeing on his grocery bill at home is also reflected at Pizza Bruno’s locations: Maitland Social, College Park and Curry Ford West.
“Costco’s regular costs for the month are up almost 50%,” Zacchini said, but he said he is trying not to raise prices.
“It’s even harder for small businesses to do that,” he says. “People want to provide good value, but all the while behind-the-scenes costs continue to accrue. I just received my monthly insurance bill today and it’s doubled, but I can’t explain that to all my guests.”
Zacchini said he is auditing spending more closely than in past years.
“There’s only so much you can charge for something.”
All reports say that the labor situation, which has been a challenge for the past few years, appears to be in better shape. Wages that are much higher than in the past often make up a large portion of restaurant costs, but finding suitable assistance is now much easier.
“Restaurants are closing down,” Hillis said. He worked hard with his partner and at one point became a skeleton crew. “We’ve gone backwards in some ways, and now it’s harder to find jobs. People are eager to get opportunities and they stay there.”
Chin’s company has very high retention rates, and although she hired two staff members this year, she says it’s easier than ever.
“I think some people who left their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic have returned to the hospitality industry,” he theorizes. “I saw a lot of people leave in those days, but if you’re a true hospitality professional, there aren’t many other environments where you can grow.”
Returning to record-high wages is also likely to be a motivator.
“Do you look at the utilization rates for dishwashers and entry-level line cooks? They’re much higher than they were pre-pandemic.”
Similarly, adventurous diners post-pandemic are returning to comfort food in 2025, Chin says.
At the time, people were spending money on all kinds of new experiences and “just going out and trying to live their lives to the fullest,” he recalls.
“What’s resonating right now is familiarity,” he says. “What they know and love.”
After many farm-to-table jobs, Tangalin returned to the hotel world and is now executive chef at Primo Grande Lakes, the Melissa Kelly venue at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes. He’s ready to take on new challenges next year, but believes the Orlando scene will continue to develop despite the harsh climate.
“It’s similar to what I experienced when I moved to San Diego in 2010, years before Michelin came along and when the scene was just beginning.”
He points out that in a year or two, it’s become a restaurant destination in a different sense than it was before.
“It’s an exciting time here. Lots of new things opening. Lots of great chefs doing great work. It seems like every other week there’s something big happening. It’s very exciting.”
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