7 New Jersey restaurants abruptly close as unemployment hits three-year highs

New Jersey’s dining scene has always been a reflection of its diverse communities, but 2025 has brought a wave of closures that underscores deeper economic challenges across the state.

Rising operating costs, higher wages, supply chain pressures, and shifting consumer spending habits have all taken a toll on restaurants already running on thin margins.

These closures don’t just mark the end of beloved eateries—they point to a broader story of an economy where inflation and uncertainty are forcing both businesses and families to make tough choices, as New Jersey’s unemployment rate recently hit 5.0% for the first time since 2022.

For many in New Jersey, the disappearance of these restaurants is a visible reminder of how hard the state’s economy has been hit in 2025.

Let’s see the most notable recent restaurant closures in New Jersey…

Iron Hill Brewery

On September 25, 2025, Iron Hill Brewery announced the closure of all its remaining 16 locations, including the New Jersey location in Maple Shade/Voorhees.

They cited “ongoing financial challenges” and noted it was filing for bankruptcy.

TGI Fridays

TGI Fridays have been having massive problems as whole and has been on closing locations over the past decade.

The problems got worse as it announced Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024. Since then, over half of its stores have shut down.

In New Jersey, it’s sold four company-owned locations. In terms of closings, we saw the shuttering of its Toms River location earlier in 2025.

On the Border

The popular Mexican restauarant chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025.

It still has four locations open in New Jersey, but did close the Toms River location in the Ocean County Mall.

Bahama Breeze

The Caribbean restaurant chain closed four of its five New Jersey locations in 2025. Gone are the Paramus, Toms River, Wayne, and Woodbridge locations. The only remaining location you can get those tropical cocktails is in Cherry Hill.

Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same