A Michigan bottled-water plant is scheduled to close at the end of October, adding to the state's recent food and beverage industry layoffs. Niagara Bottling plans to shut down its facility at 8835 General Drive in Plymouth, with 86 jobs slated to be eliminated on October 31, 2026, according to state labor records. The planned closure follows Niagara's June purchase of the retail bottled-water business of Michigan-based [...]

A southwest Virginia supermarket that served its community for nearly 25 years set October 10 as its last day after its owners said utility bills had averaged more than $25,000 a month. While grocery store closures have been reshaping the industry, the shutdown of Grants Supermarket in Richlands is a particularly local story about rising expenses and an expiring lease. The store on Clinch Street served Richlands, nearby Doran [...]

A Hawaiʻi restaurant was temporarily shut down after state health inspectors found rodent droppings on cooking equipment and food-contact surfaces. The case is an example of the serious pest problems described in our look at health code violations that have shut restaurants down — but there is an important update: this restaurant has already been cleared to reopen. Waikoloa Restaurant & Bar, at 68-1790 Melia Street in [...]

California has lost another piece of old-school roadside dining culture after a year filled with painful closures of longtime local restaurants. The Giant Artichoke Restaurant in Castroville closed on September 30 after 61 years in business, ending a run that began in 1965. The restaurant had spent decades turning Monterey County’s signature crop into both a menu and a tourist attraction. Its current operators, who had run [...]

Ocala’s planned Buc-ee’s still does not have a firm grand-opening date, but the enormous road project needed to serve it is moving forward. A previous look at Florida’s upcoming Buc-ee’s locations noted that Ocala depended on a brand-new Interstate 75 interchange; that interchange is now an active construction project. The Florida Department of Transportation is building a new diverging diamond interchange at I-75 and [...]

Texas diners have had another rough stretch following several notable restaurant closures in August. September brought three more goodbyes, including an 80-year-old Houston barbecue institution, a 22-year Brownsville Tex-Mex favorite and an eight-year San Antonio gathering place. These were not interchangeable chain locations. Each restaurant had built its own loyal following, whether through family-style fajitas, old-school [...]