The restaurant business has always been a cutthroat game, but the pace of change in Austin lately suggests new levels of pressure for local operators. Recent closures — ranging from a long-standing institution to a foodie’s paradise to a chain — are raising red flags about the health of the dining ecosystem. 1. Sam’s Bar‑B‑Que & Austin Daiquiri Factory Sam’s has been in Austin since 1957, making it one of the [...]

Another brutal setback for Kansas. As if factory shutdowns earlier this year weren’t bad enough… Kansas has suffered another setback in its manufacturing sector as two major facilities - one in meat processing and another in packaging - recently shut down just a few weeks apart, resulting in hundreds of layoffs and new economic uncertainty for the region. Tyson Foods permanently closed its Emporia processing plant [...]

Even bourbon, we’re discovering, isn’t recession-proof. As distilleries close across the country…unfortunately, we have another loss to add to the list. Kentucky’s bourbon industry has taken yet another hit as one of its newest distilleries shut down just over a year after opening, leaving employees without work and a local community suddenly without one of its most promising ventures. Garrard County Distilling [...]

Florida’s food manufacturing sector took a sudden hit earlier this year when a major snack facility shut its doors, leaving nearly three hundred workers without employment and raising fresh alarm about industrial instability in the state. PepsiCo recently closed its Frito-Lay plant in Liberty, Florida, at the cost of over 250 good, local factory jobs.  The plant had been a long-standing source of local jobs and supply for [...]

Nevada has had a rough year so far. With factories closing left and right… And the broader economy wobbling as tourism declines. Unfortunately, Nevada’s manufacturing base has taken another major hit after one of the state’s longest-running food plants shut its doors, putting hundreds of people out of work and marking another loss in a year of factory cutbacks across the country. Post Holdings recently closed its [...]

Arkansas has had a tough year so far… With waves of factory closures (including several truly painful losses) rocking the state. Arkansas has lost another food-industry facility this year after a long-running processing plant shut its doors and displaced nearly two hundred workers. More specifically, Butterball recently closed its Jonesboro turkey plant and laid off about 180 employees.  The shutdown comes [...]