Restaurants rebound but location matters in 'burbs vs. downtowns

Ohio has about 1,000 more restaurants operating in the state than it did pre-pandemic, according to the president and CEO of Ohio Restaurant and Hospitality Alliance.

"The net number right now is back up to around 25,000 so it's come back and it really started to turn in late '23," said John Barker.

But Barker said the growth isn't happening downtown. Instead, new work patterns are fueling a rise in new openings in the suburbs, he said.

"You have a lot of people working from home, all the hybrid working going on," said Barker, "you just don't have as many people going into the offices which is really the lifeblood particularly of our big, sit down restaurants."

At Creekside Restaurant in Brecksville, the tables are as full as the drinks at the bar.

"We're back to normal and, in fact, better than normal," said owner Matt Harper on a busy Monday evening.

After a tumultuous four years, Harper said they're once again hitting their stride.

"We just try to appeal to as many people as we can," said Harper.

But after 32 years in business, he admits, the one constant is change.

"People's tastes change," said Harper. "Everything. Diet's change. How people use your restaurant changes, so yeah, you need to have your finger on the pulse of what's going on."

Barker agrees.

He said not only have there been changes in where people eat, but also how.

Nights out are often replaced with delivery orders and take-out.

"Millennial and Gen Z, these younger consumers are much more comfortable in different ways of getting their food," said Harper. "And they may or may not want to go into a fine dining restaurant and get all dressed up the way an older consumer might."

At Creekside, Harper believes his casual dining concept has hit the sweet spot.

A major remodel of the restaurant is planned as Harper continues to evolve even decades into serving suburban diners.

"I think restaurants like us, we're like the fabric of the community," said Harper. "We're where people go to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. And we're important and you need to have places like this to be able to do those things."