Restaurant operators explain rise in Russian catering business closures

Russia recorded 28,000 company and sole-trader closures in catering during January–September 2026, up 15 percent from a year earlier, Kommersant reported using Kontur-Focus data.

Market participants link the increase to rising costs and weaker demand. Irina Blagoveshchenskaya, vice-president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers, said owners were primarily closing projects that were already unprofitable, with the tax burden adding pressure.

Restaurant operators also cited higher rents. Amid economic uncertainty, customers are increasingly limiting spending on cafes and restaurants, according to the newspaper’s interviewees.

Nikita Rogozny, co-owner of Wokker and Briket Market, pointed to competition from ready-made supermarket meals. In his assessment, those products offer some customers a cheaper alternative to eating at a restaurant.

The number of companies and sole traders removed from business registers is not the same as the number of restaurants closed. One company can operate several outlets. Separate research into the number of establishments therefore measures a different aspect of the market.