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Russia’s Restaurant Sector Growth Cools in 2025 as Chains Trim Locations

Analysts cite rising costs, labor shortages, competition from ready‑to‑eat offerings.

Overview

  • Industry data show the venue count reached about 211,800 by year‑end 2025, a 4.6% annual increase versus 5.52% in 2024, with 48,800 registrations outpacing 35,400 liquidations.
  • Rusprofile reports 39,688 new foodservice companies and sole proprietors registered in January–November 2025, a figure comparable to 2024 that signals slower expansion.
  • Baza reported 45 bar and restaurant closures in Moscow in January, while the restaurateurs’ federation president called such turnover a normal market rotation.
  • Experts point to thin margins, a consumer swing from the mid‑market toward fast food and budget choices, and growing competition from supermarket ready meals that face lighter rules than restaurants.
  • Labor and cost pressures intensified, with unemployment near 2.2% and average industry wages up about 24% in the first half of 2025, as major brands such as Shokoladnitsa, Rostiks, Yakitoriya and Menza reduced outlets and some concepts exited.