Detroit's restaurants are surviving, per DoorDash data
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Despite tough times in the restaurant industry, the vast majority of eateries using DoorDash in Detroit in 2024 remained open a year later, per new data from the company.
Why it matters: Churn is normal in the restaurant industry, but it has recorded significantly more instability since the pandemic.
- Yet, the National Restaurant Association regarded 2025 as a year of "cautious optimism."
By the numbers: DoorDash recorded Detroit's restaurant resiliency rate as 94.4%. The company based its figures on how many restaurants active on DoorDash in September 2024 remained open a year later.
- Nationally, the rate was 93%.
- Plus, Detroit was among the top 10 cities for new restaurants joining DoorDash.
How it works: The data is part of DoorDash's new State of Local Commerce report, which features a bounty of metrics on restaurant trends and more across the 100 most populous U.S. cities.
Reality check: One year of survival isn't nothing, but business closure rates tend to rise on longer time horizons.
What they're saying: A central challenge for restaurants right now is getting people in the door, especially on weekdays when traffic is down significantly, says Nico Gatzaros, co-owner of longtime downtown spot London Chop House.
- As people spend more of their income on monthly living essentials, they have less for a Monday or Wednesday night out.
Plus: He's seeing a 30% increase in health insurance premiums — a "real killer" for businesses, says Gatzaros, who also co-owns new oyster bar Ostrea and Metro Detroit-area Fishbones restaurants.
- In a bit of good news, he says, the cost of ingredients seems to be trickling down.
The bottom line: "I think it's going to be a bright future," Gatzaros says, referencing his expectation for a surge in traffic downtown in the next 12-18 months with the riverwalk expansion and buildings like Hudson's coming online.
- "But right now it's tough."