When we moved to our former house in the Tradition neighborhood of Port St. Lucie, Fla., we had two Starbucks, two Dunkin’s, and two local coffeehouses within a few miles of our house. A few years later, when we moved away, we still had two Starbucks, but the local, independent chains had both closed.

In their place, we added 7 Brew, Cali Coffee, Carmela (a regional chain), Vicky Bakery (a popular Cuban cafe chain), another Dunkin’, and a new independent coffee place.

It’s a staggering amount of competition in a fast-growing section of the city that’s only a few square miles. All of those added competitors come at a time when the overall market has been growing, but seems to have hit a wall.

“The Coffee and Snack Shops industry has experienced a wave of growth, emerging as a standout performer in the food service sector. It boasts an annualized growth rate of 2.5%, shooting revenues up to $75.5 billion over the five years to 2026,” according to IBISWorld’s Coffee & Snack Shops in the US Industry Data and Analysis.

Nationally, Americans also have more places to get their daily cup.

“The number of chain coffee stores in the U.S. jumped 19% to more than 34,500 over the last six years, according to Technomic, a consulting firm that researches the foodservice industry,” the Associated Press reported.

Current market conditions, however, seem to have worsened as American consumers have tightened their spending.

“This includes an expected 0.2% decline in 2026 alone as the Middle East conflicts have driven up crude oil prices, deterring customers from frequenting coffee and snack shops. As a result, profit is expected to fall as soaring operational costs eat up profitability,” IBISWorld showed.

It’s a situation that has led to Starbucks and Peet’s both closing underperforming locations, while a number of smaller chains and independent operators have shrunk or even closed down. Now, one high-end player in the space, Chenin LLC, which operates a Washington-area L’Experience Paris cafe, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Chenin LLC files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Chenin LLC, the parent company of Bellevue bakery L’Experience Paris, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Aug. 31 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington.

The cafe/restaurant remains open, and its owners plan to use the filing to reorganize the company’s finances while remaining open.

L’Experience Paris uses a cafe/restaurant model that’s different from a traditional coffeehouse.

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“An experience, not merely a meal. In Paris, one does not queue for breakfast — one sits, and the café comes to you. Since 2018, we have kept that ritual on the Eastside: flour milled in France, butter churned in Normandy, and a table that is yours for as long as you care to linger. And when the day won’t wait, our counter sends you off with a baguette or box of pastries — Paris, à emporter,” the company explained on its website.

Although the overall company operates four locations in Washington state, the Chapter 11 filing only covers one Bellevue location.

Owner Julien Hervet told Puget Sound Business Journal that “Chenin was historically kept separate from the corporate structure governing the company’s other locations and that the bankruptcy filing is intended to bring the Bellevue entity in line with the broader organization.”

Coffee shops are feeling the pinch

While the number of coffeehouses has grown nationwide, consumers have been pulling back on discretionary spending, and the price of coffee beans has gone up.

“The arabica coffee contract run by ICE Futures U.S., which acts as a global benchmark for pricing coffee, hit a six-month high in July above $3.5 per lb. It has stayed close to that level despite market expectations of a substantial ​surplus in the 2026/27 season,” Reuters reported.

Other costs are rising as well, Black Rock Coffee noted in its annual report, and these can’t always be passed on to customers.

“We may not choose to increase prices in order to pass future increased labor or commodity costs on to guests, in which case our margins would be negatively affected. If we do not increase prices to cover increased labor or commodity costs, or if such increase is delayed, the higher prices could result in lower sales, which may also reduce margins,” the company shared.

Coffeehouses have also seen changes in customer behavior.

“Consumers visited burger and coffee chains less often and purchased fewer items per visit. Yet, spending per unit increased year over year, as restaurants have continued to increase prices in part to offset rising costs from commodity pressures and tariffs,” according to McKinsey’s What US Consumers Want from Restaurants in 2026.

RTM Nexis CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks the coffeehouse space has become so crowded that some players will inevitably fail.

“Coffee has become one of the most competitive parts of foodservice because the same customer may buy it five days a week, and every operator wants a piece of that habit. The problem is that good locations are expensive, labor is expensive and consumers usually have several alternatives within a few blocks,” he told TheStreet.

The major challenge facing coffeehouse chains isn’t getting customers to try a new brand.

“A new brand can draw a crowd when it opens. The real test is whether customers walk past three other coffee shops to come back,” he added.

Chenin LLC, L’Experience Paris Chapter 11 bankruptcty facts

• Debtor: Chenin LLC
• Case No.: 2:26-bk-12825-CMA
• Court: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington
• Judge: Christopher M. Alston
• Filing Date: Aug. 31, 2026
• Industry: Restaurants and Other Eating Places
• Estimated Assets: $100,001 to $1 million
• Estimated Liabilities: $100,001 to $1 million
• Creditors: 1–49
• Counsel: Andrew R. Escobar, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Sources: PacerMonitor, BKAlerts, BankruptcyObserver

“You don’t win friends with salad.”

That’s a classic Homer Simpson line referring to his plan to host a barbecue where he cooks an entire pig, which horrifies his vegetarian daughter Lisa.

In reality, however, there’s some truth to what Homer Simpson says. Restaurants based around salad, including Salad and Go, which closed all its locations after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, and Planta, a vegan chain that liquidated after a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, have struggled.

There’s actually strong business logic behind why these chains failed and other are struggling, according to “How Major Restaurant Chains Plan Their Menus,” an article that appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

“Restaurants may try to avoid losing groups with a ‘health seeker’ by offering healthier foods (low in fat and calories, more fruits and vegetables) (27% of chains), but operators believe demand for healthier foods is not widespread. Additional obstacles to including healthier menu items are the short shelf life of produce (46%), increased preparation time, low sales, and high labor costs,” the data showed.

It’s hard to sell food that people may say they want, but don’t actually order when it comes time to eat. Good intentions don’t pay the bills. It’s a lesson Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen has learned, as it has now closed two-thirds of its locations.

Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen closes another location

Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen has shut down its final location in Louisville, Kentucky, the chain shared on Facebook.

“It’s with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of our Bardstown location,” the company shared. “…To everyone who has visited us, ordered with us, supported us, and made Vinaigrette part of your routine thank you! We are incredibly grateful for every meal, every conversation, and every memory we’ve shared with you.”

The chain still has two locations open in Lexington.

• Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen reached six locations in Kentucky, with three in Lexington and three in Louisville, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader in April 2024.
• The chain’s first location, in Lexington’s Townley Center, opened in 2014 and closed in April 2024 after 10 years. At the time, Vinaigrette had three Lexington locations and three Louisville locations, reported the Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Vinaigrette closed two Louisville restaurants in 2025, reducing its Louisville presence from three locations to one, Louisville Business First reported.
• In September 2025, Vinaigrette closed its downtown Lexington location on Broadway, leaving three restaurants: Hamburg and Palomar Centre in Lexington and Bardstown Road in Louisville, the Lexington Herald-Leader confirmed.
• The chain now has two remaining locations in Lexington, according to its website, which has not removed the shuttered Bardstown location.

Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen serves salads, soups, grain bowls, and homemade lemonades, with a menu that includes vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free offerings.

“The latest closure comes amid heightened scrutiny of the salad sector following a nationwide cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce,” Louisville Business First reported.

FDA issues cyclospora update

Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen was not implicated in the cyclospora outbreak, but that scandal has added another challenge for salad-focused restaurants.

“A cyclospora outbreak in July, in which Salad and Go was not implicated, weakened confidence across the industry and compounded these challenges,” Salad and Go shared on its now closed Facebook page.

Taylor Farms de Mexico announced on July 17 that it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market, according to the FDA. That includes products sold at Walmart and at various Taco Bell locations.

The FDA shared a list of impacted locations:

• Cases with Taco Bell exposure have been reported from nine states:  IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, OH, OK, PA, and WV.
• Foodservice: Taylor Fresh Foods distributed recalled iceberg lettuce products from June 29 through July 16 in AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WI. 
• Retail stores: Recalled Marketside-brand products were sold at select Walmart stores in: AL, AR, FL, GA, IN, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, OK, TN, TX, VA, and WV.
• Restaurants: Any Taco Bell locations that received recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. Taco Bell has indicated they are no longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico as of July 17, 2026. 

More Restaurants:

• 52-year-old international restaurant chain closing all locations
• 46-year-old casual dining chain closes underperforming locations
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The FDA also shared what symptoms to watch for if you may have been exposed.

“Most people infected with Cyclospora develop diarrhea, with frequent bowel movements. Other common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps/pain, bloating, increased gas, nausea, and fatigue. Vomiting, body aches, headache, and fever may be noted,” the federal agency shared.

Restaurants can’t serve what doesn’t sell

“Most People Don’t Choose Healthy Meals at Restaurants” is the headline of a Consumer Reports article showing that most restaurant meals Americans eat are not healthy.

“Half of the meals Americans order at sit-down restaurants and 70% of the ones they choose at fast-food establishments would get a failing grade for nutrition, according to a new study from Tufts University published in The Journal of Nutrition,” the magazine reported.

That’s something you can’t blame solely on the restaurants.

“Both consumers and restaurants have responsibility here: Restaurants can’t serve what doesn’t sell, and consumers can’t buy what’s not on the menu,” Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, told Consumer Reports.

Chains offering salad and other healthy options are also being hurt by the economy and consumers looking to spend less.

“Buying groceries and making salads at home is always cheaper than buying one prepared to order at a counter, as is grabbing a protein bar or yogurt on the way out the door. For convenience-seekers, whole meals can be picked up at the supermarket or even ordered online,” Bloomberg reported.

Some consumers are also trading down.

David Portalatin, the food-service adviser at market research group Circana, told Bloomberg that the proportion of lunches bought from restaurants, cafeterias, and other food-service establishments “remained stable at 23% for the three months ended in September, signaling that dropping out of Sweetgreen might mean going to Chick-fil-A instead.”

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In the United Kingdom, the term “high street” refers to the main shopping and commercial thoroughfare in a given city.

More specific than the American term “Main Street,” “high street stores” are national brands that are household names within the country and can be found in any British city.

Some examples of “high street brands” in the U.K. include Marks and Spencer, Next, John Lewis, Jigsaw, and Reiss.

Cancer Research UK closing 190 stores across country by April 2027

Founded in 2002 as a charity through the merger of the older The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Research UK is a chain of charity shops selling pre-owned clothing, books, technology, and other specialty items to raise money for cancer research.

For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, Cancer Research UK reported raising £696 million (approximately $941 million USD), the majority from donations and £140 million from various trading activities.

Related: Another travel agency shuts down after 19 years

As the agency first shared last year and is now implementing, Cancer Research UK is set to close, by April 2027, two of three major warehouses in the London and Liverpool suburbs of Fleet and Warrington. It will also shutter 190 of the stores where pre-owned items are sold for charity, The Sun reported.

While the organization at its peak had more than 500 operating stores across the U.K., only 390 are expected to remain open following the closures.

According to a statement from Cancer Research UK cited by The Sun, the closures are part of the charity’s aims to restructure its business and pivot its primary focus toward research.

“Without action, many of our shops will become unprofitable”

“This provision includes £5.6 million in respect of retail shops that are planned to close, as well as the closure of the warehouse that supported the sale of goods through online retail platforms,” Cancer Research UK wrote in its annual report.

“[…] The provision is expected to be utilised [British spelling] within the next one to two years, subject to negotiations with landlords.”

Cancer Research UK CEO Michelle Mitchell previously said that “without action, we predict many of our shops will become unprofitable.”

More Travel And Retail News:

• Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.
• Taco Bell to bring back five favorites after 20 years
• 153-year-old footwear retailer quietly closes 40 stores
• Low-cost airline launches easier way to get to Sri Lanka

The agency confirmed that it intends to continue expanding the larger superstores that it has been opening outside of major cities since 2021. There are currently 12 operating across the country.

The exact store locations set for closure have not yet been confirmed, but the shutdowns have been quietly rolling out throughout 2026 and will continue into 2027.

Other major British charity chains that were once a major high street presence, including Oxfam and the British Heart Foundation, have also been closing dozens of smaller locations across the country over the last two years, while prioritizing warehouses and larger, most profitable locations, The Guardian confirmed.

Related: 40-year-old corner store chain closing all locations