Americana and Django, two iconic Des Moines restaurants, are gone for good and they're not alone. 600 restaurants in Iowa will be closing in 2026 and it's because the challenges are too many to count. Scott Carlson, owner of The Craft Beer Tent, and Gilroy's opens up about Americana's closing.
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Increasing taxes, work from home, zero-proof, changing food preferences, homeless population, increasing food and labor costs, regulatory burdens, food delivery, and rising insurance rates are just a few challenges most restaurateurs have to deal with. But Iowa eateries are dealing with all of them simultaneously. Carlson breaks down what happened and what needs to change.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome - Meet Scott Carlson
01:18 - Why Americana Is Closing: 'Death by a Thousand Cuts'
02:21 - Downtown Des Moines After COVID: Lost Office Crowds & Corporate Spending
04:54 - Western Gateway Headwinds: Homelessness, Street Closures, Construction & Plumbing
06:29 - The Bigger Picture
08:44 - New Pressures on Margins
11:56 - What Can Government Do? Small Business Blind Spots & the 'Slow Exit from COVID' Warning
15:20 - Regulation, Liquor Liability, Insurance & Credit Card Fees Squeezing Restaurants
18:59 - Changing Food Preferences
20:07 - Food cost spikes & the limits of raising menu prices
22:07 - Adapting without alienating customers
23:47 - Seed oils vs beef tallow: how health rules reshaped frying
26:11 - Food vs fuel
27:17 - Why it's called Gilroy's: the ginger-themed origin story
27:56 - Survival strategy: Des Moines' "Golden Circle"
31:04 - Construction & downtown events: the hidden cost to restaurants
33:38 - The downtown dining experience
35:57 - Wrap-up
