Bay Area Sees Wave of Restaurant and Brewery Closures
Multiple long-standing Bay Area food and beverage businesses, including Admiral Maltings, The Rake, Barbarossa Lounge, and Mai's Restaurant, are closing this month, with owners citing economic pressures.
Several long-standing establishments in the Bay Area have recently shut down or announced closures. Barbarossa Lounge closed after 11 years in business as of Saturday, September 26, at 714 Montgomery Street in San Francisco. Mai’s Restaurant closed as of Thursday, October 1, at 316 Clement Street in San Francisco; it had reportedly been in operation since 1979. Admiral Maltings will produce its final batch of malt on Friday, October 2, after nine years in business at 651A West Tower Avenue in Alameda. The Rake will shut down on Sunday, October 18, also in Alameda. Lutticken’s deli closed all four of its locations as of Wednesday, September 30, after 45 years in business, with one location at 3535 Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park.
Admiral Maltings and The Rake end operations
Admiral Maltings and The Rake, both operating for nine years at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, are ceasing production and service. Admiral Maltings was known for its floor-malting process and supplied craft brewers and distillers. It stopped production on October 2. The Rake will officially close on October 18.
Statements from owners and teams reflect economic struggles
Owners and teams cited economic unsustainability as a key factor in their decisions to close. The Admiral Maltings team stated they could not make and sell malt economically despite efforts to find partners. "Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t make and sell malt economically," they said. In a late September Instagram post, The Rake's team wrote that they had treasured the connections with California farmers and breweries. They added that, despite reaching out to many professional partners, they no longer possessed the resources to push forward. Barbarossa Lounge’s owners announced their closure via an Instagram post, thanking former employees and customers. Mai’s Restaurant closure was confirmed by a prerecorded message, though no reason was given.
Broader industry trends show declining beer market
National beer production and sales have declined for multiple years, with rising costs and shifting consumer preferences affecting craft breweries. The broader context includes a shrinking U.S. beer market and a net loss of craft breweries.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Craft brewery closures in 2025 | 481 |
| New craft brewery openings in 2025 | 300 |
| Decline in taprooms since 2024 | 2.7% |
| Decline in microbreweries since 2024 | 4.4% |
| U.S. beer market sales in 2025 | $113.1 billion |
| U.S. beer market sales decline in 2025 | 3% |
Beer production began to decline in 2022 and has continued each year since. The Brewers Association cites the rise of non-alcoholic options and THC-infused beverages as possible causes. High inflation has increased beer production costs, causing breweries to raise prices. The Rake and Admiral Maltings will complete their final operations in October.
