Sausalitos is closing across Germany: 40 branches affected, 1000 jobs lost!

Sausalitos is closing across Germany: 40 branches affected, 1000 jobs lost!

In sad news for the dining scene, the popular chain Sausalitos announced on July 14, 2025 that it will be closing numerous branches in Germany. They had to file for bankruptcy as early as March 2025, and the effects are huge: around 1,000 employees are affected, and the number of branches that are still active has fallen drastically. The official homepage currently only lists 17 locations, which represents a massive decline compared to the original 40 branches that existed before the bankruptcy, as [Merkur](https://www.merkur.de/wirtschaft/grosse-kette-schliesst-deutschlandweit-massenhaft-filialen- Werden-euch-vermissen-93829765.html) reports.

The reasons for insolvency are diverse and are directly related to the changed customer behavior during and after the corona pandemic. In many cities, such as Berlin, Cologne and Essen, restaurants had to close because the number of guests fell sharply. This situation is also reflected in the general trends in the catering industry, which has seen a worrying number of closures in recent years. According to statistics, around 62,000 catering establishments in Germany threw in the towel between 2019 and 2023, including around 8,000 due to bankruptcies. These figures show that the industry continues to battle the aftereffects of the pandemic, increased costs and a difficult economic situation.

Affected cities and branches

The closures affect numerous cities nationwide. The following locations, among others, are affected:

• Berlin (Uber Platz, Fasanenstraße)
• Köln (Hohenzollernring, Heumarkt)
• Hamburg (Bergedorf, Chilehaus)
• Hannover (Lister Meile, Osterstraße)
• Essen
• Landshut
• Krefeld
• Wuppertal
• Karlsruhe
• Wolfsburg
• Braunschweig
• Düsseldorf
• Stuttgart

The closure announcements were shared on the stores' Instagram accounts on June 29, 2025, causing disappointment and incomprehension among customers. In Braunschweig, the closure was due to the lack of investors, while the branch in Dortmund will remain open until the end of July 2025, but it will also have to close.

A look into the future

The situation in the catering industry remains tense. In general, the trend towards insolvencies in the hospitality industry is expected to continue, especially for newly founded businesses. Insolvencies at catering companies rose by a whopping 67 percent between 2022 and 2023, as Statista reports. Patrik-Ludwig Hantzsch from Creditreform emphasizes that the economic conditions for the industry are anything but rosy.

In conclusion, worries about the restaurant industry are only heightened by Sausalitos' current closures. It remains to be hoped that the remaining locations have a good hand and the challenges can be overcome. Time will tell whether the industry can recover from the severe crisis.