MIAMI — Scorching temperatures and hurricane season thins out crowds in South Florida during the summer, but many restaurants are also feeling the heat.
Andiamo Brick Oven Pizza has been serving pies for 25 years.
It sits at 5600 Biscayne Boulevard, housed in a historic building from the 1950’s.
Customers are now coming in for a final slice as Andiamo is in its last days of business.
Owners Sasha and Daniel Soyka say it’s bitter sweet.
“We have people who come, ‘Oh, I heard you guys are closing, I drove all the way down from Dania or from Delray or wherever,” said Daniel Soyka.
The brother-sister duo know the restaurant business well. Their father Mark Soyka was a pioneer in the Miami restaurant scape.
The family says times have changed.
“I’m excited if we do something in the future,” said Sasha Soyka. “A lot of people ask if we sell Andiamo, the recipes or anything. We would never.”
Several factors went into their decision, including overhead and inflation.
Andiamo says they’re taking things week by week and will likely close at the end of September.
Right across the street is Flora Plant Kitchen, whose owners say things are slower than last year.
Flora Plant Kitchen is a plant-based concept with a Latin twist.
It opened in Miami’s Mimo neighborhood in 2023.
Owner Sebastian Ochoa said they have stopped serving dinner during the summer to help with costs and survive the slow months, but are hopeful things will pick up soon.
“It’s been really tough this summer, sales have decreased probably like 40% of the regular sales we had in April or May,” he said.
Their neighbors, Chica, closed down after six years in business.
The iconic Osteria Del Teatro in North Bay Village said goodbye after 40 years, their space now occupied by a new restaurant.
In Miami Beach, Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsey announced on social media they are taking a seasonal pause.
After 20 years, the Miami Beach Italian spot Sardinia shut down, too.
Ensenada off Biscayne Boulevard, open for less than a year, posted to Instagram they were closing forever.
All this comes as the cost of doing business is up.
According to Producer Price Index, in June, overall food costs were up 21%. The hikes weigh heavy on small business owners already struggling to keep up.
To give some perspective, as far as cost is concerned, a case of eggs or lettuce would cost a restaurant about $35. It surged to $85 to $100 at one point, making it difficult for some of these small shops to keep up.
As prices go up, the consumer is cutting back too.
Andiamo’s owners have a final message to their customers:
“Make sure you go support your favorite local Miami restaurants and it’s really important,” said Daniel Soyka.
Andiamo says they looked at moving elsewhere and if they do open up down the line it will be at a much smaller scale.
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