Stats

Openings Outpaced Closings in 2009

The burger at the now-shuttered Bonfire
The burger at the now-shuttered Bonfire Photo: Bonfire

Despite dire claims about the economy, 2009 saw more restaurants added to MenuPages Boston than closed. Though 81 eateries bit the dust, 146 rose in their place. We crunched the numbers and found some trends. Hint: Back Bay is hopping!

Restaurants opened: 146
Restaurants closed: 81

New restaurants with “Berry” in their names: 3 (Berry Freeze and two branches of BerryLine)
Restaurants that opened and closed within 2009: 2 (Bina on the Common, Wildfire Wings)
Neighborhoods with the most openings: Back Bay (14), Allston (13), Theater District/Chinatown (13)
Neighborhoods with the most closings: Fenway/Kenmore (12), Allston (10)
Months with the most openings: January (25), June (15)
Months with the most closings: February (17), January (13)

Openings Outpaced Closings in 2009