With at least 111 new businesses and 43 businesses closing in 2023, there were some noticeable trends in the Hub City. Here's a look at the numbers, and other interesting insights.
Which months saw the most closings, most openings in Lubbock in 2023?
The average for openings and closings per month in 2023 were nine openings and four closings, but some months did not follow the pattern.
August and December tied for most openings in the month with 13. Those two months hold about 23% of the city's new businesses for 2023.
The months with the most closings were July, August, October and December, each with five closings. Together, those months consist of about 46% of the year's closings.
What types of Lubbock businesses saw the most growth?
It is not surprising that the biggest expansion came from Lubbock's swiftly growing food and drink scenes. Between a burst of drive-thru coffee shops, local restaurants, and four new food/drink mobile trucks, the city saw a total of 53 new businesses in this area. This counted for about 48% of the year's openings.
Within the restaurant realm, almost 20 locations with international cuisines opened out of the 37 restaurants and food trucks. There were plenty of new Mexican-influenced restaurants, along with Asian, French, Indian and Italian additions. Some of the most notable within the Lubbock Foodies Facebook group included Chez Sami joining downtown Lubbock, Kaveri Indian Cuisine taking over the former New Royal Indian, and the return of Crush Teriyaki.
More: Lubbock has more than 300 franchises, here's what has the most locations and other facts
On the drink side, there were a total of 14 additions, half of which were coffee-focused: three 7 Brew locations, Summer Moon, Brewed Awakening, another Dutch Bros and a Scooters Coffee. The coffee growth will likely continue in 2024, with the addition of The Human Bean and new Starbucks locations being built.
Another booming business in 2023 came from Toot'n Totum. The Amarillo-based convenience store company started its "Lubbock or Bust" campaign in 2022 with plans to open nearly 20 locations. By the end of 2023, five of the planned locations had opened. The expansion will continue through 2024.
Related: Toot'n Totum to open nearly 20 Lubbock locations: Here's when, where and what's next
Which industry saw the most closures in Lubbock 2023?
Out of the 43 closures in 2023, 27 of them were restaurants/food-based businesses. The year appeared to take its toll on Mexican, pizza and burger restaurants, with each category losing five. In one weekend in May, three Mexican restaurants closed, along with The Lost Cajun.