Restaurant closures have continued to hit independent operators across the country as owners contend with labor pressure, shifting demand, and the strain of running small food businesses. In Vermont, that trend recently became highly local with the loss of three well-known spots in Burlington, St. Albans, and Randolph. The confirmed closures involve two Feldman’s Bagels locations and the Randolph café wit & grit., all of which ended service in June 2026.
Three restaurants closed in June, including two Feldman’s Bagels shops
The clearest confirmed development is the loss of three restaurants across two parts of Vermont. Seven Days reported that both Feldman’s Bagels locations, in Burlington and St. Albans, permanently closed on June 18, 2026, after signs on the doors and a brief social media announcement confirmed the shutdown. The same reporting said the Burlington shop on Pine Street and the St. Albans location were the brand’s final two Vermont stores.
That means the Feldman’s name has now disappeared entirely from the state’s restaurant landscape. According to Seven Days, the closure happened without prior public notice, and the Burlington storefront displayed a handwritten message telling customers the business had gone out of business. The company’s social media post thanked loyal customers and said the closure was effective immediately.
A separate closure followed later in the month in Randolph. Seven Days reported that wit & grit., a breakfast-and-lunch restaurant at 29 Merchants Row, served its final meals on June 28, 2026, after about four and a half years in business. Owner Hannah Arias told the outlet in advance of the closing that the restaurant would shut permanently at the end of that weekend.
Burlington, St. Albans, and Randolph each lost a distinct local gathering place
The local impact is confirmed in three specific communities: Burlington, St. Albans, and Randolph. In Burlington, the closure ended service at the original Feldman’s Bagels location on Pine Street, a shop with roots tied to Roy Feldman’s return to the city in 2013, according to Seven Days. In St. Albans, the second closure removed the company’s last remaining expansion site outside Burlington.
What is not publicly known is whether any additional Vermont restaurant properties tied to the ownership group could reopen under another concept, or whether former staff from the two bagel shops will be absorbed into other operations. Seven Days reported that owner Bob Leonard also operated Firehouse Subs locations in Williston and St. Albans, but the reporting on June 18 focused on those businesses being done as well. No broader public recovery plan was outlined in the coverage.
In Randolph, the loss is different in scale but equally specific. wit & grit. was a standalone independent business, and Seven Days reported that the restaurant space is now available for lease. Arias has retained the wit & grit. name, but no reopening date or new Vermont location has been announced.
The reasons were different, but both closures reflect familiar pressures on independents
The causes behind the closures were not presented as one statewide issue affecting all three restaurants in the same way. In the case of Feldman’s Bagels, Seven Days said the company offered little public explanation beyond its brief farewell message, so a detailed official reason for the June 18 shutdowns has not been released. Because of that, it is not confirmed whether the closures were driven by debt, rent, staffing, traffic, or another business factor.
wit & grit. did provide a clearer explanation. Seven Days reported that Arias and her family moved to Portland, Maine, in August 2025 for her wife’s job, and Arias had continued commuting to Randolph for the restaurant’s Friday-through-Monday schedule. She told the publication that the arrangement became too difficult, especially after staffing challenges and the loss of a line cook put her back in the kitchen.
For customers, the immediate meaning is straightforward: Feldman’s Bagels is no longer operating in either Burlington or St. Albans, and wit & grit. has ended service in Randolph. No public statements reviewed here identified replacement openings, transition dates, or temporary pauses. The last confirmed forward-looking note came from Arias, who told Seven Days she hopes the wit & grit. concept can eventually return, though she said it would likely be farther east.
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