Another Established Restaurant In Gulf Shores Closes

Savanna Restaurant was located at the Gulf Shores Zoo

The local residents of Gulf Shores have often strived to find a restaurant which caters to them instead of the tourist. In the past few years many thought they had found such a restaurant but would it be able to survive without tourist revenue? Would local clientele be enough to support the location?

In a surprising announcement Savanna Restaurant emailed their followers to inform them of their closing. The email, while not stating specifically, gave the perception that the closing is effective immediately. The email also stated that Savanna would be selling its wine collection. They also encouraged patrons to stop by and say goodbye to staff on June 1st, between 11-3.

As the email from Savanna stated "There are many reason" and that seems to be the question for many local restaurants in the past few years. People's palettes may change, new competition may open, menu selections may not match the market ... the list of reasons can be long. The Gulf Shores market has seen many new restaurants open recently and the number of "Local" patrons may have not kept pace. While the Gulf Shores population grew by 54% between 2010 and 2020, it is estimated to have only grown by approximately two thousand in the last few years.

The restaurant closing trend is not just happening to the 'high-end' location. Nationwide the country has seen bankruptcies with chains like TGIF Fridays, Hooters and Red Lobsters. Even popular Subway closed 1,600 locations in the past three years.

The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area offers over 200 restaurants serving more than 16 types of cuisine. We wish the Savanna staff a successful future as they might assimilate into other culinary operations.

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