Portsmouth's booming restaurants hit 36,000 seats in city of 22,000 residents

PORTSMOUTH — The city — well known for its vibrant downtown and hospitality scene — now has more than 36,000 restaurant seats.

“I like to say that we have 35,000 restaurant seats and 22,000 residents, that number is now in excess of 36,000,” City Manager Karen Conard told the City Council this week.

The city’s annual food permit update reports the city has a total of 36,126 restaurant seats in the 301 restaurants it has granted food permits as of November 2023, Conard said.

U.S. Census figures showed Portsmouth had 22,713 residents in July 2022.

The food permits were issued to 164 restaurants with liquor licenses and 137 without liquor licenses, Conard said in a memo to the City Council.

She said Portsmouth “survived the COVID blip and we’re back on track, trending upward again. Kudos to the four-member health department for working so hard to permit those 301 food permit establishments."

Since 2007, the city peaked with 326 restaurants in 2018, dropped to 282 in 2021 before returning to 301 this year, according to Conard’s memo.

She noted “seat numbers are self-reported, and we have new businesses going through the permitting process throughout the year.”

Mayor says Portsmouth is a draw to everyone

Mayor Deaglan McEachern called the news about the 36,000-plus restaurant seats in Portsmouth “really exciting.”

“I embrace Portsmouth for what is it, I know it’s different than it was 40 years ago, but there’s a reason why so many people want to come to Portsmouth,” McEachern said during an interview Wednesday. “We are a draw to everyone in the region, we are the gateway to the rest of New Hampshire.”

Growing up in Portsmouth, McEachern remembers thinking like most little kids that his city was the “best place to live in the whole world.”

“I still believe it’s the best place to live and it’s great to see other people that are excited to come here,” he said. “There’s definitely a pride that so many folks love the city and want to come be a part of the magic that we have here.”

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McEachern stressed many restaurant owners give back to the city, and highlighted the importance of the employment provided by the businesses.

“There’s a lot of jobs that come with that,” he said about the 36,000-plus restaurant seats. “We have a significant amount of jobs at Pease but also in the restaurant and hotel industry.”

Portsmouth restaurants lift each other up

City Councilor Rich Blalock, who’s the co-owner of the Old Ferry Landing restaurant on the city’s waterfront, said the industry has been “huge” in helping the city’s popularity surge.

“The downtown was built on restaurants and the arts. I think it helped Portsmouth become a destination,” Blalock said during an interview Wednesday. “We don’t only just have restaurants, we have very high quality restaurants with local chefs getting national awards.”

“It really puts Portsmouth on the map as a tourist destination,” he added.

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His family’s restaurant has employed a lot of people over the years, including “a lot of my high school friends, my sister’s friends, local students and local teachers.”

“Usually it’s their first job and then they go on and do great things,” Blalock said.

The Old Ferry Landing just finished its 48th season after opening in 1975, he said.

When his grandfather purchased the property, “it wasn’t a desirable location,” he said, adding “there were wharf rats and it was kind of a red-light district.”

“I think it was the cheapest real estate in the city when we bought it,” he said with a laugh. “You can see now the value that restaurants have brought to the downtown."

He believes the addition of more great restaurants helps the overall industry in Portsmouth.

“It wasn’t one against the other. We’re all in this together,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH: 36,000 restaurants seats and 22,000 population