TikTokers Chronicle Sunset Strip Closures

“When Lady Gaga said ‘Hollywood is a ghost town,’ she was not kidding,” declares TikTok user riotbrendan in a video lamenting the mass exodus of businesses along the Sunset Strip. His words echo a growing sentiment captured across social media platforms, where users are documenting a wave of closures transforming one of America’s most iconic nightlife districts. A separate TikTok post by user cody90210 offers a visual montage, listing 18 businesses that have recently closed their doors on the Strip: Hustler, Sunset Deli, Wildfox, Fresh on Sunset, Westime, Shant’s Watch Repair, Cabo Cantina, Johnnie’s New York Pizzeria, McDonald’s, Kura Sushi, El Pollo Loco, Chase, Ice Cream Plus, Veggie Grill, Xai Verandah Lounge, The Barboza Method, The Pikey, and Jaguar.

Riotbrendan’s video, filmed from his vantage point near the Sunset Strip, paints a picture of a once-thriving area now dotted with vacant storefronts. “I live right off the Sunset strip, which is supposedly one of the most famous nightlife spots in the entire United States and even the world,” he says, “and honestly 3/4 of the Strip is just empty buildings all up for lease. So many places have closed in the last six months, this isn’t just on sunset strip. This is all of West Hollywood, and in Hollywood as well.”

He highlights the closure of Rockin’ Riley’s, a bar he describes as a rare affordable haven in a city increasingly dominated by high-end venues. “Literally my favorite bar ever, Rockin’ Riley’s, just closed down,” he states, “It was the only dive bar in the city where you can get a beer under $10, you could get wings or a burger under $20. I’m just so tired of not having places to go where you can just get a cheap drink or decent food.” He goes on to decry the rising costs that have replaced budget-friendly options with $30 cocktails and upscale gastropubs, pricing out casual patrons and small businesses alike. “I feel like LA is just hollowing out,” he says.

The 18 closures listed by cody90210 span a diverse range of businesses, from fast-food staples like McDonald’s and El Pollo Loco to specialty retailers like Westime and Shant’s Watch Repair. The montage includes eateries such as Fresh on Sunset and Veggie Grill, alongside nightlife spots like Cabo Cantina and The Pikey. Even a Chase bank branch and a fitness studio, The Barboza Method, appear on the list, suggesting the closures cut across industries. While the video offers no commentary, its upbeat music serves as a counterpoint to a roll call showing the scale of change sweeping the area.

Riotbrendan attributes the closures to skyrocketing rents, a sentiment backed by the empty buildings he sees lining the Strip. “The rent is so extremely expensive that no one can afford to own a business here,” he says, “All these realtors just have all these empty blocks of space,” he says, “If they just got paid a little bit less, they could still have all these businesses.” He extends his observation beyond Los Angeles, wondering if other major U.S. cities face similar struggles. “You just can’t exist unless you’re super wealthy,” he concludes, framing the issue as a nationwide affordability crisis.

The Sunset Strip, long celebrated for its variety and nightlife, appears at a crossroads. While these TikTok posts capture a moment of loss, they also raise questions about the future of urban spaces in an era of rising costs. Neither user provides data beyond their personal experiences and observations, but their accounts align with broader reports of business turnover in West Hollywood and Hollywood. For now, the empty storefronts stand as silent witnesses to a shifting landscape—one that, for some, feels less like a ghost town and more like a warning.