As historic eatery closes, mom-and-pop shops cannot be a casualty of Miami’s success | Opinion
Miami is saying goodbye to another small business. Las Palmas has been a staple eatery in downtown Miami for 45 years, and on Friday it will close its doors, the Herald reported this week.
Las Palmas has been owned and operated by the Magalhaes family since 2016. But co-owner Mario Ferrari Magalhaes told the Miami Herald Editorial Board the establishment could no longer resist “a series of hits” that have affected other small businesses as well.
From the lingering effects of the pandemic to the increase in egg prices, along with tariffs driving up food costs and immigration policies scaring off international tourism, it’s been death by a thousand cuts.
“Las Palmas is on the lower end of the price bracket, as far as food establishments go in downtown. I can only raise my prices so much before people think I’m crazy,“ said Magalhaes, who has operated the lunch counter with his mother, serving Cuban coffee, pan con bistec and other local favorites.
The closure of Las Palmas is not only a loss for the Magalhaes family, but for Miami. In a city that’s becoming a tech and financial hub, and where more high-rises dot the downtown skyline, small businesses run the risk of becoming part of its past rather than its future, casualties of Miami’s success.
The Magic City’s growth shouldn’t come at the expense of its character and charm. The city and the county certainly should court big businesses and large employers. But they must also protect small businesses that employ more than 40% of the nation’s workforce, according to the Washington Post, and are many families’ ticket to the middle class.
Unfortunately, these mom-and-pop operations often feel economic headwinds more strongly than corporations. As the Post recently reported, small companies across the country are struggling to keep and hire employees in the midst of economic shifts.
At Las Palmas, the end of the Restaurant Recovery Program, a collaboration between the Downtown Development Authority and the city of Miami, made things even more difficult for the Magalhaeses. The program helped restaurants during the pandemic by allowing them to create or expand outdoor seating areas in street parking spaces temporarily without having to pay for a permit.
The old saying that small businesses are the backbone of America rings especially true for this family, originally from Brazil. Their story couldn’t be more of a Miami immigrant tale: “You come here, you build something, you carve your own path and make your legacy,” Magalhaes said.
When family-owned establishments close, we lose a piece of local culture and connections that can’t be replaced by franchise establishments or corporate coffee shops. Sometimes market forces prevail and businesses go under, but independent enterprises are important to any city. They ground the community, creating a sense of place and bringing people together. “Las Palmas caters to every person — no matter where you come from or what your social status is,” Magalhaes said.
We recognize Miami is growing in leaps and bounds, but it also needs to preserve its character and charm. Mega developments may attract customers and tourists, but there has to be room for corner bodegas and quirky shops, too.
As small businesses close, the city loses more than jobs — the makeup of the city will change, and not necessarily for the better. As Magalhaes warns, “Miami will become a generic city — looking like everywhere else but feeling like nowhere special.”
Miami is special because there’s no other place like it in the U.S. The city owes much of its character to the small entrepreneurs who call it home. Losing them is a shame.
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.