The “Bar Rescue” co-host and chef shares his learnings from embracing new opportunities and reinventing himself. In an industry where the failure rate for opening a restaurant is astronomical, Ashish Alfred had to make the difficult decision recently to close his three restaurants Duck Duck Goose, Anchor Tavern, and Osteria Pirata in Baltimore, Maryland. “I knew with the difficult and changing landscape of the industry, I wouldn’t be able to remain a true independent operator and working chef,” he explains. Only 20 percent of restaurants end up being successful, according to estimates from the National Restaurant Association. About 60 percent of restaurants fail in their first year of operation, and 80 percent close within five years of opening.