Posted on 05/03/2024 5:56:13 AM PDT by Red Badger
(Epic Economist)—Over the past four years, many of us have had the unpleasant surprise of learning that our go-to restaurant, coffee shop, or fast food joint was closing doors for good. Thousands of well-established companies have gone out of business since the pandemic accelerated the descent of the U.S. economy, and conditions have been particularly tough in the restaurant industry. Even during the best of times, managing a restaurant comes with plenty of uncertainty. Though a brand can be incredibly popular amongst consumers, there’s a variety of factors that can result in mass closings, and in some cases, bankruptcy.
We tend to think that the biggest restaurant chains in America are better prepared to handle these challenges, but the truth is that many of them are, in fact, more exposed to financial problems due to their enormous expenses and extensive brick-and-mortar footprint.
Both inflation and deflation can cause drastic changes in consumer behavior, leading to lost sales and rendering some locations regrettably unprofitable. On top of that, something most people do not know is that, despite being backed by huge corporate entities, lots of restaurants have been struggling to stay afloat for quite a long time, and recent developments have just been the last straw for them.
That’s why a considerable number of chains is closing multiple locations right now. While for some this is goodbye forever, for others, the closings are necessary to restore the health of their business. Executives are citing issues like underperformance and slowing foot traffic, as well as broader concerns about the strength of the American buying power over the long run, as some of the reasons behind the latest closures. Meanwhile, other companies are simply shuttering locations suddenly and without warning, leaving customers and even employees wondering what went wrong.
Here’s the list:
* Cracker Barrel
* Applebee’s
* TGI Friday’s
* Denny’s
* Boston Market
* MOD Pizza
* Hooters
* Carrabba’s Italian Grill
* Hardee’s
* Tijuana Flats
* Noodles & Company
* Krystal
* White Castle
* Bagger Dave’s
* Chili’s
Of all those, I’ve only been to Denny’s a few times. The rest aren’t close enough to me to make an attempt.
Lousy food and high prices, who would have thought that could end a restaurant??
Cracker Barrel has gone down the tubes in the last few years. Much smaller portions and not as tasty.
a. They are probably woke
b. There food is bad
c. They are all corporate
d. They probably voted for Biden.
e. I do not care.
“since the pandemic accelerated the descent of the U.S. economy.”
Half truth. It did have an impact but Trump repaired this before his term was over. Biden made sure it was wrecked after he took over.
Sad, but inevitable.
We have all of those except a couple.
Our TGI Friday’s closed a couple months ago.
Our Hardee’s closed in the pandemic.
Burger King just closed one of three we had. One of those is barely staying open..................
Obviously need to raise the minimum wage! /s
I noticed that too.
Not that I ever ate there often.
“Lousy food and high prices, who would have thought that could end a restaurant??”
Exactly right. They got too greedy and did it to themselves.
DEI.
Looks like crappy food and crappy decor are getting whacked.
We only eat at local restaurants, NEVER at chains. Ever.
Not this time.
Crappy over-priced food, under-staffed, over-paid, insolent servers........................
Not this time.
Crappy over-priced food, under-staffed, over-paid, insolent servers........................
Meanwhile, local diners and non-chain restaurants are booming.
Some are the walking dead already like Applebees and Boston Market
Out of all of these there were only two that had decent food:
Boston Market
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
The rest were crap food that eating at would potentially result in food born illnesses.
I still remember getting food poisoning from eating at an Applebee’s in Elyria, OH on a business trip thirty years ago.
The issues it was the very first night of a week long trip.
I had to meet up with a customer the next morning. I spent most of the night in the hotel bathroom(TMI).
It’s sad that the restaurants tried to be sneaky. But of course it always backfires. I stopped going a year ago after going very often especially while traveling.
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