We’ve been witnessing many popular restaurants shut their doors recently. From nutrition awareness and automation technology to pandemics, they’ve all been cited as the cause of these nostalgic chains downsizing or going out of business.
Whatever the reason may be, one thing’s for sure- the food industry has taken one of its biggest hits in modern times.
“If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen,” here are some of the biggest names in the food business that will be closing their kitchens for good in 2020.
Taco Bell
Year Established: 1962
Estimated Branch Closures: 6 Branches
Taco Bell is best known for its affordable menu of quick-and-easy Mexican food. With over 50 years of experience, it’s hard to imagine that this popular chain would ever disappear completely. Despite their long history, however, Taco Bell has experienced a decline in sales in recent years that led them to close half a dozen restaurants.
While closing six branches certainly doesn’t mean they’re headed for bankruptcy, it does raise a few red flags about the future of the popular fast-food Mexican chain. It’s six branches today, but who knows how many might shut down by this time next year?
Carrabba's
Year Established: 1986
Estimated Branch Closures: 43 Branches
The Italian cousin restaurant Carrabba's has been around for more than three decades now. It has around 250 locations and can be found throughout the United States. With almost a billion dollars in annual revenue, it looks like Italian cuisine, and this restaurant in particular, are quite profitable.
In 2015, Carrabba's expanded its branches to international territories, starting with Brazil. However, this attempt seems to have backfired as they have recently had to close almost fifty branches that were underperforming. Although the minor set back, Carrabba's is still managing to maintain an overall strong and steady growth curve so keep your fingers crossed for this one.
Sbarro
Year Established: 1956
Estimated Branch Closures: 155 Branches
A staple in nearly every mall food court, Sbarro is an Italian fast food chain that serves pizza, pasta, and other carb-heavy dishes. While it’s the
perfect place to stop in for a filling bite, Sbarro started a massive wave of closures in 2014. Since then, locations across the US have been shut down. The company is focused on ridding itself of branches that aren’t profitable, while simultaneously revamping the well-performing branches to boost sales even further. It’s unclear when this process will end, but nearly half the existing branches have already gotten the boot.
Chipotle
Year Established: 1993
Estimated Branch Closures: 65 Branches
Although Chipotle is an internet sensation known for on-demand Mexican food, a 2016 E. coli outbreak resulted in a massive dip in sales for the popular chain. While the outbreak ended quickly and only infected 55 people, the restaurant never fully overcame the health concerns associated with their food.
Although Chipotle managed to boast the highest sales in company history in the last two quarters, they’ve still had to close branches to recover from their 2016 losses. Another 65 branches are expected to close in the coming weeks, proving that Chipotle’s profits aren’t yet as high as they should be.
Bob Evans
Year Established: 1953
Estimated Branch Closures: 27 Branches
When Bob Evans arrived on the scene in 1953, the popular home-style comfort food connected with a dedicated customer base. The restaurant even had to create their own sausage plants in order to serve the huge influx of hungry patrons. However, their farm-to-table appeal has diminished with the years.
Recently, the chain restaurant closed down 27 branches in an effort to increase their profits. The decision affected hundreds of workers, all of whom were offered termination benefits if they couldn’t relocate to a new location. Currently, it’s unclear if the closures will be enough to keep the popular chain afloat.
Luby’s
Year Established: 1947
Estimated Branch Closures: 10 Branches
Luby's prides itself on serving affordable food for over seven decades now. It was originally founded by Robert Luby in 1947, and hails from San Antonio, Texas. The cafeteria-esque chain has around 80 branches in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso, and other cities throughout Texas.
Luby's has recently posted a loss in revenue after closing about 30 branches. It closed the third quarter of 2019 with a net loss of $5.3 million. The company is currently under lots of pressure from various investors to replace its management and close down underperforming branches. It’s still unclear how this move will end up, but hopefully they’ll manage to persevere.
Noodles & Company
Year Established: 1995
Estimated Branch Closures: 55 Branches
Known as a quick and easy pasta joint, Noodles & Company is fairly new on the chain restaurant scene. Still, the company grew quickly from $300,000 in revenue during its opening year in 1995 to over $300 million in 2013.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck in 2016. After a few years of declining stock, Noodles & Company experienced a data breach that put the account information of hundreds of debit and credit cards at risk. Although the company handled it as well as could be expected, sales continued to decline, leading to many closures for the once-popular noodle joint.
Friendly's
Year Established: 1935
Estimated Branch Closures: 37 Branches
Friendly's was founded in 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Almost no restaurant chain has faced as many ups and downs as this East Coast-based family restaurant chain has. The company has faced numerous emerging bankruptcies and has had to redo its menu's and strategies several times over the years. But despite all its troubles, it has managed to keep surviving.
Friendly's currently holds around 10,000 employees, and was last cited as having 157 locations. Many believe that it will keep on going for many more decades, as the company was originally founded during the Great Depression and still managed to make it and get its name known throughout America. That being said, the chain does have plans to close several key locations this year that have been vastly underperforming over the years.
O’Charley’s
Year Established: 1971
Estimated Branch Closures: 12 Branches
O'Charley's is a popular casual dining restaurant and bar chain located exclusively in the United States. It used to have over 200 branches, but currently stands at about 190. The company was acquired by Fidelity National Financial in 2012 and became part of the American Blue Ribbon Holdings.
Despite their best efforts, O'Charley's had to close down 8 branches in a single day in mid 2019. As of today, the food chain has no more branches left in Florida, and is down to their last three locations in Louisiana. They had actually appeared in Forbes "200 Best Small Companies in America" from 2002 to 2005, but alas, that was an entire decade and a half ago. Hopefully they'll manage to whip things back into shape before any more locations shut down.
Perkins Restaurant and Bakery
Year Established: 1958
Estimated Branch Closures: 29 Branches
Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, simply known as Perkins, is a casual dining chain that mostly focuses on serving breakfast at all hours of the day. It was founded in 1958 by Matt and Ivan Perkins, and continues strong to this day. The chain has locations in thirty-two American States and four Canadian provinces.
The company has recently closed almost thirty branches as of mid 2019 after its parent company, Perkins & Marie Callender's, had filed for bankruptcy. Since then, it had been known that Perkins was going to be acquired by Huddle House, Inc. As their new owners, Huddle House Inc. will be controlling the chain's 342 total locations.
McCormick & Schmick’s
Year Established: 1979
Estimated Branch Closures: 12 Branches
McCormick & Schmick's was founded in the '70s by Bill McCormick and Doug Schmick as a premier seafood restaurant with over 80 locations. It features various fresh seafood, and also serves steaks, poultry, entrée salads and pastas. In mid 2019, the company held around 40 branches throughout the United States.
Its revenues were in access of $350 million as of 2010, but had later lost more than $20 million in that very same year instead of making a profit. McCormick & Schmick's is facing troubles even at the moment, and might very well close down completely in the next few years. It currently still holds a few thousand employees, so hopefully things look up again, at least for the sake of the work force.
Outback Steakhouse
Year Established: 1988
Estimated Branch Closures: 43 Branches
Outback Steakhouse has been steadily closing locations for years, joining a long list of underperforming chains under its parent company, Bloomin’ Brands. While the Australian-inspired restaurant is popular in its home state of Florida, it hasn’t been quite as successful in other locations across the US.
While Outback closed 43 branches this year, their global presence means they won’t disappear completely anytime soon. Still, a steady decline in revenue for Bloomin’ Brands means more closures are likely on the horizon. Get those Bloomin’ Onions while you can!
Fuddruckers
Year Established: 1979
Estimated Branch Closures: 24 Branches
Fuddruckers is an American casual hamburger chain which claims it makes the "world's greatest burgers". The company has been around for over three decades since the '80s, and currently has about fifty branches and 107 franchised locations throughout the United States.
The company is a subsidiary of Luby's, and was purchased by them after filing for bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis. It received roughly $63.45 million for the transaction, which allowed the chain to continue operating. The build-your-own-burger chain was founded by Phil Romano, who only stuck around for a few years before setting up his own Macaroni Grill.
Krystal
Year Established: 1932
Estimated Branch Closures: 100 Branches
A burger chain based in Georgia, Krystal prides itself on sticking to the classics. Established all the way back in 1932, the fast food joint has maintained a menu of lovable little square burgers, while simultaneously adding breakfast foods, hot dogs, and milkshakes in an effort to appeal to a wider audience.
Unfortunately, their menu changes haven’t been enough to keep the restaurant afloat. After selling 100 company-owned restaurants, Krystal filed for bankruptcy in early 2020. With over 300 restaurants in 10 states, more closures can be expected as Krystal struggles to get back on its feet.
Olive Garden
Year Established: 1982
Estimated Branch Closures: 17 Branches
The ultimate destination for soft, chewy bread sticks, Olive Garden is a casual Italian joint serving a large variety of pasta, salads, soups, and more. While the restaurant is undoubtedly affordable, its profits have taken a hit in recent years. A restructuring plan aimed to revamp the restaurant’s design and add healthier options to the menu, but it wasn’t enough to stop the closure of 17 branches last year.
In addition to closing branches, Olive Garden is also turning to online ordering to help cut their costs. While they’re fighting to stay in business, their popularity continues to decline.
Quiznos
Year Established: 1981
Estimated Branch Closures: 1000 Branches
Quiznos is a franchised fast food chain which focuses on toasted sub sandwiches. The company was once one of the largest food providers in the United States, with almost 5,000 locations to its name. However, it has since lost much of its success, and ended up closing over 90% of its locations in the space of a decade.
Today, the chain has only a few hundred locations left, and continues to close more and more of them every year. Quiznos first filed for bankruptcy in early 2014, and emerged from the procedure with about $400 million in debt. The company took a second try at success and is currently attempting to expand internationally into various countries, in hopes of opening a few hundred branches by the end of 2020.
Tim Hortons
Year Established: 1964
Estimated Branch Closures: 36 Branches
Tim Hortons is Canada's largest quick service restaurant chain. The coffee and doughnut chain has almost 5,000 restaurants as of 2019, and has its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. It was eventually purchased by Burger King for $11.4 billion, which tried to renovate its locations and improve its revenues.
The company has been involved in various controversies over the years, including recently cutting employees benefits and using far too many plastic cups for any environmentalists' taste, and that's just to name a few. Tim Hortons recently had to close down four underperforming Tim Horton stores in Dayton, Ohio, and is estimated to close an additional 36 locations throughout the year.
Houlihan’s
Year Established: 1972
Estimated Branch Closures: 12 Branches
A high-end restaurant focused on classic American fare, Houlihan’s believes in serving high-quality food and drinks in a casual environment. With a range of food offerings and a full bar, this restaurant chain was poised to be successful.
In November 2019, however, Houlihan’s filed for bankruptcy. The announcement was followed by the closure of 12 branches, leaving the company with only 44 remaining branches spread across 17 states. In December 2019, Houlihan’s Restaurant Inc. was purchased by Landry’s Inc. The future of the operation under new leadership is unclear.
Ruby Tuesday
Year Established: 1972
Estimated Branch Closures: 135 Branches
Ruby Tuesday is one of the most popular casual dining chains in the United States, due to (or despite) sharing its name with the iconic Rolling Stones song. The eatery is a major competitor with TGI Fridays and Applebee's, and currently has just over 450 locations. There has been a stark increase in locations closed throughout the past few years, as the chain used to hold almost a 1,000 branches open at its peak.
Since 2016, more than 120 of its locations have been closed, and it looks like the trend is only accelerating. Ruby Tuesday’s executive staff credits the loses to various income related problems, but believes these moves will help serve it in the long term. We hope so too, as some competition in the industry can only benefit us, the consumers.
Papa Murphy’s Pizza
Year Established: 1995
Estimated Branch Closures: 97 Branches
Yet another pizza chain that might be in the red, Papa Murphy’s is known for its signature “take and bake” model. A variety of uncooked pizzas are available in the store, and customers can choose the pie they want and pop it in the oven at home. Today, the franchise encompasses around 1,300 branches across America and Canada.
Although Papa Murphy’s is the fifth-largest pizza chain in America, it has still faced its fair share of financial problems. In order to increase revenue, the company turned its attention to closing down unprofitable stores, eliminating 97 branches.
Del Taco
Year Established: 1960
Estimated Branch Closures: 12 Branches
If you really want to try a great burrito, you might want to try grabbing a bite at one of the Del Taco Restaurants. The American fast food chain specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine and is currently speed out among almost 600 branches. Not bad for a chain that has been operating quite well for over five and a half decades.
It recently launched a marketing campaign with the slogan, "Celebrating the hardest working hands in fast food," as the company is proud of its near 10,000 employees. Unfortunately, Del Taco’s expansion into the East Coast wasn’t as successful as they had hoped and they ended up having to shut down a few of these new branches, before they could even break even in revenue.
The Cheesecake Factory
Year Established: 1972
Estimated Branch Closures: 10 Branches
While today’s Cheesecake Factory boasts large portion sizes and over-the-top decor, the chain restaurant started as a simple bakery in Los Angeles that grew to encompass around 211 branches all over the U.S. Even though this restaurant hasn’t dipped into the realm of bankruptcy, its revenue numbers aren’t exactly encouraging.
Featuring a novel-like menu filled with fatty foods, The Cheesecake Factory hasn’t adjusted to a changing landscape that demands healthier options. Although the restaurant has returned to its bakery roots by selling baked goods in supermarkets, it’s also closed down a few branches that just weren’t performing well.
Roy Rogers
Year Established: 1968
Estimated Branch Closures: 48 Branches
Back in 1968, a chain of burger joints called RoBee’s House of Beef was bought by the Marriott Corporation hotel chain. It changed the name of the restaurant to Roy Rogers, after the popular Western actor by that name. The company launched an aggressive expansion campaign and managed to reach a whopping 600 locations.
However, over time, sales began dwindling, and the chain was left with what currently stands at around 48 branches. Since then, the burger chain has stayed relatively modest in its ambitions. It currently has a steady stream of revenue and will likely last for at least a few years longer.
Kona Grill
Year Established: 1998
Estimated Branch Closures: 42 Branches
While fast food restaurants are the leading types of food stores in the United States, there are some successful ethnic food brands as-well. Kona Grill is an American cuisine, sushi, and cocktails restaurant, which currently owns and operates around 40 branches.
The sushi restaurant was originally opened in late 1998, and began expanding after a successful initial public opening which make almost $30 million. Despite its initial popularity, the company has since began losing over tens of millions of dollars on an annual basis, until they eventually filed for bankruptcy in early 2019.
Jack In the Box
Year Established: 1951
Estimated Branch Closures: 14 Branches
Competing against ever-popular chains like McDonald’s and Burger King, Jack in the Box has never achieved the notoriety of its fast food peers. Many of the branches are losing money, with about 300 of the total 2,200 locations bringing in less than $1 million per year in annual sales.
The operating costs for this fast food joint just can’t keep up with the declining revenue, leading to 14 branch closures with more expected to follow in the coming months. Unfortunately, the ping-pong headed Jack might be on his deathbed, especially if sales don’t turn around sometime soon.
Steak 'n Shake
Year Established: 1934
Estimated Branch Closures: 60 Branches
With over 21,000 employees, Steak ‘n Shake is one of America’s largest and most successful casual burger chains. It operates all across the United States, but also has branches in Europe and the Middle East. The company was originally founded in 1934 by Gus Belt, and its headquarters are currently located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Steak ‘n Shake has over 600 restaurants, but will be temporarily closing 60 branches this year due to underperformance. Unfortunately, the company has already made some cut backs including recently permanently closing down one of its branches at Quebec and County Line Road. If you're a fan of the fast-food chain, you may want to get a bite today before things go from bad to worse.
Boston Market
Year Established: 1985
Estimated Branch Closures: 45 Branches
Boston Market was once known as Boston Chicken, and specializes in rotisserie chicken. In their website, they claim they are "the rotisserie experts since 1985," and mostly base their dishes on chicken. Boston Market sells fresh chicken, and guarantees that these were never frozen, had no antibiotics, and lack any added hormones and steroids.
At-its peak, Boston Market had about 460 locations and 14,000 employees. Although these stats have slightly gone down in recent years. Nevertheless, the chicken brand has managed to maintain almost 100% of its locations and employees. In-fact, they are currently making plans to expand into the Middle East.
Dairy Queen
Year Established: 1940
Estimated Branch Closures: 70 Branches
While Dairy Queen is known for its ultra-thick ice cream mixes, the Blizzard alone hasn’t been enough to keep the company’s profits in the green. In 1987, both Dairy Queen and Orange Julius were purchased by a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s company, Berkshire Hathaway.
The 1987 sale provided the chain restaurant with a strong parent company to rely on, but high operating costs eventually forced the company to file for bankruptcy in 2017. Branch closures have been the norm since then, as Dairy Queen struggles to improve its profit margins.
Joe’s Crab Shack
Year Established: 1991
Estimated Branch Closures: 41 Branches
A seafood-centric chain restaurant, Joe’s Crab Shack is most popular in the South. However, the beach-themed restaurant has been slowly disappearing as the years go by. Joe’s parent company, J.H. Whitney & Co. filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and Joe’s was bought by Landry’s, Inc.
The change in leadership, as well as a general decline in public opinion surrounding the restaurant, led Landry’s to close dozens of locations. However, the crab shack isn’t gone for good. Landry’s plans to revamp the chain and reintroduce a new and improved version of Joe’s Crab Shack in time.
Marie Callender’s
Year Established: 1948
Estimated Branch Closures: 28 Branches
At its peak, Marie Callender's had almost 100 locations throughout the United States, all sporting the wonderful slogan, "Home Cooked Happiness". The chain was founded in 1964 by Marie Callender and her husband Cal Warren Callender, who had been selling food for decades prior.
The business had a steady rate of growth throughout the years, but saw a huge decline in 2009 when the founders' son and brand owner, Don Callender, passed away. Subsequently, just a few years later the Marie Callender's chain declared for bankruptcy and in 2011 they inevitably had 58 units shut down. Unfortunately, just last year, an additional 29 stores were closed and the future of the chain remains very uncertain.
Carl’s Jr.
Year Established: 1941
Estimated Branch Closures: 150 Branches
Carl's Jr. is an American fast food chain which was previously known as Carl's Drive-In Barbecue. The company was founded in 1941 by Carl Karcher and his wife Margaret, and began as a hot dog stand. Over time, it grew to almost 1,500 locations, and currently serves people worldwide. Although the chain isn’t nearly as successful as Burger King, it has a dedicated fanbase that swears by their food and service.
The brand's signature Six Dollar Burger is one of their most popular items, and helps satisfy their millions of happy customers. Despite their original product, Carl's Jr. has recently had to close quite a few branches due to their vast underperformance. Nonetheless, they have been a strong brand for decades, and hope to stay that way for many more years to come.
Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill
Year Established: 1982
Estimated Branch Closures: 60 Branches
Unlike many chain restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings boasts at least one branch in all 50 states, and often much more than one. Overall, the franchise includes 1,238 branches across the U.S., resulting in around $2 billion in revenue per year.
Despite its nationwide presence, BWW has been plagued by increases in operation costs, a surge in tough competition, and a lack of innovative growth. These and more problems led to the closure of 60 branches that weren’t bringing in enough profits to stay in business.
Long John Silver’s
Year Established: 1969
Estimated Branch Closures: 20 Branches
While fast seafood doesn’t necessarily sound like an appetizing combination, Long John Silver’s continues to push forward with its somewhat flawed business model. Although the restaurant has declared bankruptcy numerous times, they’ve always managed to bounce back and continue to provide platters of deep-friend, affordable fish.
Recently a new CEO has decided to restructure the Long John Silver’s brand. Although the company purchased 76 franchised stores, they also made the decision to close weaker branches and move on. With a healthier menu and a new business plan in place, Long John Silver’s might just survive for another few years.
Applebee's
Year Established: 1980
Estimated Branch Closures: 120 Branches
Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain has been around since the late 1980's, and continues to maintain its dominance in various American and foreign locations. With almost 2,000 branches, the company has about 28,000 employees and revenues in the billions. Most of its branches are franchised, and a minority are privately owned.
The chain recently faced a few issues in its management, and had to let go of its president, Steven Layt. Applebee's also recently closed down its operations in Costa Rica and laid off almost 100 workers, mostly due to a lack of demand and revenue on their part. They may have been a flop in Costa Rica, but with almost a billion dollars in assets and a steady cash flow, it looks like this chain isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
TGI Friday's
Year Established: 1965
Estimated Branch Closures: 10 Branches
TGI Friday’s prides itself as being one of the world's most beloved restaurant brands. It's an American bar and grill restaurant chain mostly focused around casual dining. Its name derives from the classic phrase "Thank God It's Friday", and the company definitely works to promote that kind of atmosphere.
The casual dining chain has almost 1,000 locations worldwide and was originally founded in New York City back in 1965. All of TGI Friday’s employees wear a recognizable red-and-white uniform shit, and most of them are pretty happy about it. Recently, however, and in no relation to their workers dress-code, the chain has announced the closing of a few of its locations.
Red Robin
Year Established: 1969
Estimated Branch Closures: 10 Branches
Red Robin opened their first restaurant in Washington back in 1969. The company proudly expresses their "B.U.R.G.E.R" values, which stands for Bottomless fun, Unwavering integrity, Relentless focus on improvement, Genuine spirit of service, Extraordinary people and Recognized burger authority. It currently has 562 locations, and is looking to keep expanding throughout the United States.
Unfortunately, the burger chain recently decided to close down ten restaurants that just weren't keeping up with the company's demands. These other locations have already lost almost 90% of their revenue in the last few years. But nevertheless, Red Robin is still going strong, and is looking forward to an excellent 2020.
Burger King
Year Established: 1953
Estimated Branch Closures: 250 Branches
Burger King is one of the world's largest fast food hamburger chains, and has almost 18,000 global branches bearing its name. Its annual revenues are in the billions, and the popular chain reported having over 34,000 employees back in 2011. One of the company's mottos is "Great Food Comes First", which they proudly present throughout their locations.
With over 11 million daily visitors, there's almost nobody in the world who hasn't been to one of Burger King's branches. Unfortunately, Burger King recently announced its plans to close around 225 branches which have been underperforming worldwide. This is a large increase in closing rates relative to previous years. Hopefully the chain will manage to bounce back again and reopen some of it's doors.
IHOP
Year Established: 1958
Estimated Branch Closures: 40 Branches
IHOP is an international breakfast chain which specializes in pancakes. Its name stands for "International House of Pancakes" and it currently has restaurants all across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East. With almost 2,000 branches and tens of thousands of employees, the company generates annual revenues which exceed one billion dollars.
The chain is currently owned by Dine Brands Global. Almost 100% of its locations are franchisees, and most of these branches are open 24/7. Despite what seems like a steady growing direction from this major restaurant chain, IHOP has recently announced that they’re officially closing several branches that aren’t quite pulling their weight.
Bonefish Grill
Year Established: 2000
Estimated Branch Closures: 14 Branches
Yet another Bloomin’ Brands chain, Bonefish Grill isn’t exempt from the wave of closures that plague its parent company. While this restaurant is focused on seafood fare in a casual environment, many underperforming branches have already been shut down.
With only 215 locations across the US, 14 branch closures might be devastating for this chain. Despite their sustainable practices, Bonefish simply hasn’t pulled in the revenue Bloomin’ expects. These branch closures are part of the company’s larger initiatives to focus their income on branches that turn a substantial profit.
Taco Cabana
Year Established: 1978
Estimated Branch Closures: 19 Branches
Another popular stop for quick and easy Mexican food, Taco Cabana specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food that’s both authentic and delicious. Although Taco Cabana started in San Antonio, Texas, the restaurant quickly expanded to include over 165 locations across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Unfortunately, Taco Cabana recently experienced a massive setback in their growth. Without warning, the restaurant closed 19 locations in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Austin. The decision followed a period of heavy losses that the Tex-Mex chain simply couldn’t recover from.
Subway
Year Established: 1965
Estimated Branch Closures: 1000 Branches
While Subway was once the pinnacle of fast, healthy food, the popular chain experienced a massive decline in sales over the years. In 2016, Subway closed 359 locations, marking the first year that the chain closed more branches than it opened. The subsequent years arrived with even more losses, forcing 866 branches to close in 2017, followed by 1,100 in 2018.
Unfortunately, the tides have yet to turn for Subway. The company recently closed another 1,000 locations, again eating away at the remaining 24,000 American branches in operation.
HomeTown Buffet
Year Established: 1983
Estimated Branch Closures: 217 Branches
HomeTown Buffet is a BBQ and grill chain which delivers various grill selections and vegetable options. The company is a subsidiary of Ovation Brands, which itself is a subsidiary of Food Management Partners Inc. The company had more than 250 restaurants in earlier years, but has since had to close quite a few of its branches.
HomeTown Buffet was hit hard by recent unfortunate failures, and by mid 2019 they found themselves resizing from 250 branches speed all across town US down to just 33! It’s expected that the chain will likely close even more locations throughout this year, and might even close its doors for good if this trend persists.
Papa John’s
Year Established: 1984
Estimated Branch Closures: 51 Branches
As a pizza delivery chain, Papa John’s faces some stiff competition. Although they’ve brought in nearly two billion dollars per year for over three decades, the controversy surrounding their CEO lead to a serious decline in sales for the popular pizza chain.
When the company’s namesake, “Papa” John Schnatter, revealed his racist ideology in 2017, the backlash was swift and fierce. Although Schnatter stepped down as CEO a few short months after the controversy, the company has since struggled to get back on track, leading to several branch closures in 2019.
Pizza Hut
Year Established: 1958
Estimated Branch Closures: 500 Branches
Pizza Hut was originally founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1958. The brand is known for serving delicious, doughy pizzas that are both thick and tasty. It currently has just over 18,000 branches in almost every country in the world. The company has made significant changes to its menu in recent years, and focused on more healthy options, including vegan alternatives.
However, recent cutbacks have been made by the chain, mainly around branches that aren’t performing as well as expected. The brand will gradually be closing around 500 branches all across the United States, decreasing their total to about 7,000 locations in the nation. Luckily, this will only fully take effect in two years time, so for now you still have the opportunity to grab a slice from the Hut.