Restaurant Chain Crisis?

[IndyRob]

While out today, I noticed that our local Logan's Roadhouse had closed.  As I neared home, I also noticed that our local Applebee's had closed as well.

 

I decided to do a news search and found an article:

Why Are So Many Restaurant Chains Closing Locations, Filing For Bankruptcy?

 

It appears that there's a significant change occurring,  Change for the better?

[Yiannos]

I live in one of those shopping center/auto mall sort of towns (Roseville, CA) and it is shocking what the saturation of chains has done to our favorite local restaurants in the past couple of years. Just around the corner from me was a great little Japanese place, Kenro's, that closed last July I think it was, because their lease skyrocketed when it went up for renewal and they couldn't afford to keep the restaurant open. Directly across on the opposite corner, our favorite Mexican place, La Familia Taqueria, closed not long after for the same exact reason. There is now a chain in the same center, Moe's Southwestern or something that "replaces" it. We have had dinner there once and it was not great. I am not very hard to please, will even enjoy fast food here and there with the kids but this was so disappointing, especially when we thought about what we had in the same spot not a few months before.  I have heard that property owners can make much more money should a chain set up shop, and so are making it hard for the smaller businesses to stay in place. We still have a couple of good Chinese restaurants nearby, and something called Curry Paradise has replaced Kenro's which I am actually hopeful for, some good Indian food would be great as opposed to whatever the next fast/casual food thing is that comes along. I'd say a good 90% if not more of the restaurants around here are now chains of one sort or another. The area I describe above has a McDonald's, KFC/A&W (two in one building!), Subway, Jimboy's, Moe's Southwestern, Little Caeser's, Pizza Hut, Panda Express, L&L Hawaiian BBQ, and of course Starbucks spread through the four corners of the intersection, within walking distance of each other, with a Wienerschnitzel a street down just because. As busy as this area is, I do not see how they can keep all of these restaurants in the black on a daily basis, but somehow McDonald's saw the need to install a second lane in the drive through so there you go. I'm not some crazy old curmudgeon or anything (yet), but this is insane and depressing, every corner around here has that same generic sterility about it, and you can just feel that it would be very difficult if not impossible for most small places to compete with the huge companies opening up these shit shacks every other day.  

[Okanagancook]

It is indeed a sad day when chain food outlets with premade food assembled  by teenagers gets to be your only choice beside fast food death meals for a routine meal out.  Hence the rise of meal kits.  It is interesting times with shrinking disposable incomes, a desire for healthier meals and the continued crazy pace of life all shaping how people feed themselves.  

[gfweb]

Troubled times indeed.

 

I can imagine a town in the heartland where the choice is Olive Garden vs. Bob Evans vs. truck stop. Olive Garden would look pretty good. Better than pretty good.

 

I've been in Casper, WY for the trout. The Outback Steakhouse was a godsend because the Petroleum Club was members only. And that was pretty much it. The trout were more than worth it.

Edited October 26, 2016 by gfweb (log)

[Martin Fisher]

Closest Pizza Hut closed 2-3 weeks ago but there's a Popeyes due to open very soon — not too far away.

[lindag]

Can't imagine an Applebee's not thriving; the here is about the busiest restaurant in town.  The food is always good.