Once upon a time, fast food restaurants were the kings of the world.
While the likes of McDonald's, Starbucks and Dominos continue to thrive in all types of
economical weather, a lot of fast-food chains are taking a serious hit and are even starting
to close down some of their locations.
Here are 10 Fast Food Chains That Are Struggling To Stay In Business.
Taco Bell
It may be hard to believe but this Mexican inspired US fast-food chain is in a bit of
trouble.
While Taco Bell still has a large number of restaurants across the country, as well as
few international ones, they are closing stores at quite a rate.
Founded in California by Glen Bell, Taco Bell has been a staple for many taco and burrito
fans for decades.
The restaurant chain saw a big increase in popularity in the '80s and '90s, especially
when it introduced a lot more healthier options on their menus such as taco salads.
However, the years after that haven't been too kind on Taco Bell, and recently they have
had to close a few of locations—in particular around the Maine and Pennsylvania areas.
It's not just Taco Bell that is starting to feel the heat: YUM!, which is the company
that owns Taco Bell as well as Pizza Hut and KFC, are also on the decline.
Many Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants are seeing a big drop in popularity and revenue.
Hopefully YUM! can weather the storm as we'd hate to permanently lose any of these fast
food big hitters.
Jack In The Box
While we go through our list of fast-food chains that are struggling, it must be noted
that Jack In The Box has been through a lot since it burst onto the scene in the 1950s
and it is still standing strong.
Well, almost.
Jack In The Box has been a favorite of many people who love a good burger and tacos, however,
over the years a lot of scandals have surrounded this much loved fast-food chain.
In the 1980s Jack In The Box got into trouble for accidentally shipping horse meat that
was labeled as beef.
Although this was at the fault of the supplier, Jack In The Box took a while to recover from
this.
Then there were the 90s which brought more bad news for this burger chain as an outbreak
of food poisoning caused hundreds of customers to be sick, with fatal results for four people.
After all of that, Jack In The box managed to survive when lesser restaurants would have
sunk without a trace.
However, in recent years Jack In The Box has tried to push forward and expand its restaurants
outside of it's West Coast home turf.
This hasn't gone too well for them and has left the company a bit thin.
While they did manage to open several new restaurants, they have also had to close some.
The competition is fierce within the burger trade and this might be one step too far for
Jack In The Box.
Sonic Drive-In
The fast-food and restaurant business is cut-throat and full of competition.
One of the best ways to stay in business is to change and evolve with the current climate.
Unfortunately, that is not the case with Sonic Drive-In and could be one of the reasons the
burger chain is struggling so much.
While there are many Sonic lovers out there, it has to be said that the Sonics' model is
something from a bygone era in which people would pull up to a Drive-In where waitstaff
in skates would serve you a burger and fries.
It's like something out of an old musical.
We half expect John Travolta and his T-Birds to pull up and start singing about Grease
Lightning.
This is one of the problems that Sonic Drive-In faces: they haven't really ever escaped that
image and moved with the times.
While a lot of people these days are concerned about the planet, gas usage, and their health,
Sonic still insists on having drive-ins and serving greasy food with over sugary drinks.
And then, of course, there is the competition.
Sonic struggles against bigger companies such as McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, which
just adds to their problems.
In recent years Sonic has tried to take steps to rectify this, by appealing to the younger
consumer and using ordering apps, as well as marketing their commercials towards women.
Even with these new changes in the works, the future doesn't look too bright for Sonic
Drive-In and their style of fast food.
Quiznos
There are many things that can make a fast-food chain fail; it can be the bad quality of the
food, the lack of brand awareness, or it can even sometimes be all down to bad luck.
However, there is one thing that will sink your restaurant time and again and that's
competition.
Not just competition, which can sometimes be healthy for business, but a competitor
that does pretty much what you do but bigger, better, and a lot more famously.
Subway is one giant reason that Quiznos is struggling to hold its own in the fast-food
world.
A few decades ago, Quiznos actually managed to stay pretty close to Subway within the
market.
Quiznos offered great ingredients for their subs and at cheap prices, and they also did
something that no one else did at the time: they toasted their bread.
It seems an odd thing now but not even Subway did that back then.
Soon however Subway got the jump on Quiznos when they introduced toasting ovens into every
restaurant and then gave us their infamous 5 dollar footlong, which blew the sub sandwich
competition out of the water.
Quiznos struggled to keep up after that and with the rise in popularity of other sandwich
joints, such as Jersey Mikes and Firehouse Subs, as well as the continued success of
Subway, Quiznos is having a tough time and it doesn't look set to change anytime soon.
Steak 'n' Shake
Originally this Illinois born fast-casual restaurant chain was actually a gas station
that also served chicken and beer - until creator Gus Belt decided on a different direction
and converted it into a burger hut.
Since then Steak 'n' Shake has built an empire on handcrafted cuts of steak that make for
one amazing burger, as well as their legendary cherry shakes.
Not too long ago Steak 'n' Shake was one of the few casual restaurant chains that were
continually making a profit, and they proudly boasted about selling multi-millions of their
burgers and shakes each year.
Now the chain is in trouble as profits are down and many of their restaurants have been
closed.
The CEO has gone on record to say that the closures are only temporary, but closures
of any kind are never a good sign.
With shutting down many restaurants, Steak 'n' Shake could struggle to get their customers
back through the door, if they reopen them that is.
Another money-saving device that Steak 'n' Shake is thinking about is cutting the cherries
out of their much-loved shakes.
While this could save them up to a million dollars a year, they could end up losing a
lot more than that if customers don't like it.
After all, we all love a cherry on top, don't we?
Boston Market
During the 1990's Boston Market had huge growth and a big rise in popularity.
Starting out in a suburb of, you guessed it, Boston, Boston Market had a simple idea and
that was to produce great tasting rotisserie chicken and easy sides.
Originally called Boston Chicken, the restaurant chain exploded as families rushed out to get
some tasty chicken.
Their brand grew and grew, especially once they renamed themselves Boston Market.
And with a claim to be rotisserie chicken experts, restaurants opened up all over the
place and families everywhere were happy.
Unfortunately by the end of the 90's many restaurants, as well as grocery stores, were
producing cheap and tasty rotisserie chickens which took its toll on Boston Market.
So much so that by the end of the decade they had filed for bankruptcy.
Not wanting to be beaten just yet, Boston Market put their faith in fast food giants
McDonald's as the Golden Arches bought them.
Unfortunately for Boston Market, Ronald McDonald and company couldn't do much to change their
fate and after a few years sold them.
With new owners and a new lust for change, Boston Market is trying to stay in the restaurant
business but they are hanging on by a thread as more and more of their branches are closing.
Including the last ones in Boston, for which this chain gets its name.
That can't be good.
Krystal
There may be a lot of people that have never had the pleasure of eating at a Krystals,
which is surprising as Krystal has been serving its signature burgers for over 80 years.
Sticking primarily to the south of the country, Krystal has hundreds of locations in places
like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas but never really broke the north.
Many believe that this is because of the similarities between Krystal and White Castle.
After all, Krystal did take inspiration from White Castle when they started out, in particular,
the small, square burgers.
While Krystal may be a lesser-known burger joint in the north, in the south it has been
a huge fast-food chain and a lot of people's favorite burger place.
Even so, with the nationwide popularity of McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, Krystal
has struggled to keep up and this trend is continuing.
Another factor in the fall of Krystal is that the restaurants themselves aren't very well
maintained.
Most of them are over 30 years old and the company struggles to keep them clean.
There are plans to demolish some of the outlets and give the Krystal brand a much needed revamp,
but it could be too little too late for the burger joint that was once Elvis's favorite
fast-food restaurant.
The King would often chow down on Krystal burgers after recording.
Let's hope this isn't the end of the road for the much loved Krystal.
The Cheesecake Factory
Starting out in California in the late 1970s, The Cheesecake Factory had big success with
its restaurants as it not only expanded across the country but it went global with restaurants
opening up in different countries.
Closely associated with malls and shopping outlets, which is where a lot of their restaurants
are, The Cheesecake Factory rode the waves of the popular teen hangout spots in the 80s
and 90s.
However, the locations could be one reason for their downfall.
Given the big decline in people, more importantly, families, spending the day in the mall, The
Cheesecake Factory has seen a dramatic dip in sales and revenue.
Then, of course, there is the menu.
While The Cheesecake Factory never claimed to be healthy, in the health-conscious age
we live in, less and less people want to indulge in the high-calorie food that The Cheesecake
Factory offers.
Another reason for The Cheesecake Factory’s decline is the prices.
While it's not your typical fast-food restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory does fall under that
umbrella and the prices don't match that.
With a huge menu and high prices, The Cheesecake Factory can feel like fine dining instead
of fast food dining and the numbers are starting to show that, as The Cheesecake Factory is
closing many restaurants around the country.
Not even having Penny from The Big Bang Theory work at The Cheesecake Factory has helped
to get customers through the doors.
TGI Fridays
While the dining experience is ever-changing, it can be hard for some restaurant chains
to keep up.
Fast food is dominated by market leaders such as McDonald's, which continues to adapt and
evolve; and high-end dining is getting, well, more high end.
Other restaurants are turning to more innovative foods and concepts in order to attract the
millennial market.
But there is, however, one area of dining that is on the verge of being extinct: casual
dining.
We've mentioned on our list of fast-food chains that are struggling the likes of The Cheesecake
Factory and Boston Market, and now it's time for TGI Fridays.
These once-pillars of the casual dining subculture are struggling to find their place in today's
society, and the future could get even darker for them.
Originally started as a singles bar, TGI Fridays became the place to be to start your weekend
off with great food and better drinks.
However, over the years, TGI Fridays has struggled to change with the world and the shift in
restaurant culture.
It has therefore taken some big hits over the years.
Not going down without a fight, TGI Fridays is rebranding itself more towards the gastro-pub
culture as it hopes to come back for the new decade.
We all still look forward to Fridays so we hope this once-restaurant-icon will come back
stronger than ever.
Tim Hortons
So far, all of our fast-food chains on this list have been US-based restaurants.
That's all about to change with our next entry.
Named after Ice Hockey player Tim Horton, the Canadian coffee and donut shop is the
largest quick-service restaurant chain in Canada.
Continuing to beat off rivals Starbucks and McDonald's north of the border, as well as
being most Canadians favorite coffee, in the US, however, Tim Hortons has struggled.
Starting to cross the border in the 1980s, Tim Hortons had some moderate success, particularly
in states such as New York, so they pushed forward with their expansion plans.
Unfortunately for this Canadian staple, local fast-food chains such as Dunkin' Donuts proved
too much competition for them and Tim Hortons had to close some of their branches at quite
a rate.
In 2014 Burger King bought Tim Hortons, and that seemed to jump-start the brand in the
US; however, sales have declined once again and franchises have dropped.
While Tim Hortons remains number one in Canada for a lot of people, they could be saying
bye-bye to the US sooner than they'd like.
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