TGI Friday's. Denny's. Steak n' Shake. Could this next year
be the end of so many iconic chain restaurants? Here's the hard truth!
Since 1972, Ruby Tuesday restaurants have been a familiar sight in the Eastern half
of the United States. The casual, sit-down chain is known for its affordable American
dishes. It's a place to get a ribeye with a baked potato, a sirloin steak with mashed potatoes,
or a rack of ribs with french fries. But over the years, the number of Ruby Tuesdays in the
United States has been shrinking. It had over 800 locations a decade ago,
but as of 2021, shortly after the chain declared bankruptcy, it had approximately 200 locations.
"I have students crying because they can't pay their bills to feed their children."
With Ruby Tuesday's performance in 2022, the future of this chain restaurant is not looking
good. Over the past year, we've seen more and more individual locations close. In January, the
last remaining Ruby Tuesday in Wisconsin closed. With COVID-19, bankruptcy, and recent closures,
Restaurant Clicks predicted in 2022 that it won't be long until Ruby Tuesday is gone for good.
Boston Market is not having a good year. According to reports,
at least three individual locations closed in 2022. Two of those locations were in New Jersey
in Monmouth and Howell, and the third was in Michigan. This year's scattered closures
are one sign that Boston Market is just barely hanging on across the United States.
As of October, there are roughly 300 Boston Market locations left. In the early 90s, there were more
than 1,000 locations, so the restaurant's demise has been somewhat gradual. But things have started
to look especially bad in recent years. The chain closed 10% of its stores in 2019. The next year,
the pandemic hit. In 2021, labor shortages put pressure on workers, leading to an employee
walkout. If this downward spiral continues, Boston Market may be a thing of the past by 2023.
Steak 'n Shake is trying to play it cool. The restaurant chain seems to believe that
changes implemented in early 2022 — such as replacing human servers with virtual
kiosks and introducing a new menu — will save it from collapse. But even these new
developments may not be enough. Locations have been disappearing for a while. In 2022,
the number of Steak 'n Shake locations has been reduced to roughly 500.
During 2022, the company has also been shaking things up by attempting to convert company-owned
locations into those that are franchise-owned. If trying to pawn off its locations onto other people
doesn't work out for Steak n' Shake, this could be the restaurant chain's last year. It might be
the last chance to sample the menu, known for its extensive varieties of hamburgers and milkshakes.
"Whipped cream and cherries?"
"Check."
Since 1991, Joe's Crab Shack has been a standby for some American families.
Each themed location provides a colorful place for parents and children to escape
when they don't want to cook dinner. Patrons are served heaping portions of seafood — no
matter how far from the coast a location may be. But as of 2022, the chain only has
locations in around 16 states. In some of those states, there is only one location.
At least one long-time Joe's Crab Shack closed its doors for good in 2022 in Boise, Idaho,
in June. To make matters worse, it appears two buildings — in Vancouver and San Antonio — that
used to house Joe's Crab Shacks caught fire this year. At the Texas location,
it was not the first time that the restaurant had caught fire since
Joe's Crab Shack vacated it. Only time will tell if this chain survives in 2023.
As another chain hit hard by COVID-19, the fast-casual chain Noodles & Company has been
desperately trying to turn things around in 2022. However, during the final quarter of the previous
year, it reported losses of around $8 million due to the impact of coronavirus variants. Then, its
pattern of failure continued. In the first quarter of 2022, it reportedly lost over $6 million.
Noodles & Company responded by raising prices. The company also unveiled a new rebranding effort
to try to save things. During some points in 2022, things looked better for the chain. After
increased earnings reports in the spring, the chain's stock went up. But even then,
the chain hasn't necessarily done enough to ensure it will survive long term. Despite claims that
Noodles & Company is on the mend, we're not so sure. We'll see what happens to them next year.
"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course."
It may come as no surprise that TGI Friday's is on its last legs. From
the chain's striped logo to outdated menu items like loaded potato skins,
there's nothing about this chain that screams 2023. It's been around since the 1960s when
it first gained popularity as a singles bar. But try to remember the last time
you heard people referring to TGI Fridays as a place for young people to meet. We can't.
TGI Friday's took a hit in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic forced the chain
to permanently close 20% of its restaurants. But multiple additional locations have closed
in 2022. On a positive note, the chain has plans to greatly increase its international
presence. It's even opened a few restaurants outside of the U.S. this year. But even still,
TGI Friday's current number of locations is nowhere near its peak. We'll be waiting to
see if they completely disappear from America by 2023's end.
With a history as old as Friendly's, it's a miracle that this chain restaurant is still
open. The business has been around since 1935,
when a pair of brothers founded the first Friendly's ice cream shop in Springfield,
Massachusetts. Before long, other foods — such as burgers and fries — were added to
the menu. Today, food offerings are much more extensive than you'd expect. At Friendly's,
the menu features quesadillas, chicken tenders, fish and chips, hot dogs, tomato soup, and more.
Despite the large variety, this restaurant isn't doing so hot. Just two years after
filing for bankruptcy due to the coronavirus, multiple locations of Friendly's closed in
2022. This may be a sign that the chain's time is coming to an end.
"The company released a statement saying it regrets the closures,
but that operating the restaurants was simply no longer viable."
Qdoba's biggest food rival is Chipotle. There are roughly 700 existing Qdoba locations,
whereas Chipotle has over 3,000. To make matters worse, the internet is
full of negative reviews concerning Qdoba's cuisine. As one customer on Yelp wrote,
Qdoba's future doesn't look very bright. During this year,
at least two locations closed. Other changes took place for the chain this year as well. One
such change was Qdoba being sold by parent company Apollo to a much smaller owner.
Unfortunately,
a chain as beloved as Buffalo Wild Wings is still struggling. Customers can enjoy several rounds of
wings while being surrounded by TV screens showing sports. One wrote on TripAdvisor,
Sadly, though, we might lose Buffalo Wild Wings in 2023. All over the country,
locations of this restaurant chain closed in 2022. It doesn't help that chicken wings — the
key menu item of this restaurant chain — didn't come down from their price surge
until the second half of 2022. However, there are still over 1,000 locations of Buffalo Wild
Wings in the United States, giving some hope to the thought that it will survive 2023.
By the looks of it, Jack in the Box did not have a successful year in 2022. The chain
started the year with staffing shortages. Labor issues forced the chain to reduce its hours,
leading to a drop in sales. To make up for these problems that persisted
during the first half of 2022, the chain raised its prices. In August,
menu prices went up by approximately 10%. This doesn't seem to have helped them much. At least
two different Jack in the Box locations closed following the company-wide price increases.
"Show me the data."
We hate to think that Jack in the Box will be leaving us in 2023,
but if this trend continues, it doesn't look good for the fast food chain. We may soon be
saying goodbye to a versatile restaurant that offers us both tacos and burgers.
Quiznos is a chain you may be surprised to see in this roundup,
but it has fallen far from its peak in 2006. That year, there were nearly
5,000 Quiznos locations. Today, there are less than 200 Quiznos locations worldwide.
The company's downfall began as early as the 2000's Great Recession. Sure,
the brand has attempted to turn things around, using store remodels and ghost
kitchens. But these changes don't seem to be doing enough. If this year is any indication,
Quiznos' slow descent into nothingness may be near its end. Several locations closed their
doors for good, including one in Rockville, Maryland, and one in Wichita, Kansas. Even
the last remaining Quiznos in Idaho is no more. In 2023, it might be time to say our goodbyes.
"Maybe just show the new sandwich."
Fuddruckers locations are so rare these days that people are already
speaking about the chain in the past tense. One person on Reddit wrote,
"Does anyone else miss Fuddruckers?" Another asked only five months ago, "Was Fuddruckers good?"
As of 2022, the number of Fuddruckers locations is low, there are roughly 76 stores left. In January,
the company closed a location in The Woodlands, Texas. In February, it closed
two locations in central Florida. Although the chain also announced plans to expand this year,
we've yet to see that growth. The concept behind Fuddruckers is simply not good enough
to stick around. The chain still claims to have "the world's best hamburgers," yet because it
didn't get its start until 1980, it lacks the nostalgia that older hamburger chains have.
Marie Callender's is a small chain that began in the 1940s, in Orange County,
California. When the restaurant opened, the focus was on bakery items, especially pies. Today,
Marie Callender's is still known for its pies, which are brightly displayed in each location.
There is a surprising variety sold there too, including lemon meringue, banana cream,
key lime, and a cheesecake-inspired option called cream cheese pie. To this day, Marie Callender's
has restaurants concentrated in California, as well as other parts of the southwest. Overall,
the brand hasn't changed much about itself over the many decades of its existence,
which could be part of the reason for its downfall today.
We can't say for sure if Marie Callender's will close in 2023,
but it closed at least one location in 2022. The final outpost of the chain in the Bay Area
shuttered in February after nearly 50 years in business. On its last day, the place sold out of
pies. Unfortunately for this community and others, this closure follows a trend that's been going on
at Marie Callender's for a while. The chain has declared bankruptcy twice in the past 20 years.
A recent viral story of two citizens helping out at a Denny's speaks volumes about the
chain's current problems. In August, a Denny's in Texas was so understaffed that only one employee
was present. To help out, two customers entered the kitchen and started cooking. If this story
is any indication, the chain is experiencing understaffing problems that are not uncommon
in the restaurant industry of 2022. This, along with other issues, may lead it to close in 2023.
In September, five different Denny's locations closed. A lawsuit forced
two locations to close. Another location in West Haven, Connecticut,
also closed that month. A Denny's in Portland also shuttered for good, as did a location in Salina,
New York. It looks like 2023 really could be the end for the iconic chain.