Current Events > Millennials are killing chains like Buffalo Wild Wings and Applebee's

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http://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-endanger-casual-dining-restaurants-2017-5

Casual dining is in danger — and millennials are to blame.

Brands such as TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday, and Applebee's have faced sales slumps and dozens of restaurant closures, as casual dining chains have struggled to attract customers and grow sales.

"Casual-dining restaurants face a uniquely challenging market today," Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith recently wrote in a letter to shareholders.

According to Smith, these sit-down restaurants' struggles can blamed on the most-frequently besmirched generation: millennials.

"Millennial consumers are more attracted than their elders to cooking at home, ordering delivery from restaurants and eating quickly, in fast-casual or quick-serve restaurants," Smith wrote.

While blaming millennials has become a trend to the point of cliche in retail, Smith isn't wrong to zero in on younger customers' changing tastes as a major factor in casual dining's downfall.

"Now, there's many, many options that people are replacing chains with," Victor Fernandez, restaurant industry tracker TDn2K's executive director of insights, recently told Business Insider.

Many of these options involve cooking at home. Grocery chains are increasingly competing with restaurants, thanks to lower prices and perks such as pick-up and delivery, new technology, and trendy features like wine bars and to-go meals. Plus, meal delivery kits such as Blue Apron are focused on getting millennials on a subscription plan that will convince them to stay in and cook a certain number of days a week.

Convenience is also a factor, both when it comes to delivery and speed of service. And casual dining chains are still playing catch-up with regards to delivery.

"The only part of casual dining that’s growing right now is the off premise side," said Bonnie Riggs, foodservice industry analyst for NPD, recently told Nation's Restaurant News.

Cheesecake Factory announced earlier this year it is expanding delivery to half of its 194 US locations through DoorDash, a third party delivery service. T.G.I. Fridays, Chili's, and Maggiano's are all now on Grubhub, and Buffalo Wild Wings and Red Robin are testing the service. Outback Steakhouse is using both third-party services and building its own delivery service.

While delivery is clearly a compelling option to offer, it isn't a simple service for restaurants to add. Customers often spend less when ordering delivery, especially at casual dining chains that rely on alcohol orders to drive sales. In-house delivery means added complexities, paying drivers, and additional insurance costs. Using a third-party means losing control over the food's quality.

Then, there are the more convenient chains that have drawn millennial customers away from casual dining options.

The growth of fast-casual chains such as Chipotle and Panera have been especially harmful. These chains manage to bring both convenience and lower prices to millennial customers, who are less enthused about spending more money just for the "experience" of sitting in a booth at a casual dining joint.

The fast-casual industry grew by 550% from 1999 to 2014, The Washington Post reported. By 2020, the fast-casual market in the US is expected to reach $66.9 billion, according to the market-research company Technavio.

"They have more of a healthy perception, there's quicker service times," Wedbush analyst Colin Radke told Business Insider in March. "The healthiness and the speed of service — that's been taking market share from casual dining."

Specific trends aside, when Smith says that millennials tastes differ from what casual dining chains can offer, she's avoiding a more blunt statement: that casual dining brands just aren't cool any more.
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These millennials really need to take the SWEAT pledge
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Can't say that bothers me, honestly. Every chain place I go to tends to be so meh at best. I'm happy to live in a place with access to a lot of family owned places that are just so damn good.

The food at Applebee's and such just..not worth paying for.
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Don't know why your business is struggling? Blame millennials!

There was a 90 minute wait at BWW last night. I would have turned and left but I found a table at the bar.
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Fuck all of the olive gardens and applebees of the world. Mass produced trash heated up out of plastic bags and served to you like its gourmet cooking. Every place i have ever been has had a restaurant more worthy of my money.
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Sounds like the free market at work
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JlM posted...

There was a 90 minute wait at BWW last night. I would have turned and left but I found a table at the bar.

UFC night.
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ThanksUglyGod posted...

Don't know why your business is struggling? Blame millennials!

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Third topic in two days using the same fucking article. Low hanging fruit posters for fucks sake
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Omega Hunter posted...

Fuck all of the olive gardens and applebees of the world. Mass produced trash heated up out of plastic bags and served to you like its gourmet cooking. Every place i have ever been has had a restaurant more worthy of my money.

too expensive to eat at anyway, only good time to go to olive garden is for the all you can eat pasta.
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these restaurants eliminated things like cooks and food prep and just serve microwaved crap. .
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The bar is always full at BWWs. Are they really in financial trouble? They thrive on sports.

The Freebirds close to my house closed a couple weeks ago. I didn't love their burritos, but their nachos kicked ass
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I don't care too much about large, plastic chains, to be honest. More interested in local places and food trucks/stands.
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Rob Cesternino posted...

"Millennial consumers are more attracted than their elders to cooking at home, ordering delivery from restaurants and eating quickly, in fast-casual or quick-serve restaurants," Smith wrote.

THOSE BASTARDS!!
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DarthAragorn posted...

JlM posted...

There was a 90 minute wait at BWW last night. I would have turned and left but I found a table at the bar.

UFC night.

Actually it was because of the Penguins game. I cheated!

Still, I've been to five different BWWs in the area at different times of the day and of the year. They seem to be doing fine, except for them getting rid of their best sauce flavor.
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Leanaunfurled posted...

I don't care too much about large, plastic chains, to be honest. More interested in local places and food trucks/stands.

those always win. 75 miles away if could live there. probably have a few food trucks to eat at.
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JlM posted...

DarthAragorn posted...

JlM posted...

There was a 90 minute wait at BWW last night. I would have turned and left but I found a table at the bar.

UFC night.

Actually it was because of the Penguins game. I cheated!

Still, I've been to five different BWWs in the area at different times of the day and of the year. They seem to be doing fine, except for them getting rid of their best sauce flavor.

What flavor?

Also all the Bdubs around here seem to do good business.
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JlM posted...

DarthAragorn posted...

JlM posted...

There was a 90 minute wait at BWW last night. I would have turned and left but I found a table at the bar.

UFC night.

Actually it was because of the Penguins game. I cheated!

Still, I've been to five different BWWs in the area at different times of the day and of the year. They seem to be doing fine, except for them getting rid of their best sauce flavor.

They still have Asian Zing and Mango Habenero last I checked
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voldothegr8 posted...

JlM posted...

DarthAragorn posted...

JlM posted...

There was a 90 minute wait at BWW last night. I would have turned and left but I found a table at the bar.

UFC night.

Actually it was because of the Penguins game. I cheated!

Still, I've been to five different BWWs in the area at different times of the day and of the year. They seem to be doing fine, except for them getting rid of their best sauce flavor.

What flavor?

Also all the Bdubs around here seem to do good business.

Jammin Jalapeno. Was the most unique flavor, perfect amount of heat.
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JlM posted...

Jammin Jalapeno. Was the most unique flavor, perfect amount of heat.

Thai Curry is my go to, one of my favorite wing flavors ever.
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kingdrake2 posted...

Leanaunfurled posted...

I don't care too much about large, plastic chains, to be honest. More interested in local places and food trucks/stands.

those always win. 75 miles away if could live there. probably have a few food trucks to eat at.

I can't wait to move and have more access to quality food. I also can't wait to start traveling again and experience foreign culture and food. *sigh* I'll never even be able to look at shit like Olive Garden again.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpSo-VJTeE8
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Hot BBQ is my favorite sauce, tbh
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Oh man, I'm more interested in eating food I cook that's cheap and healthy rather than blowing more money on shitty, awful, pseudo-Italian food from Olive Garden.

Why is this a bad thing and why is an article acting like I'm a bad person for not eating semi-expensive (for a tight budget) food from places that suck?
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Zero_Destroyer posted...

Oh man, I'm more interested in eating food I cook that's cheap and healthy rather than blowing more money on shitty, awful, pseudo-Italian food from Olive Garden.

Why is this a bad thing and why is an article acting like I'm a bad person for not eating semi-expensive (for a tight budget) food from places that suck?

Because you're a millenial and that means you're hardly a person for no other reason than fuck you.
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rofl

"Something bad happened? Blame millennials!"

Also lol at all the edgelords itt. "Olive Garden isn't real food."

lol stay angry
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next they'll be mad at the lack of tips
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You want to go somewhere nice? That's not applebees.
You want to go to somewhere fast? That's not applebees either.

Netflix and chill stole their niche, and instead of adapting they are raising prices and lowering quality.
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this is still hilarious
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People bitch about millennials, but who raised those millennials? Oh, right, them.

Also there's the fact that every generation bitches about the next one.
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Leanaunfurled posted...

People bitch about millennials, but who raised those millennials? Oh, right, them.

Also there's the fact that every generation bitches about the next one.

Also don't forget that complaints about Millennials are hypocritical. Millennials need to stop going out and save their money, except go out and spend money to prevent Applebee's from dying.
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Every time I've ever been to a bww it's always been full of young people
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Godnorgosh posted...

These dang millennials just had to go and suffer from falling wages and high cost of education. Now they have the gall not to blow what little savings they have on expensive food! The nerve.

Those places aren't expensive at all
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yeah i have a hard time believing bww is doing bad. last week i put an order in for pick up at 5:45 and didn't get my food til like 6:45. I've never not seen the one by me packed
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if the tastes are changing maybe they should change with the people if they want to stay relevant
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Good. All those places are trash. The generation's before us had shit taste in food.
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OwlRammer posted...

if the tastes are changing maybe they should change with the people if they want to stay relevant

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Godnorgosh posted...

GOATSLAYER posted...

Godnorgosh posted...

These dang millennials just had to go and suffer from falling wages and high cost of education. Now they have the gall not to blow what little savings they have on expensive food! The nerve.

Those places aren't expensive at all

They are not expensive to eat at once or twice. They are very expensive to make a habit of.

Who is in the habit of going to sit down restaurants on a regular basis?
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KiwiTerraRizing posted...

ThanksUglyGod posted...

Don't know why your business is struggling? Blame millennials!

Though the article did make some valid points such as the rise of ingredient delivering services, it honestly just feels like this.

Feels like a bunch of lazy asses not realizing that its a different time and that what worked 10-15 years ago, isn't gonna work as effectively now.
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Worst generation ever

this is one thing that i can agree on with millennials. I don't have time for casual dining; I rather be shitposting
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Smashingpmkns posted...

Good. All those places are trash. The generation's before us had shit taste in food.

Not really their fault. They didn't have near the options and variety of ingredients we (as a US citizen) do today.
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We're too busy eating ramen noodles to go out to Applebee's

Millennials: Man, we sure are underpaid
"Well maybe if you didn't eat out all the time and cooked at home more you could save money!"\
Millennials: Good point, We should do that
"These chain restaurants are failing....WTF MILLENNIALS! why aren't you supporting these businesses!?"
MIllennials: -_-

sktgamer_13dude posted...

Also lol at all the edgelords itt. "Olive Garden isn't real food."

lol stay angry

i was raised on good italian food so I feel qualified in saying Olive Garden is bland garbage
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Zero_Destroyer posted...

sktgamer_13dude posted...

Also lol at all the edgelords itt. "Olive Garden isn't real food."

lol stay angry

i was raised on good italian food so I feel qualified in saying Olive Garden is bland garbage

i don't understand the point in saying that though. Of course it isn't authentic top of the line Italian Food. But some people like the taste. it doesn't mean they won't like your homecooked food better....Its like I can go make a great chicken sandwich from scratch. hand breaded, fried, assembled.....Much better than McDonalds...it doesn't mean there isn't a spot for a nice McChicken every now and then.