Poll of the Day > Certain restaurant chains may go out of business in the next year

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://youtu.be/IcnCDsgCMRg

TL;DW, these restaurants are at risk of going out of business:

1. Ruby Tuesday
2. Ihop
3. Applebees
4. Denny's
5. Chuck E. Cheese
6. Golden Corral
7. Dave & Buster's
8. Subway
9. Red Lobster
10. TGI Fridays
11. PF Chang's

Of all of these I'd definitely be pissed if Denny's had to go. The rest I either don't care for or don't even have one in my city.
Everytime I've gone to Subway, I was literally the only customer in the restaurant, even during BOGO footlong deals, so I guess it makes sense that they're struggling.
I've wanted to try Ihop and Applebees though, but none where I live. Now I'll probably never get to try them :'(

---

not american so i don't care

---

I'm American and don't care. I've eaten at several of those places but wouldn't miss any of them.

Don't care, I haven't been to any of those since high school over a decade ago.

---

A ton of those places will recover.
---

Golden Corral was a crutch in my youth. So many graduations, spring breaks, winter breaks, just any excuse for any kind of celebration, boom, Golden Corral.

---

I imagine half that list is just speculation. Hell, people said 5 Guys would be going out of business for the last few years and it is still around. Still, I wouldn't be sad to see any of those go considering I can count on one hand the amount of times I "ate out" in 2020, and I have yet to go to a restaurant in 2021. Hell, half of them are long gone from my area anyways.

---

Dikitain posted...

I imagine half that list is just speculation. Hell, people said 5 Guys would be going out of business for the last few years and it is still around. Still, I wouldn't be sad to see any of those go considering I can count on one hand the amount of times I "ate out" in 2020, and I have yet to go to a restaurant in 2021. Hell, half of them are long gone from my area anyways.

They just opened a new Five Guys near me.

---

There are mom and pop shops that do what most of those places do, but better, so I won't be too broken up.

---

Applebees is about the only one I ever really went to on a semi-regular basis (maybe once every year or two).

Denny's is basically just a diner, so it's easy to just go to one of those instead.

I thought Golden Corral went out of business years ago.



party_animal07 posted...

There are mom and pop shops that do what most of those places do, but better, so I won't be too broken up.

Yeah, but how many of those mom & pop shops have been forced out of business themselves, either from competing with the chains or from the pandemic?

If chains are hurting, I can't imagine that smaller single places aren't.
---

the only one id even be remotely sad for is dave and busters because they have an arcade, but I certainly haven't been there in at least 15 years.

All the other places are just generic chains I don't know why people would be upset to any real degree if they went under.

It doesnt come anywhere close to a first pick for me but Golden Corral is a bit of a default for me when a bunch of people cant really decide where they wanna go. Would be a bit sad to see it go.

Havent eaten at Busters or Ruby Tuesday but the rest fading out is no loss of mine.

---

I'm surprised to see Subway on that list.

But there are better alternatives to those places, and some of them aren't even in my area, so I wouldn't be incredibly heartbroken to see any of them go.

---

That's fine. Restaurant chains are poop.

---

Of that list:

1. Ruby Tuesday -- I can see it happening, I guess? I never thought the chain was great and none are close to me so I'm kinda indifferent
2. Ihop -- I like Ihop, but I don't think any are around me.
3. Applebees -- I can't see them going out of business, and would be pissed if they did.
4. Denny's -- I like Denny's, although they're overpriced. I can't see anything happening to them.
5. Chuck E. Cheese -- They declared bankruptcy last year. Honestly, I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see them gone. Every town I know that had one already lost theirs years ago.
6. Golden Corral -- I think I'm only familiar with this chain by name. I have no expectations as a result.
7. Dave & Buster's -- Never been a fan. Their food sucks and their arcades are meh. However, I'm not sure how likely they are to vanish.
8. Subway -- lolwut? How could Subway be going anywhere? I'm calling bullshit on that claim. iirc, Subway is the second-largest fast food chain. Even if the argument is that the pandemic has hurt their owner-operators, most of the major fast food chains are *also* run by smaller operators. McDonald's is 95% franchisee, for instance (which makes the moronic arguments, "Oh, McDonald's employees only make this, but the CEO makes this!", even stupider because the McDonald's CEO has about as much connection to 95% of McDonald's workers as the CEO of Wal-Mart has to McDonald's workers). That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Subway leave the marketplace so it can be replaced by any number of its superior competitors... and pretty much every other major sandwich chain blows Subway out of the water.
9. Red Lobster -- I would be bummed out by this, although I haven't been there lately. Why would Red Lobster be affected but not Olive Garden, though?
10. TGI Fridays -- It's been so long since I've eaten at one that I can't really remember if I like it. I imagine I probably do. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to learn it went out of business.
11. PF Chang's -- Offhand, I'm not sure if I have one near me. In fact, I think I'm more familiar from seeing them down the freezer aisle.

Ferarri619 posted...

Everytime I've gone to Subway, I was literally the only customer in the restaurant, even during BOGO footlong deals, so I guess it makes sense that they're struggling.

Subway's staffing costs are generally so low that I'm not sure something like that has a major impact. A lot of locations are family businesses, and it's probably the biggest example of fast food chains serving as modern day sharecropping since you have struggling owner-operators paying most of their revenue to the franchisor.

---

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Applebees is about the only one I ever really went to on a semi-regular basis (maybe once every year or two).

Denny's is basically just a diner, so it's easy to just go to one of those instead.

I thought Golden Corral went out of business years ago.

Yeah, but how many of those mom & pop shops have been forced out of business themselves, either from competing with the chains or from the pandemic?

If chains are hurting, I can't imagine that smaller single places aren't.

While they aren't necessarily flourishing, a fair amount of the places here survived the culling. Time will only tell though, as some might just be fighting the inevitable.

---

Both Ruby Tuesday and Chuck E Cheese closed a long time ago near where I live

Subway and Applebees are doing well so I don't see them closing

Denny's is garbage so that wouldn't be a loss

The rest aren't close to where I live


---

I'm surprised that Shake and Steak isn't on the list since the restaurants around me don't have many customers dining there ever since Covid-19 happened. I'd be sorry to see IHop go out of business since 1) they opened a couple of new locations over a year ago, 2)I'd have breakfast there once a month before Covid-19 came along and 3)they're the only competition to our local Village Inn and Denny's, which, if Denny's goes out of business, would leave us with only Village Inn for breakfast unless we plan to go to Chik-fil-a or some fast food place.

Ill be sad if Fuddruckers goes away

---

Man i lijed fuddruckers a lot. I always loved their burgers but idk is that was just 12 year old me or not. Restaurant closest to me closed down ages ago

Subway is the only one I've been to and even then i wouldn't care that much

---

Honestly this just looks like one of those standard click bait lists.

https://www.mashed.com/178923/restaurant-chains-that-might-be-closing-in-2020/
https://twentytwowords.com/the-full-list-of-restaurant-chains-that-are-closing-in-2019/

This isn't news to me, I feel like chain restaurants have been in decline throughout the 2010's. I feel like a lot of people are into boutique dining experiences and not franchises.

---

I need my Red Lobster biscuits (even though I could technically make them at home)... Plus, I go there with my family when I go home. I also need Subway because I can actually get my favorite sub there, since I dont think I can at other places. UI also love IHOP. And IHOP going away would suck, but wouldnt be as bad if Dennys was still around. While I like a few things at Applebees, I can live without it. While I dont go to Tuesdays and Fridays anymore, Id be a little sad. I like PF Changs, AFAIK, but havent had it in many years...
---

argonautweakend posted...

All the other places are just generic chains I don't know why people would be upset to any real degree if they went under.

It may have their favorite version of certain foods. Like Subway for me... Cant really get the sub I like there anywhere else...
---

No way in hell is Subway closing down

---

Bye bye shitty restaurants!

Like, I've ate at a good few of those obviously, but no love lost. I'd rather see those businesses filled with and owned run by smart locals.

---

Kimbos said that like there isnt a Subway over there.

If Subway can make it through Jared, they can make it through anything.

Ruby Tuesday seems like it'll die, the one that's been near my family's house as long as I've been alive just closed down due to the pandemic.

Also Golden Corral will survive, if they could survive the controversy of them storing their food next to the dumpsters they'll survive this, tons of old people flock to it due to hefty senior discounts.

I kinda like IHOP, I'd be sad to see them go, I used to always get the pancake with the face on it as a kid.

Dave & Busters used to be so popular, now whenever I drive by it it's a ghost town and part of the parking lot of the one near me is grown over.

Red Lobster could survive off selling it's biscuits alone.

I don't go to those places so no

---

I don't care about the vast majority of chains. Definitely not any of these.

GastroFan posted...

I'm surprised that Shake and Steak isn't on the list since the restaurants around me don't have many customers dining there ever since Covid-19 happened.

A Shake and Steak opened up in my friends old neighborhood once. It was the first Steak and Shake in at least that area of California as far as we knew, and we expected it to be popular. We went one time on a day they weren't busy at all and stood around twenty minutes waiting for someone to take our order. It was strange. We left. They had closed down three or four months later. To be fair, they were in a cursed spot. Despite heavy foot traffic coming through, I've seen three businesses in that building throughout my life (will be four once new tenants come in).