From fast-food favorites to casual dining restaurants, some of the nation’s most iconic food chains shuttered locations this year.
While some of these chains closed just a handful of restaurants, others made much deeper cuts.
Check out the following roll call of national food chains that pulled back this year.
1. TGI Fridays
Recently, TGI Fridays filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The restaurant chain plans to restructure so that it can “ensure the long-term viability of the brand.”
In recent weeks, TGI Fridays roster of restaurants has declined from 213 to 162 nationwide. Some cities — including Columbus, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York — no longer have any locations.
2. Wendy’s
Between now and the end of the year, Wendy’s will close 140 restaurants in the U.S. That is in addition to 100 closures announced in May. However, the chain is still looking forward, with plans to open as many as 300 new restaurants.
3. Applebee’s
Franchisee Apple Central KC LLC recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which resulted in the closure of eight Applebee’s restaurants in and around Kansas City, Kansas.
Two weeks earlier, another franchisee — Louisiana Apple — also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Over the past couple years, Applebee’s has closed many locations.
4. Denny’s
Denny’s plans to close 150 of its locations by the end of next year. Half of those closures are slated to take place before the end of 2024. Overall, the chain will shutter about 10% of its restaurants.
Denny’s has not announced which locations will close.
5. BurgerFi
BurgerFi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September. The good news for the chain’s fans is that all 144 of its remaining locations will stay open, although 19 underperforming restaurants were shut down after a company review of its assets.
6. Shake Shack
Earlier this fall, Shake Shack closed down nine underperforming locations across the states of California, Ohio and Texas. In some cases, locations closed due to fears that they were “cannibalizing sales” from other nearby Shake Shack restaurants.
7. Noodles & Company
In August, Noodles & Company said it was considering closing nearly two dozen underperforming locations. Overall, up to 15 closures were expected during the current fiscal year.
8. Buca di Beppo
Italian restaurant chain Buca di Beppo filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August, saying it was still struggling after a decline in business during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company currently has more than $10 million in debt.
9. Red Lobster
As we reported in September, Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier in the year. The chain closed more than 100 locations in a bid to “simplify the business.”
10. Hardee’s
Hardee’s closed a number of locations this year. In January, it closed one location in Missouri. The following month, it closed five locations in Illinois. In July, it closed a restaurant in Wisconsin.
11. Hooters
During the summer, Hooters closed dozens of locations across the U.S. The chain said tough economics — including rising food and labor costs — were behind its decision.
12. Tijuana Flats
Tijuana Flats also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but it has high hopes for the future. The chain introduced a new menu in April and has hired a turnaround specialist as its new CEO.
13. Cracker Barrel
In the spring, Cracker Barrel closed four locations. Two of the closures were in California. In addition, there was a closing in Oregon and another in South Carolina.
14. Boston Market
Boston Market has seen tough times recently. By March of this year, the chain was down to just 27 locations nationwide. As recently as the start of 2023, it still had 300 open locations.
15. Outback Steakhouse
Bloomin’ Brands Inc. — which owns Outback Steakhouse and other restaurant chains — said in February that it was closing 41 locations across its portfolio. The stores were described as “underperforming.”
16. PDQ
In February, PDQ announced the closure of all of its drive-thru locations in the Triangle region of North Carolina. A location inside Charlotte Douglas International Airport was among the PDQs that remained open, however.
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