Restaurants have to always work to stay relevant, because different generations are interested in different things. Casual dining chains like Ruby Tuesday and Chili's may have been extremely popular 10 or 20 years ago, but they are struggling these days and might not be open much longer. Of course, these restaurants could all turn it around, but it seems like some of them aren't even trying to branch out. Malls aren't as popular as they used to be, so the restaurants found in them aren't either. Let's take a look at six restaurant chains that might not be around much longer.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Once a robust and profitable industry, casual dining has been on the decline.
00:05That means many of those familiar restaurant chains you'd find at the mall are no longer
00:09feeding throngs of hungry crowds like they used to.
00:12So which chains have fared the worst in this cutthroat industry?
00:15Hold on to your tater tots!
00:17These famous restaurant chains are hanging on via Happy Hour app.
00:21Chili's
00:22It doesn't matter whether or not you're a fan of Baby Back Ribs, chances are you know
00:26the song about them.
00:27I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, I want my baby back, baby back, baby back."
00:34But lately, it's been Chili's who wants to get their groove back, since suffering declining
00:38sales and layoffs in 2017.
00:41After implementing a slew of menu rebrandings and promotions, including a loyalty program
00:45that ate into their profits, they recently slashed about 40 percent of their entire menu
00:50in an attempt to streamline operations.
00:52They've also aggressively ramped up marketing to try and get more people through the door.
00:57But only time will tell if revamped lyrics to the same old jingle will keep Chili's open
01:01for business.
01:02Oh baby, Chili's is back, baby back, baby back."
01:06Buffalo Wild Wings
01:07Fewer foods are more iconically American than chicken wings, but that's no comfort for Buffalo
01:12Wild Wings, whose stocks continued to slump in 2017.
01:16We're Buffalo Wild Wings.
01:18Hey, Brett.
01:19No!
01:20Is this weird or what?
01:22According to CEO Sally Smith's letter to shareholders that year, millennial customers are more attracted
01:26to cooking at home, ordering delivery from restaurants, and eating quickly, in fast-casual
01:31or quick-serve restaurants.
01:32Board members have clashed on how to steer the company moving forward, but with Arby's
01:36acquiring Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.9 billion in early 2018, there's no telling where this
01:42meaty tag team will lead.
01:43Seems like a good time for a rally beard.
01:46Is it doing it?
01:48Yeah.
01:49Applebee's
01:51Though the company fought to attract millennials with extensive renovations and redesigns,
01:55Applebee's has since announced that they're throwing in the towel on that.
01:59Brand president John Cewinski told investors,
02:01"...in my perspective, this pursuit led to decisions that created confusion among core
02:06guests as Applebee's intentionally drifted from its Middle America roots and its abundant
02:10value position.
02:11We can't alienate boomers or Gen Xers in the process."
02:15They'll be closing at least 80 restaurants in 2018, on top of already shuttering 100
02:19in 2017.
02:21Get your riblets while they're hot, and Applebee's still exists.
02:24I'll believe it when I taste it."
02:27Hooters
02:28In the world of bre-staurants, Hooters was a trailblazer.
02:32"...and there's a place for renegades like us."
02:35"...a place where it's okay to not give a hoot."
02:38"...where shorts are called shorts for a reason."
02:40But business hasn't been hot for this purveyor of wings, beer, and cleavage.
02:45The chain closed 7 percent of their locations between 2012 and 2016, and sales have been
02:50stagnating, according to industry experts.
02:52"...do you know why our beer is so cold here at Hooters?
02:56Because we keep it in the refrigerator."
02:58But while there's some speculation that the drop is due to decreasing interest in the
03:02brand's, um, main attraction, Hooters is also plagued by stiff competition in the sit-down
03:07casual dining market.
03:09Perhaps their new fast-casual chain, Hoots, with fully-clothed staff, will help them win
03:13fans who actually go for the food.
03:16Subway
03:17Even though it's got more locations than McDonald's, Subway has fallen on hard times.
03:22In 2017, they closed over 900 locations in the United States.
03:26Intense competition from fast-casual restaurants has been identified as a factor in their dwindling
03:30sales, but the imprisonment of former spokesperson Jared Fogle was also a harsh blow for the
03:35company.
03:36"...Jared Fogle pleading guilty to child pornography charges and other shocking sex crimes."
03:42To woo customers back, Subway overhauled management, started delivering, and redid their logo.
03:47"...uh, Candace?
03:48I'm not sure you should have that here."
03:50"...Calm down, Carl.
03:51It's just a new sriracha chicken melt from Subway."
03:54Outside of the States, they continue to do well, and recently saw sales jump 3.7 percent
03:59to $5.8 billion, according to CNN.
04:02Who knows?
04:03Maybe Subway will become a sandwich joint you have to jet-set to get.
04:07Outback Steakhouse
04:08"...one part steak, one part ribs, two parts incredible."
04:13Home of the deep-fried calorie bomb known as the Bloomin' Onion, Outback Steakhouse
04:17is yet another restaurant feeling the pinch.
04:20One Brands, who owns the Outback brand, saw its stock drop 8 percent during the summer
04:24of 2017, signaling that they're having trouble getting diners through the door.
04:28CEO Elizabeth Smith predictably identified a competitive market and the increasing tendency
04:33for young people to prepare meals at home as the major source of their economic woes.
04:37Oh, millennials, always ruining chain dining with that healthy, Netflix-and-cooking-at-home
04:41kind of life.