1 day Ago By Yelena Mandenberg
Move over, Olive Garden —there's a new sheriff in town. Casual dining chain Texas Roadhouse just became the number one restaurant in the U.S.
Texas Roadhouse managed to beat the Italian stallion of eating out with a larger boost in sales than Olive Garden, according to Restaurant Business . Olive Garden had the top spot since 2018. Chili’s, Applebee’s , and Buffalo Wild Wings, took spots three, four, and five on the list, which measures year-to-year growth.
The report found that Texas Roadhouse saw a 14.7% increase in sales , pulling in $5.5 billion, while Olive Garden got just 0.
8% in 2024, to the tune of $5.2 billion. Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, and Red Robin saw decreases in sales.
Red Lobster saw the largest drop at -22.7%, according to Technomic's report. It makes sense, as Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2024.
Many chains have suffered in the last year. Burger chain Red Robin is set to close many of its restaurants due to significant losses in recent years. Red Robin's fourth-quarter deficit increased from $13.
7 million to $39.7 million over the same period last year. Revenue dropped to $285.
2 million, a 7.7% decline. Meanwhile, TGI Fridays, once known for its flair-laden servers, endless appetizers, and festive atmosphere, has closed a total of over 130 stores this year, since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024.
This most recent closures took place in New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Ohio with signs on locked doors citing the “difficult decision” to close TGI Friday's locations. Sit-down dining options have seen a dramatic drop in sales in recent years as more and more customers seem to be staying away. There’s a variety of reasons for this, most prominently a change in consumer behavior following the pandemic.
People tend to rely more on delivery apps, curbside pick-ups, and take out restaurants, instigating the rise in popularity of fast-casual restaurants like Sweetgreen and Chipotle . This new way of eating makes sit-down joints, like Red Robin and TGI Fridays, a thing of the past . It comes as Macy's is just one of the US stores closing as retailers face a bloodbath .
Even Olive Garden has partnered with Uber in an effort to boost sales (for anyone living in an eight-mile radius). In the Midwest, Bar Louie has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in five years. They closed 38 locations nationwide, shuttering 22 more during the pandemic.
Other chains like Hooters, too, are on the verge of filing for bankruptcy, having closed 40 underperforming restaurants across several states, namely Florida, Texas, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Kentucky. DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter. ] Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories.
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