Declining Food Chains That May All But Disappear in a Few Years

It's normal for families to rely on restaurants to supply them with their meals. After a day of working, few people want to come home and work in the kitchen for another hour to prepare food for themselves and their families. The easiest way to avoid doing this is by going to a restaurant, whether it's a fast-food chain or a sit-down location. However, food that's eaten at a restaurant is typically unhealthier than food prepared at home. This has caused plenty of chains to start shutting down different locations.

One restaurant that feels like a blast from the past is Subway. Rather than pursue a slow expansion like most restaurants, Subway decided to franchise locations as quickly as they could. At first, it helped their brand rapidly grow and gain a large market share. However, there are now too many Subway locations, forcing many to shut their doors.

Another restaurant where plenty of people enjoy meals is TGI Fridays. The restaurant's name is derived from the phrase "Thank God It's Friday," which is something plenty of the people in the workforce feel at the end of their work weeks. However, more restaurants with similar menus to TGI Fridays have opened. This has caused fewer people to feel inclined to spend their evenings at the restaurant. For more restaurant content, click here to read about millennials' favorite food chains.

To compile this list of food chains that are disappearing, 24/7 Tempo consulted food-related sources. These include TheStreet, Eat This Not That, and FinanceBuzz.

Many restaurants have put up a fight with McDonald's to attract clients that eat there. Few have done as well as Burger King. The fast-food chain once was considered the second-best fast-food joint by many people around the globe. It was one of the first places to come up with the concept of chicken fries.

This hasn't meant great things for Burger King over the years, though. In fact, there was even a rumor that Burger King was going to shut down their entire operation in April, 2024. They denied those rumors, but there are certainly fewer Burger Kings to order a sandwich and fries at than there were a decade ago. There's no telling what's in store for Burger King, but they're going to have to make some changes to keep their restaurants from closing.

For years, Subway has leaned into the fact that their sandwiches are healthy enough to help people on their weight loss journeys. One of their biggest advocates was a man named Jared who ate at Subway daily and lost hundreds of pounds. Subway jumped on the opportunity to make Jared a spokesperson, which helped the brand continue to grow. However, after multiple scandals surrounding Jared, he was fired and later arrested.

Another reason Subway locations have been closing around the United States is because there were too many to begin with. Rather than wait patiently and let growth occur naturally, the Subway corporation franchised as many locations as they could. It helped grow the brand, but there were too many Subways for people to pick from. Both of these reasons are partly why so many Subways have closed their doors. Subway is still a profitable company, but you might have to drive a little further away for your next sandwich.

There are plenty of theories in the world that say Arby's is a cover for something else. It's not often you see someone with a meal from Arby's, but they always seem to have commercials running. However, there aren't as many stores as there were in the 2010s. Regardless of what your thoughts on Arby's are, the lack of business isn't good when trying to keep doors open. The restaurant serves roast beef sandwiches that they claim are as fresh as possible.

However, the menu at Arby's doesn't live up to what people expect when they go to a fast-food restaurant. People are searching for burgers and chicken nuggets. Arby's does have curly fries, which is something other fast-food restaurants should take note of. The shakes are decent and they have good flavors to pick from, but it's unclear if those menu items are enough to make a difference. Arby's has been forced to close more restaurants than they'd certainly like to.

Anyone who wanted a fresh taste of food from Boston easily went to their local Boston Market to enjoy Boston crème pies, chicken, and fries. However, Boston Markets around the United States have been going away at a rapid pace. From the outside, each restaurant made it feel like you were looking at a local place to eat in Boston. The food wasn't bad at all, but for the time, it was considered one of the more expensive fast-food places to eat at.

Boston Market was stuck in the middle between wanting to be a sit-down restaurant and fast-food restaurant. Rather than committing to one or the other, they tried to be both. There's no telling if committing to one or the other would have been better in the long run for Boston Market, but there's a chance they'd still be around in 2024 if they had tried.

It's no secret that countless people in the United States crave seafood whenever they get the chance to eat it. Long John Silver's looked to capitalize on many people's love for fish by opening a fast-food seafood restaurant. At first, guests loved the idea of ordering fish easily and cheaply. As time went on, though, the quality of the food didn't keep up with people's expectations and the quality that seafood at a sit-down restaurant had.

There are few Long John Silver's still around in the United States, with most being in places that are close to the ocean. The ability to get fresh seafood and easily transport it helps cut costs and maintains the freshness for when it's served to customers. Long Joh Silver's and the next restaurant on this list are often found in the same building.

Rather than just sticking to making root beer, A&W decided to veer into the food service industry. People were excited to see what the company could do when they put their focus into food. While some thought the food was good, not enough people considered it to be worthy of eating at on a frequent basis. A&W became known for their tremendous root beer floats, which makes sense because they're the ones who make root beer.

One way A&W and Long John Silver's tried to help each other was by sharing the same space inside the same restaurant. The idea was that there'd be something for everyone to eat whenever they walked through the doors. While it was an excellent idea, it didn't work out the way everyone involved had envisioned.

One of the easiest ways to eat while on a budget is by getting a pizza. The food is tasty, cheap, and can last multiple days if it's spread out the right way. Pizza Hut used to be one of the most common places to get pizza from. They'd deliver it to you and most of the time, everyone would enjoy it. However, Pizza Hut tried to expand their business with wings and different desserts to go along with pizza.

It was a valiant effort, but people didn't like what Pizza Hut brought to the table. It also doesn't help that millennials and Gen-Zers like going to sit down with their friends at small shops when they want to eat pizza. There will always be a market for pizza, but Pizza Huts are becoming less common in 2024.

Pizza Hut isn't the only pizza chain that's closing more restaurants. Domino's has become known for offering incredibly cheap pizza that can last multiple days. After years of criticism from customers about the quality of the food, Domino's launched multiple advertising campaigns attempting to get people back in the door. They also expanded their menu to include pastas and salads as well.

The quality of Domino's pizza improved at first, but it has regressed back to what it once was. Millennials and Gen-Zers don't like giving numerous chances to restaurants who claim they're going to do better. This has caused multiple Domino's locations to shut down. Like Pizza Hut, Domino's is struggling with how to combat the smaller pizza shops that produce higher quality for a slightly higher cost.

There's something special about getting donuts on the weekend with your partner, family, or yourself. Krispy Kreme was once the golden standard for getting donuts. Their glazed donut was so good that people would line up out the door whenever the "Hot" sign was flashing in the window. However, Krispy Kreme didn't expand their menu to include new designs and flavors until recently.

Because of places like Randy's Donuts and Pinkbox, Krispy Kreme has lost a lot of their clients in store. Randy's Donuts and Pinkbox offer amazing designs and fun flavors to pick from. One way Krispy Kreme has combated this is by offering their donuts in retail stores. This is one way they've stayed relevant for as long as they have. There's no telling how many more shops will stay open for Krispy Kreme, but more are certainly closing than opening.

People love visiting places like Golden Corral when they're in the mood for a buffet. Compared to other buffets, Golden Corral was known as a reasonably priced option for families to go to. However, the quality of the food wasn't great compared to other buffet options, or even just other sit-down choices. There have been plenty of video compilations made online of the quality, and quantity, of the food that's at Golden Corral.

Rather than up the prices to make the food better, it felt as though Golden Corral sat and waited to see if the bad publicity would simply pass over. It never did, and now there are fewer Golden Corrals to pick from. Because of places like Las Vegas, people have high standards when it comes to buffets. Golden Corral never met these standards or aimed higher. Don't be shocked when your local Golden Corral is next to close.

Few restaurants are as synonymous with airports like Quizno's. The sandwich shop is where plenty of people stop every day before their flight takes off. There's always a line and people seem to enjoy it whenever they eat it. For whatever reason, there aren't many Quizno's options that aren't inside of an airport. Those that are freestanding aren't as packed as one would think, with how popular they are for those who fly.

People who love Quizno's feel like they have to hold onto the freestanding locations outside of airports because they aren't sure how long they're going to stay open. There's a chance in the near future that the only time someone will be able to order Quizno's is the next time they're traveling.

Family time at a restaurant is a great way to connect and spend time with loved ones. There once was a time when TGI Friday's was the most common place to do this at. However, more locations have shut their doors recently because of a lack of people coming in. One problem TGI Friday's is facing is the over-saturation of the American food menu that plenty of restaurants have in 2024.

It appears like TGI Friday's isn't expanding their menu in any way to combat the problem that they're facing. Another issue places like TGI Friday's are dealing with is that people are ordering food to be delivered to them. Rather than eat at the same place over and over, people want to try new things when they order in. TGI Friday's will need to attract Gen-Zers and millennials to come back to sit-down restaurants when they go out to eat to stay afloat.

Another restaurant like TGI Friday's that's seen plenty of their locations close is Applebee's. Unlike TGI Friday's, Applebee's has had their fair share of scandals that has made people think twice before going. For starters, the people at the top allegedly support racist ideologies. Even if they don't support them, there's been no marketing or person that's stepped up to say that the claims are false.

They've let social media run them into the ground with the accusations that they face. Another issue Applebee's faces is the cost of dining there. Unlike a lot of chain sit-down restaurants, Applebee's is a tad costly for a family of four to eat at. They also have few vegetarian options for those who don't eat meat. With more people opting into not eating meat in 2024, Applebee's will have a lot of decisions to make about their menu if they don't want more locations to close.

Few food combinations go together was well as a hamburger and shake. Steak 'n Shake took this combination and turned it into one of the most successful restaurant chains in the United States. However, as time has progressed, there are now less Steak 'n Shakes than there were in the 2010s, when they first opened up. One issue the restaurant faces is that more people have developed lactose intolerance.

This has made the demand for shakes go down, compared to recent years. Another issue Steak 'n Shake has to deal with is the prices they charge for their food. While everything is fresh and tastes good, many people can't stomach the idea of paying what Steak 'n Shake charges at a fast-food restaurant. If Steak 'n Shake were to rebrand into a sit-down style restaurant, there's a chance more people would be okay with the prices they charge.

Every restaurant has something it's known for. For Wendy's, it's dipping the fries into a shake. For a long time, they were also known for being the only fast-food restaurant with spicy chicken nuggets. They've used marketing well and are one of the main sponsors for the Final Four in college basketball. However, these good qualities about Wendy's hasn't stopped multiple locations from closing down.

This is a common trend for plenty of fast-food places. The cost of fast-food has gone up considerably over time, to the point that it's nearly not worth it to eat fast-food compared to slightly healthier options, like Chipotle. People on health cleanses don't want to pass down poor eating habits to the future generations. Fast-food chains like Wendy's will have to find alternative dining options to keep up with the times in 2024.

Nearly everyone who has had adult refreshments has ordered Taco Bell after a night out on the town. However, this has made Taco Bell seem like a place that's only worthwhile after you've had some drinks – and not while you're sober. Taco Bell noticed the reality of its situation and started rolling out new marketing to imply they're a good place to eat at all hours of the day.

Another issue Taco Bell has is the quality of the food compared to the price. Like many other fast-food chains, the prices have gone up and the taste hasn't changed at all. Taco Bell will need to make more changes to their menu or price point to keep people coming back. For more restaurant content, click here to read about the restaurant chains Gen-Z likes the best.