10 reasons bar-and-grill chains are in crisis10 reasons bar-and-grill chains are in crisis

This post is part of the On the Margin blog. 

It’s difficult to look at recent sales numbers and not come to the conclusion that bar-and-grill chains like Applebee’s are in crisis.

The venerable chain just reported a 7.9-percent decline in same-store sales in the first quarter. It was the second straight quarter in which Applebee's same-store sales declined more than 7 percent. And it wasn’t as if comparisons were difficult: On a two-year basis, same-store sales have fallen 11.6 percent.

It’s not a whole lot better for Applebee's rivals. At Chili’s, traffic at company locations fell 6.2 percent in the first three months of the year, and declined more than 10 percent on a two-year basis. Same-store sales fell 4 percent at perpetually strugg...