10 reasons casual-dining sales are still weak10 reasons casual-dining sales are still weak

Jonathan Maze

This post is part of the On the Margin blog.

In the 1980s and 1990s, casual-dining concepts burst onto the restaurant scene, growing rapidly with a combination of enthusiastic service and ostentatious décor.

Consumers started growing tired of these concepts by the mid-2000s, however, and their shift away from such chains doesn’t appear to be abating in 2016.

Applebee’s, Chili’s and Ruby Tuesday each reported weak same-store sales in their most recent quarter. Ruby Tuesday said its same-store sales fell 3.1 percent in the quarter ended March 3. Its sales have been down for much of the past decade.

But Chili’s and Applebee’s, which found leverage through remodels and menu changes and technological enhancements along with discount...