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4 restaurants that shrunk the most in 20234 restaurants that shrunk the most in 2023

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

June 20, 2024

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Boston Market 2024 Top 500

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Although 2023 was a fantastic year for restaurant growth — with U.S. restaurant sales in the Technomic Top 500 increasing by 7.8% with the highest rate of unit growth in seven years — not every brand was a winner. 

For the restaurant companies in the Top 500 that closed the most units in 2023, two themes were evident: mismanagement under new or stagnant ownership and echoes of COVID-19-centric challenges. While an ownership mismatch is nothing new to the restaurant industry, it might be surprising to hear that restaurant concepts are still buckling under the pressure of a brave new world post-pandemic. 

The restaurant with the demerit of having closed the most restaurants in 2023 had a shocking 67.5%-unit decline. Most of the rest of the bottom 10 restaurants ranked by unit growth were concepts that were trendy or popular years ago, with Technomic unveiling a mix of casual-dining, bakery café chains, and sandwich concepts in that bottom ranking.

Click through the gallery to see the four restaurants that closed the most units in 2023.

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All data courtesy Technomic Ignite Company data. Looking for more data? Click here to access the complete Technomic Top 500.

Contact Joanna at [email protected]

About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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