The turbulent past five years have been a challenge for pretty much everyone, but in the restaurant world there were definitely winners and losers.
Some chains were about as ready as anyone could be for the pandemic, with technology and other resources in place to handle the off-premises boom that occurred as restaurants were required to shut their dining rooms.
Others were less so, but many of them were on the decline anyway.
The once flourishing “polished casual segment” — not fine dining but a premium experience to the Applebee’s and TGI Fridays of the world — had already slipped away from the public’s attention, and its former poster child, Del Frisco’s Grill, has slipped far in the Top 500 rankings.
But even players in flourishing segments, such as fast-casual, have taken their lumps. Fuddruckers is now down to #410.
Some chains had uniquely difficult situations, such as Boston Market, which used to be in the Top 100 but certainly isn’t now.
Read on to catch up with these and other chains that have seen more prosperous days.