The chain restaurant sector has battled an array of financial points over the past 5 years which have led to location closings and chapter filings.
Sure fast-food chains, equivalent to Lengthy John Silver’s, have downsized their companies courting again to the Nice Recession in 2008.
Extra just lately, as inflation drove up the prices of labor and meals for the reason that Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, menu costs additionally rose considerably, discouraging diners from consuming out.
Rising prices result in closings
Labor and meals prices elevated by 35% from 2019 to 2025, in keeping with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and eating places typically handed the additional prices on to their prospects with menu costs rising by a median of 31% from February 2020 to April 2025, the Nationwide Restaurant Affiliation reported.
Rising restaurant prices contributed to slower gross sales, which reached their lowest progress fee for the reason that Nice Recession of 2008, not counting the Covid pandemic, in keeping with the 2026 Technomic Prime 500 Chain Restaurant Report.
“It was a really, very weak yr for the Prime 500 general from a gross sales perspective,” Joe Pawlak, managing principal at Technomic stated, in keeping with Restaurant Enterprise.
Lengthy John Silver’s closes 100s of places
The difficult restaurant surroundings has led 57-year-old fast-food eating chain Lengthy John Silver’s to shut about 706 restaurant places nationwide for the reason that Nice Recession in 2008.
The seafood fast-food restaurant chain, which launched in Lexington, Ky., in 1969, had 1,081 places at its peak in 2007, however started its decline the next yr, closing 59 places because the monetary disaster started to impression the restaurant sector.
Eating places filed for Chapter 7 chapter
A few of the restaurant chain victims within the first yr of the monetary disaster included Starbucks, which closed over 600 places, in keeping with CBS Information, and the house owners of the Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale chains, S&A Restaurant Corp., which filed for Chapter 7 chapter liquidation in 2008, Reuters reported on the time.
The Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale chains’ franchisees did not file for chapter on the time.
Lengthy John Silver’s continued closing extra eating places in subsequent years, shuttering 33 in 2009, 25 in 2010, 32 in 2011, 21 every year in 2012 and 2013, after which a a lot bigger closing of 75 places in 2014, ending the yr with 815 items, in keeping with QSR Journal.
Chain has 375 places after closings
Over the subsequent 10 years, Lengthy John Silver’s closed 330 places, ending 2024 with 485 eating places. The fast-food restaurant chain closed one other 110 items within the final yr and a half, and its web site locator lists 375 complete shops finally test.
