Popular Restaurant Makes An Unexpected Closure After 25 Years

March 1, 2024

Another popular restaurant makes an unexpected closure after 25 years of serving its customers in California.

Applebee’s announced plans to close several of its restaurants – with its latest closure being in Antioch, a city inland of Berkeley, California, reports The-Sun.

Applebee’s President, Tony Moralejo, warned late last year that the chain planned to close up to 35 locations, leaving the brand with only 1,500 storefronts in the US at the end of 2023.

The Antioch location at 2737 Hillcrest Avenue had its last day in operation on Sunday, February 25.

“As part of a broader business strategy, we have made the decision to permanently close our Applebee’s of Antioch location effective end of service on Sunday, February 25,” a statement from Applebee’s read.

“We have greatly appreciated the opportunity to serve the community over the years.”

“We appreciate the hard work, loyalty and dedication of each and every one of our staff and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”

The restaurant’s employees will be given the opportunity to relocate to other locations in the area, and its customers have been redirected to visit their nearest Applebee’s.

It is the eighth straight year the fast food chain has announced location closures, having shut down around 300 stores since 2017.

“Keep in mind this is a function of opening up many, many restaurants 20 years ago,” Moralejo said in an earnings call last fall.

“Think about how certain malls no longer have the traffic they did before COVID,” Applebee’s CEO John Peyton said to Restaurant Business Online.

Peyton had previously said the brand’s store closures were strategic, rather than being the result of waning customer interest in the brand.

The company is working with franchise owners at closing locations to open new restaurants in more high-yielding commercial areas.

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Also Read: A New Wave of Unexpected Layoffs Now Hits Wisconsin

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A massive restaurant now closes after 30 years, with dozens more shutting down soon according to the chain’s owner.

An Outback Steakhouse restaurant has closed after 30 years of business.

The closure comes as David Deno, who owns the chain’s parent company, warned that dozens of restaurants will be shutting up shop, per The-Sun.

The Outback Steakhouse eatery had been a staple in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for three decades, but it has closed its doors for good, according to Penn Live.

A note has been put on the restaurant’s window warning fans about the closure.

It listed other Outback eateries in the area that fans of the restaurant can head to.

Bloomin’ Brands owns popular chains Bonefish Grill and Carrabba’s Italian Grill.

Deno announced that 41 underperforming restaurants across the company are set to close.

Chiefs revealed the eateries set for the cut are predominately older and underperforming, per a company earnings call.

“A majority of these restaurants were older assets with leases from the 90s and early 2000s,” Deno said.

He stressed that the restaurants are not closing because of staffers’ performances.

The company says they expect to finalize the closures by the end of the first quarter.

However, they also mentioned they hope to open between 40 and 45 new restaurants this year.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Outback Steakhouse had closed its last remaining restaurants across Hawaii.

Outback Steakhouse had been a staple in the state for more than two decades.

The dramatic restaurant closures were described as unexpected by industry experts and workers claimed they were given short notice.

A worker at the chain’s Waipio branch claimed staffers were given just a few days’ notice.

An Outback Steakhouse location in State College, Pennsylvania, has also closed, per the NBC affiliate WJAC-TV.

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Also Read: This Massive Restaurant Is Now Closing 41 Locations

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