Financing

Is casual dining coming back?

This week’s episode of RB's podcast, "A Deeper Dive," explores whether chains such as Applebee’s and BJ’s can sustain their momentum.
Photograph: Shutterstock

A Deeper Dive

Some traditional casual-dining chains have had a good run recently, including BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (same-store sales up 6.9%) and Applebee’s (same-store sales up 7.7%). But is it sustainable?

In this week’s edition of Restaurant Business' podcast, "A Deeper Dive," Executive Editor Jonathan Maze and Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo discuss the future of casual dining and why some chains have done so well.

While chains such as Applebee’s, Chili’s, BJ’s and Olive Garden have done well, others such as Red Robin and Chuy’s continue to struggle. And overall traffic in the sector has continued to decline this year.

The podcast explores the impact of takeout and delivery on the sector, as well as the impact of store closures and bankruptcies.

Please have a listen.

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