Despite a bleak outlook in 2020, things were looking up for the pancake chain in mid-2021. The beloved restaurant's parent company, Dine Brands Incwhich also owns Applebee'sannounced on Thursday, October 30 that it would be shutting down almost 100 locations across the U.S. over the next six months. June Ross, left, from Lancaster, and friend Barbara Murray, from Victorville, fill their plates up while visiting the salad bar at Souplantation in Camarillo. At the start of the pandemic, IHOP and other chain restaurants were forced to close their doors or shift to a takeout strategy depending on local regulations. IHOP will close nearly 100 restaurants in the next six months, the pancake house and breakfast chains parent company, Dine Brands Global, revealed in its third-quarter earnings report Wednesday. Prior to the pandemic, the company owned 90 restaurants in 27 states. The loss proved prophetic. 297 S Randolph Ave . On May 26, TGI Friday's CEO Ray Blanchette told Bloomberg the chain could permanently close up to 20% of its 386 restaurants. She's the former Weekend Editor for Delish who also writes about faith, health and wellness, travel, beauty, lifestyle, and music for a range of additional outlets. Bristol, Broadwalk . It became the first (and so far, the only) major buffet chain to announce it would close all restaurants permanently due to the pandemic's impact on business. The closures are part of the company's evaluation of the viability of underperforming restaurants among IHOP's 1,683 locations. Just last month, regional chain Hometown Burger shut down all eight of its restaurants without much of an explanation. In 2015, the chain was opening restaurants in a variety of new states and had surpassed 100 stores (via Fast Casual). The chain peddles mini 3-ounce burgers made out of beef, lamb, grilled chicken, turkey, crispy chicken, and a vegan Impossible patty. Locations Due to Pandemic, The True Story Behind Netflix's New Docuseries 'Bad Vegan', Steakhouse Chain Sizzler Files for Bankruptcy After 62 Years in Business, Every Household-Name Brand Filing for Bankruptcy or Closing Stores Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, Chuck E. Cheese Parent Company Files for Bankruptcy As Over 200 Locations Reopen. These closures will allow us to remain focused on continuing to close the gap on sales, as well as focus on key priorities including expanding off-premise, ensuring restaurant safety and providing compelling value and innovation," the spokesperson said. A previous version of this article was originally published on June 28, 2022. "These closures will allow us to remain focused on continuing to close the gap on sales, as well as focus on key priorities including expanding off-premise, ensuring restaurant safety and providing compelling value and innovation," the statement continued. Unblock notifications in browser settings. St Catherine's Place, Bedminster . According to the company's website, this classic all-you-can-eat American buffetopened its first location in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1973. No IHOPs in the state have been closed as of August.. Although mandates have become more relaxed in certain cities and states, Business Insider reported that by the end of September, IHOP had 167 of its locations operating strictly on a takeout basis and an additional 91 are still temporarily closed. The buffet chain is one of several brands (along with Furr's and Tahoe Joe's) owned by holding company Fresh Acquisitions (formerly known as Buffets Inc.), which declared bankruptcy last April. While it actually started as a steakhouse, by the mid-1980s, it had pivoted to its signature buffet-style dining. Now, it seems that fun may be coming to an end. FoodFirst Global Restaurants, the parent company of Brio Italian Mediterranean and Bravo Fresh Italian, filed for bankruptcy in April and announced it would close 71 out of its 92 restaurants. Golden Corral operates as a franchise. Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington , which had opened its first restaurant ten years earlier in 1987. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); Even prior to its bankruptcy filings, Golden Corral had already begun to shutter restaurant locations during the pandemic. IHOP's comparable restaurants were down 23.5% in the third quarter, the company reported on Wednesday. Yet another pizza restaurant struggling to keep up with the competition and changing customer preferences is Pizza Hut. Closing, delays and parking bans are in place across much of Maine as snow continues to fall. Recognizing their mistake, Applebee's rebranded, a move that alienated the families that they once catered to. Ni'Kesia Pannell is an entrepreneur, multi-hyphenate freelance writer, and self-proclaimed Slurpee connoisseur that covers news and culture for The Kitchn. The company just announced that up to 300 Pizza Hut locations will be closing, while their remaining 927 locations they franchise will be sold. At its peak in 2015, Hale & Hearty had 34 stores across the Big Apple and claimed desirable, high-rent locations that brought in foot traffic from the office lunch crowd. Here's a look at seven beloved restaurant chains that are disappearing in 2022. The chain operates 13 locations in the Chicago area. Owen Duff is a freelance journalist based in Vermont, home of Ben & Jerrys. Pizza Inn and Pie Five are owned by the same parent company, and both have been struggling for several years now. On May 18, Pacific Northwest chain Specialty's Bakery and Caf suddenly announced it would close all 33 locations for good after May 19. Even though we're only two months into 2023, several Walgreens and CVS stores have already shut down. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other IHOP locations have made significant cuts to their menu. "We thank you for your business over the years," the company said on its website, confirming that the business is defunct. A Walgreens location in Ridgewood, New York, closed on Feb. 21, and on Feb. 22, individual stores closed in Minneapolis, Minnesota and St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Best Life previously reported. Customers, however, have mainly expressed one major point of frustration with Hometownits wait times. MENU REWARDS . Photo by Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation: all 97 restaurants, Brio Italian Mediterranean and Bravo Italian Cucina: 71 restaurants, Specialty's Bakery and Cafe: all 33 restaurants, Jeffrey Greenberg / Universal Images Group via Getty Images, Ruby Tuesday: 147 restaurants since January 23, Le Pain Quotidien: up to 63 out of 98 restaurants. That same year, the brand considered filing for bankruptcy. The closed locations were operated by one franchisee, Feast American Diners. Approaching the end of 2020, another 4 locations closed, as the brand saw another 8.8 percent drop in revenue. At the time, IHOP's parent company, Dine Brands, said sales were down by about 75% due to pandemic-related restrictions. IHOP will close nearly 100 restaurants in the next six months, the pancake house and breakfast chain's parent company, Dine Brands Global, revealed in its third-quarter earnings report. A spokesperson for DINE Brands, the parent company of IHOP, told TODAY Food that the chain is "optimistic" about the continued improvement in sales, including to-go orders. The Lost Cajun restaurant has been serving up Southern favorites like fried catfish, gumbo, po-boys, red beans and rice, and more since 2010(via Forbes). Champaign IHOP. Even though much of America is opening up, most locales have implemented social distancing guidelines that make it impossible for restaurants to generate a profit even if they reopen dining rooms. Meatheads Burgers & Fries, a Chicago-based chain, declared bankruptcy in April 2021(via Restaurant Business Online). It's like having your own classified site. IHOP, Denny's, and TGI Fridays are among the 9 chains that have cumulatively closed over 600 restaurants for good. Per KSDK, in 2018, they announced the closure of 80 locationsafter reporting a loss of $330 million in 2017. (iStock). Follow Coral Murphy on Twitter @CoralMerfi. Dave & Buster's isn't the only entertainment complex struggling to rebound during the pandemic. The new owners promised to reopen the shuttered locations, but it remains to be seen if the buy-out will be enough to keep the brands alive. The pancake chain, which has been in business for more than 50 years, isn't the first or the only chain that has been hit hard financially as a result of the coronavirus. News reports across those states show sudden closures of local IHOP restaurants, although it is unclear if those restaurants were operated by CFRA Holdings. Were confident we will eventually replace these severely underperforming restaurants with better-performing restaurants, IHOP president Jay Johns said Wednesday on a call with investors. Thanks for signing up for our daily insight on the African economy. IHOP in 60634-5292 at 5737 W Belmont Ave. IHOP in 60641-1603 at 4210 N Cicero Ave. The Lost Cajun is far from the only restaurant chain facing bankruptcy in 2021. .css-13cdu9y{display:block;font-family:GTHaptikBold,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13cdu9y:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13cdu9y{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-13cdu9y{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13cdu9y{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-13cdu9y{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.1;margin-bottom:-0.5rem;}}Chipotle's New Menu Item Came From TikTok. "I'd like to highlight that the overall breakfast category in general remains challenged, as the morning meal has been often times replaced at home, due to the diminished work transit.". At the time, the chain operated 155 Pizza Inns in the U.S., as well as 48 international locations, mainly in the Middle East. All employees working at the closing locations were paid and laid off prior to the bankruptcy filing, the outlet reported. Keep reading to learn about a few of the chain restaurants that may wind up closing in the coming year. Dine Brands Inc., which is the parent company of IHOP and Applebee's, announced on Thursday that almost 100 locations of the pancake chain will close across the U.S. over the next six months.. While the parent company is still in operation and could revive the Ryan's brand, it seems likely that Ryan's will wind up being a victim of the pandemic. Much like its close relative, Applebee's has faced challenges in the wake of COVID-19. 28 IHOP Restaurants in Pennsylvania Allentown (1) Ardmore (1) Blue Bell (1) Erie (1) Exton (1) Fairless Hills (1) Glen Mills (1) Greensburg (1) Harrisburg (1) Jenkintown (1) Lake Ariel (1) Lancaster (1) Mifflintown (1) Philadelphia (5) Pittsburgh (2) State College (1) Uniontown (1) Upper Darby (1) Warrington (1) White Haven (1) Wilkes-Barre (1) The pandemic has affected the business of big chains like IHOP and small, mom and pop restaurants. You agree & accept our Terms & Conditions to signup. EatThis.com is part of the AllRecipes Food Group. Contact the reporter at ijiang@businessinsider.com. } "We are confident that we will eventually replace these severely underperforming locations with better performing restaurants that have volumes closer to pre-COVID levels," said Dine Brands in a statement. By clicking Accept all you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development. A survey released by the National Restaurant Association last month found that 100,000 restaurants have closed on a permanent or long-term basis in the U.S. Thats nearly 1 in 6 restaurants and more than 3 million employees out of work. } else { NEW! Pie Five Some chains have already filed for bankruptcy protection, or have decided to close all units. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. While things were looking bleak for the brand, in September the chain claimed that the remaining locations may be safe at least for now (via Restaurant Business Online). As Restaurant Business points out, the decline of Old Country Buffet and its sibling brands predated the pandemic and was rooted in years of mismanagement by parent company Fresh Acquisitions. In 2020, Chuck E. Cheese, the popular children's entertainment venue, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Using data collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Washington Post has arrived at its own, slightly lower, estimate. At least one-corporate owned location shuttered earlier this year. It was also reported that sales at underperforming locations were down by 23.5% in the third quarter. IHOP's comparable restaurants were down 23.5% in the third quarter, the company reported on Wednesday.