Year Established: 1958
Estimated Branch Closures: 500 Branches
Pizza Hut was originally founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1958. The brand is known for serving delicious, doughy pizzas that are both thick and tasty. It currently has just over 18,000 branches in almost every country in the world. The company has made significant changes to its menu in recent years, and focused on more healthy options, including vegan alternatives.
However, recent cutbacks have been made by the chain, mainly around branches that aren’t performing as well as expected. The brand will gradually be closing around 500 branches all across the United States, decreasing their total to about 7,000 locations in the nation. Luckily, this will only fully take effect in two years time, so for now you still have the opportunity to grab a slice from the Hut.
Taco Cabana
Year Established: 1978
Estimated Branch Closures: 19 Branches
Another popular stop for quick and easy Mexican food, Taco Cabana specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food that’s both authentic and delicious. Although Taco Cabana started in San Antonio, Texas, the restaurant quickly expanded to include over 165 locations across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Unfortunately, Taco Cabana recently experienced a massive setback in their growth. Without warning, the restaurant closed 19 locations in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Austin. The decision followed a period of heavy losses that the Tex-Mex chain simply couldn’t recover from.
Subway
Year Established: 1965
Estimated Branch Closures: 1000 Branches
While Subway was once the pinnacle of fast, healthy food, the popular chain experienced a massive decline in sales over the years. In 2016, Subway closed 359 locations, marking the first year that the chain closed more branches than it opened. The subsequent years arrived with even more losses, forcing 866 branches to close in 2017, followed by 1,100 in 2018.
Unfortunately, the tides have yet to turn for Subway. The company recently closed another 1,000 locations, again eating away at the remaining 24,000 American branches in operation.
HomeTown Buffet
Year Established: 1983
Estimated Branch Closures: 217 Branches
HomeTown Buffet is a BBQ and grill chain that delivers various grill selections and vegetable options. The company is a subsidiary of Ovation Brands, which itself is a subsidiary of Food Management Partners Inc. The company had more than 250 restaurants in earlier years, but has since had to close quite a few of its branches.
HomeTown Buffet was hit hard by recent unfortunate failures, and by mid 2019 they found themselves resizing from 250 branches all across the US down to just 33! It’s expected that the chain will likely close even more locations throughout this year, and might even close its doors for good if this trend persists.
Papa John’s
Year Established: 1984
Estimated Branch Closures: 51 Branches
As a pizza delivery chain, Papa John’s faces some stiff competition. Although they’ve brought in nearly two billion dollars per year for over three decades, the controversy surrounding their CEO lead to a serious decline in sales for the popular pizza chain.
When the company’s namesake, “Papa” John Schnatter, revealed his racist ideology in 2017, the backlash was swift and fierce. Although Schnatter stepped down as CEO a few short months after the controversy, the company has since struggled to get back on track, leading to several branch closures in 2019.