Iconic steakhouse chain closed over 625 restaurants, only 74 left
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The chain was founded in 1958.
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At its peak it had 700 locations.
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The brand is famous for its all-you-can-eat salad bar, which offers much more than just salads.
In college, my roommate and I looked for value in our off-campus dining options. Chains like Oliver Garden, offering unlimited soup and breadsticks, were on our radar, as were several local bars promoting unlimited wings.
Occasionally, we’d go to breakfast at Ponderosa, a chain that offers unlimited weekend breakfast and brunch for a reasonable price. The food wasn’t that great, but there was bacon, sausage, and a waffle bar; these were good enough for our needs in the early 1990s.
But at dinner, a single brand was the holy grail of value and decadence. If we’d gone to Sizzler, we’d have had access to a delicious steak as well as an all-you-can-eat salad bar; the big attraction here was the incredibly thick New England clam chowder.
Sizzler was founded in 1958 with a simple slogan.
Why does a nice, juicy steak need to be over the budget?
It remains a valid question, but the chain has been struggling for decades, going from over 700 locations to fewer than 80 currently. But the brand, or at least its management, believes a comeback is possible.
Danny Klein from QSR Magazine interviewed Sizzler Chief Growth Officer Robert Clark discusses the chain’s latest rebirth efforts. Before joining the C-Suite, Clark worked at Sizzler in various positions since 1984.
During his 41 years with the company, Clark has seen many attempts to change or revitalize the chain. He noted that most of them gave the wrong advice and focused on rebranding.
“Our current leadership is more focused on hey, let’s take the best of Sizzler and make it even better,” he told QSR.
Sizzler survived despite filing for bankruptcy on both 1996 And 2000.
CEO Chris Perkins, who has held this position since 2019, acknowledged that the chain’s difficulties cannot be blamed solely on Covid.
“Many of the company-owned restaurant locations were struggling pre-pandemic,” Perkins said Restaurant Management reported.
He blamed many factors that make it difficult to maintain profitability, including high labor costs and local taxes.
The chain focused on remodeling stores. According to QSR magazine, this worked:
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The brand saw a sales increase of approximately 47% at the updated restaurants.
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One location that completed the update a few months ago saw sales increase by 100 percent.
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Sizzler has completed nine updates in the last two years and has a plan for franchisees to follow suit.
