Casual Dining Running Out of Gas

Pardon me while I rant a bit.

The casual dining segment is in the toilet.

Pizzaria Uno has filed Chapter 11.

Bennigan's already went Chapter 7 (liquidation) and was sold to its largest franchisee group.

Darden Restaurants reported an $18MM profit, but sales were down, so the profits came from cost-cutting, not reviving their business.

Yet still Darden, Brinker and several other major brands refuse to consider licensing their brands to retail. Brinker's Chili's unit is announcing it's going to discontinue its "3 for $20" deal. Frankly, the $$$-off promotions have done little but inject red ink into the ledgers of the chains that have adopted them.

Yet neither Brinker nor Darden will talk to us. We've called them, multiple times.

Our company has turned Burger King from a QSR chain into a major food company with multiple channels of distribution across multiple delivery platforms reaching consumers through multiple touch points.

We're still here, Darden & Brinker. I'm waiting for your call.

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