13 Chain Restaurants In VA, DC That Closed Sites In 2020
VIRGINIA — When the coronavirus pandemic led to restaurant closures or dining restrictions in the spring of 2020, restaurants were forced to curtail normal operation for weeks. Those that survived shifted their business models to meet changing public health guidelines.
The financial hemorrhaging of restaurants was felt strongly in Virginia and DC, where the following chains filed for bankruptcy or announced location closures this year or continued closures in 2021:
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill is expected to permanently shut down 15 branches and close over 200 underperforming locations by the end of the year, Business Insider reported. The Atlanta-born restaurant chain has 54 locations across the state, and it is unclear which — if any — Virginia locations will be closed permanently in 2021.
Dunkin’ announced plans in July to close 800 locations — or about 8 percent of all U.S. Dunkin’ locations — across the U.S. in 2020, including 450 store closures within the convenience store and gas station chain Speedway, according to Business Insider.
Golden Corral continues to operate buffets in Manassas and Fredericksburg, among other locations, however, the company also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, according to Restaurant Business. No word on what that means yet for Virginia sites.
The IHOP family restaurant chain is expected to close as many as 99 restaurants in the next six months as a result of a financial review that was underway in late October, according to Restaurant Business. In May, an IHOP franchisee filed for bankruptcy, permanently closing 49 restaurants in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, Offers.com reported. The chain operates 67 locations in Virginia.
McDonald’s
In late July, McDonald’s announced it would permanently close 200 locations across the U.S. by the end of 2020, around half of which were located inside Walmarts across the nation, Business Insider reported. The closures will be offset by openings; the company planned to open 950 new restaurants in 2020, 400 of which are in China.
In August, Pizza Hut’s largest franchisee, NPC International, announced it would close up to 300 Pizza Hut locations — most of which were dine-in restaurants — and sell the rest of its Pizza Hut business. NPC International locations made up about 20 percent of all U.S. Pizza Hut restaurants. There are currently 217 Pizza Huts operating in Virginia.
Ruby Tuesday
Citing the pandemic as a reason, the casual dining chain has closed about 200 locations in recent years but still has about 300 open - including several in northern Virginia.
Starbucks announced in its June 10 Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it would close up to 400 company-owned stores in the U.S. over the next 18 months, and up to 200 in Canada, Business Insider reported. But the company plans to open more "pickup" locations for customers who order and pay by app, MoneyWise reported.
Steak ‘n Shake has been closing locations nationwide since the beginning of 2020 in part due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It started 2020 with 610 locations and is now down 528, down by 82 locations, reported Restaurant Business.
Bravo Cucina Italiana/Brio Tuscan Grille
The Italian restaurant chains Bravo Cucina Italiana and Brio Tuscan Grille were struggling to contain costs before the coronavirus. During the pandemic, 81 locations shut down, leaving 21 still operating, MoneyWise reported. That includes a site in Fairfax. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In 2019, Boston Market closed about 10 percent of its more than 450 rotisserie chicken restaurants, and five more sites have closed in 2020, MoneyWise reported. The chain in 1998 filed for bankruptcy, was purchased by McDonald's, and then sold by the burger chain in 2007. There are eight Boston Market stores in business in Virginia.
Bankruptcy proceedings closed dozens of Bar Louie locations across the country in late January 2020, MoneyWise reported. About 90 sites are still in business, including several in northern Virginia.
In September 2020, Luby’s Inc., which owns the Luby’s Cafeteria and Fuddruckers restaurants, would with board approval be liquidating assets. Unless an offer to buy the brands is received, the restaurants will close permanently by the end of 2020. The company operated over 100 Luby’s locations and there are over 90 Fuddruckers franchises,Offers.com reported.
This article originally appeared on the Across Virginia Patch
