Popular restaurant and Chili’s competitor abruptly closes its location after three closures in the same state – and guests are greeted with a sign
The rivalry between Applebee’s and Chili’s has taken a new turn, but this time Applebee’s has to give in.
Applebee’s in Oshkosh has closed its doors for good, the latest in a series of store closures in Wisconsin.
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Applebee’s Grill + Bar on South Koeller Street has officially closed, joining a long list of restaurants across the state that have recently closed.
The restaurant served its last guests on August 14, and all that was left for guests in the restaurant was a sign declaring the restaurant closed.
“The decision has been made to permanently close this location,” the sign read, according to The Oshkosh Northwestern.
The restaurant did not provide any further explanation.
This follows the closure of Applebee’s locations in Sheboygan, Neenah and Racine, all of which will close in 2023 due to lack of profitability, the outlet reported.
The closure is part of a broader trend in the casual dining industry, where competition, changing consumer preferences and rising operating costs are putting pressure on many restaurant chains.
Even Applebee’s, a fixture in the American casual dining scene, is not immune to these challenges.
For Oshkosh residents, the closest Applebee’s is now in Appleton on West College Avenue, about a 25-minute drive north.
The closure of the South Koeller Street location marks the end of an era for many area diners who visited the restaurant for its familiar, flavorful food and relaxed atmosphere.
There is currently no further information about the reasons for the closure or possible plans for the vacant property.
JC-BYE
JCPenney has announced the permanent closure of its store in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, after tragedy struck the store earlier this year.
The decision was made several years after the department store chain had to close around 100 stores nationwide as part of its insolvency proceedings.
The Eden Prairie JCPenney, located in a shopping center about 20 minutes from Minneapolis, has been temporarily closed since April 17, when a transformer fire broke out in the store.
Restaurant closures in 2024
Bosses of large restaurant chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The US Sun has compiled a list of the affected chains.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: In April, the bosses dramatically closed 27 stores, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s big boy: Restaurant managers confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will close 41 underperforming locations this year.
- Two dollars: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chilies: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, was permanently closed, as was one in Irvine, California, and one in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Friendly matches: The bosses confirmed that a branch in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, will be closed.
- Pizza Hut: In late March, a restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed, followed by four restaurants in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana. This was followed in July by a bankruptcy filing by the parent company, which announced the closure of 150 locations.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first location in Boise, Idaho, was closed.
- In and out: An Oakland location was closed earlier this year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain will close a store in Memphis, Tennessee, in July.
- Applebee’s: Has announced the closure of 25 to 35 locations this year.
- Red lobster: The seafood restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy in May and closed over 100 locations.
- Taco John’s: Closed a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Frisco’s Chicken: The poultry restaurant closed all its locations in the summer
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- BurgerKing: In June, a location in California was closed after 30 years.
- Foster’s Freeze: Due to financial difficulties, a location in California was closed after five decades in business.
- Chicken Salad Chick: After nine years, the restaurant closed a location in Jacksonville, Florida, without giving a reason.
- Mexico Lindo: The New York City-based restaurant announced its last day of business after 52 years, closing its doors for good on July 31.
- American dream pizza: In July, all locations in Oregon were closed.
- Delicate green: The Southern California-based chain has filed for bankruptcy.
- Lefty’s famous cheesesteaks, hoagies and grill: Due to a family feud, 18 locations were abruptly closed in July.
- Firehouse Submarines: In the summer, a location in the Tri-Cities region of Washington state was closed due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
- Taco time: Taco Bell’s competitor closed a Seattle branch after 50 years following the death of a member of the franchise owner’s family.
- Burgerim: In July, a location in Burlington, Massachusetts, was closed, reigniting fears of bankruptcy in 2020.
- Denny’s: The chain has closed over 40 stores so far this year, with the owner of one store citing vandalism as the reason.
- Starbucks: The chain closed one of its most famous locations in New York City after nearly three decades, with fans blaming the move on crime. It also lost a location in Seattle.
- Subway: In August, the sandwich chain closed more than 20 stores in the U.S. and Canada after a franchisee lost money through fraud.
- I jump: A restaurant in New Hampshire closed its doors after 24 years, leaving four locations in the state.
- Switchback Coffee Roasters: The popular chain filed for bankruptcy in August after more than a decade in business.
- Jimmy John’s: The sandwich shop chain closed a branch in Nevada on August 19 after 12 years, citing overexpansion.
- KFC: The remaining three locations in Rockford, Illinois, were all closed on the same day, August 19. In total, six locations in four cities in Illinois were closed.
- Rusty bucket: The chicken shop chain confirmed its official withdrawal from Florida and announced the closure of some branches, including in Sarasota and Ohio.
- Beppo’s Buca: Olive Garden’s competitor abruptly closed 44 locations in five states before filing for bankruptcy.
- robin: Announced on August 25 the closure of its Ashburn, Virginia location after 15 years of business.
- Noodles & Company: Dozens of locations were closed after contributing to losses of around $2 million.
- Shoney’s: The classic American grocery chain, founded in 1947, officially left Ohio after three decades in business as it reduced its operating footprint.
- From our own cultivation: The Seattle-based sandwich chain announced the closure of ten stores, leaving 150 employees stranded.
- World of Beer: After closing 14 branches, bankruptcy was filed.
- Arby’s: The chain announced a number of closures this year, including in Lexington, Kentucky, Akron, Ohio,
- Uno Pizzeria & Grill: In July, a location in New Jersey was closed, leaving only two in the state. This was followed in August by the closure of a location in Baltimore.
Although the fire was successfully extinguished, it left significant water damage, which led to the closure of the business.
Now, four months later, Eden Prairie Center officials have confirmed that JCPenney will not reopen that location.
Nancy Litwin, vice president and general manager of the mall, told Bring Me The News that the decision to permanently close the store was made by JCPenney.
“JCPenney was part of our center for many years but has decided to permanently close that store,” Litwin said.
“We see this as an opportunity to expand what Eden Prairie Center offers and better meet the needs of our customers.”
Plans are currently underway to convert the former department store space, but Litwin did not provide any concrete details about the future use.
Despite the loss of JCPenney, Eden Prairie Center continues to be home to several major retailers, including Von Maur, Target, Kohl’s and Scheels.
Other companies also struggled to keep some of their locations open.
Legendary clothing retailer Ted Baker filed for bankruptcy in May and launched liquidation sales at its stores in the U.S. and Canada, offering 30% discounts.
Red Lobster has also run into financial difficulties and has filed for bankruptcy under the US Chapter 11 procedure. As part of the restructuring, the seafood chain has sold most of its assets and is in the process of closing at least 87 branches nationwide.
