Are These Missoula Chains Struggling?

Fast food restaurants aren't healthy for us, I know that, but gosh darn it I love me some McDonald's fries, Dairy Queen blizzards, Chick-fil-A chicken everything and Five Guys burgers. That's a smorgasbord of delicious, artery-clogging goodness if I've ever seen one.

Now that being said, some fast food joints are struggling to keep their locations open.

A recent list produced by Eat This, Not That laid out "7 Restaurant Chains That Are Struggling in 2024."

The list was compiled based on several factors such as closures, financial issues and negative operational changes. Of the 7 nationwide chains, 4 of these restaurants are either still operating or have recently closed in Missoula.

Disclaimer: These are not specific to the Missoula locations. I have no idea the state of the Missoula locations other than they are still whipping up some savory meals for us. Well, at least three of them are.

Denny's (RIP)

Google

Last week, Evan Paul wrote about Denny's struggles across the country. Denny's closed 57 restaurants in 2023 "because of inflation-related challenges." We know all know about the Missoula Denny's closures. Denny's shut down in January of last year, but I think that was an ok decision. In the end, we received local restaurant Liquid Planet instead.

Applebee's

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Missoula's Applebee's is still chugging along on Brooks Street. However, Applebee's appeared on the national list. According to Eat This, Not That Applebee's closed around 300 restaurants since 2017.

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Noodles & Company

Credit: Google Maps

Noodles & Co. is a classic fast-ish food pasta place. The Wisconsin Mac N Cheese is *drools a little bit* phenomenal, but the drool-inducing mac n cheese wasn't enough to inhibit sales growth. Eat This, Not That reports that Noodles saw a 9% decrease nationwide and a nearly 9% drop in revenue.

Outback Steakhouse

Credit: Google Maps

Oh no, mate... not Outback Steakhouse. The home of the Bloomin' Onion experienced a hike in closures. Parent company Bloomin' Brands closed 41 locations since 2022 and most were Outback Steakhouses according to Eat This, Not That.

I enjoy all the restaurants above, so here's to hoping they are going strong in Missoula.

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Montana is jam packed with some of the best food in the country. From fine dining to small, local joints - it's natural that a state with so many locally sourced foods would have such great restaurants.

Gallery Credit: mwolfe