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BUFFALO WILD WINGS Buffalo Wild Wings did an esti mated $3–$4 billion in 2021. Parent company Inspire Brands’ diverse portfolio (including Arby’s and Dunkin’, among others) has BWW well-situated as the M&A market heats up. Utilizing the expertise of its limited-service sisters, the brand is trimming costs by stream lining operations. It’s testing Flippy Wings (a robotic chicken wing fryer) and kicking up growth of its “GO” concept, which fea tures heated lockers. RED LOBSTER Recently, it’s been a revolving door in Red Lobster’s C-suite. Last year, Black Box Intelligence’s Kelli Valade succeeded Kim Lopdrup as CEO, and then earlier this year, the company retained CKE Restau rants’ Patty Trevino as CMO and Bloomin’ Brands’ David Schmidt as CFO. But this new dynamic was not long-lived, with Valade leaving Red Lobster in mid-April, a mere eight months after her start. (APPEARING IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) MIGHT NOT HAVE A HOME ON THE NASDAQ TICKER TAPE, THEY ARE JUST AS INFLUENTIAL IN THE FULL-SERVICE DINING LANDSCAPE. PRIVATELY HELD POWER PLAYERS WHILE THE FOLLOWING 18 BRANDS

GOLDEN CORRAL Although many pundits have decried the end of the buffet, Golden Corral is once again on the up and up. Though the brand is about 100 locations smaller than its pre-COVID unit count, same store sales are rebounding and besting 2019 levels by 3–5 percent as of this summer. What’s more, the brand is piloting two new models, including GC Grill House, a value-based steakhouse, and a fast casual with drive-thru pickup. HOOTERS Even before COVID, Hooters had waded into limited service with Hoots Wings, a fast casual whose growth is rivaling its full-service progenitor. The launch of digi tal brands Hootie’s Burger Bar,

Hootie’s Chicken Tenders, and *QQVKGoU $CKV 6CEMNG UQNKFKƂGF its position in the off-premises space. Still, Hooters remains com mitted to in-person experiences and is now exploring the boom ing world of sports gambling. BOB EVANS Before off-premises was a neces sity, Bob Evans had already grown that arm to 20 percent of its overall business. The brand streamlined its physical spaces to better handle the mix of in person and takeout orders while also eliminating ingredi ents that couldn’t be cross uti lized. Last summer, CEO Saed Mohseni estimated 2021 sales could eclipse $780 million, which he described as “somewhat his VQTKEq ƂIWTGU

Like Hooters, P.F. Chang’s has invested in a fast-casual iteration, which debuted in fall 2020. As of this March, there were nearly a dozen P.F. Chang’s To Go dotting the country with additional locations in the works. But perhaps the most buzzworthy news out of P.F. Chang’s last year was its TGRQTVGF ƃKTVCVKQP YKVJ CP +21 6JG EJCKP JCF RTGXKQWUN[ IQPG RWDNKE KP 1998 before it was acquired by Centerbridge Partners for $1.1 billion in 2012. Last year’s rumors had its estimated value around that same amount. P.F. CHANG’S P.F. CHANG’S

RED LOBSTER’S SEAFARER’S FEAST

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AUGUST 2022