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The chain was founded in 1958.
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It had 700 locations at its peak.
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The brand is famous for its all-you-can-eat salad bar, which offers much more than just salads.
In college, my roommate and I were looking for value in our off-campus dining options. Chains like Oliver Garden, which offered unlimited soup and breadsticks, were on our radar, as were several local bars with all-you-can-eat wing deals.
Occasionally we would go to breakfast at Ponderosa, a chain that offered all-you-can-eat breakfasts and brunches on the weekends at a reasonable price. The food wasn’t all that great, but there was bacon, sausage, and a waffle bar, which were good enough for our needs in the early 1990s.
For dinner, however, a brand was a kind of holy grail of value and decadence. If we went to Sizzler, we could get a passable steak, along with access to their all-you-can-eat salad bar, where the biggest draw was the incredibly thick New England clam chowder.
Sizzler was founded back in 1958 with a simple motto.
Why does a good juicy steak have to break the bank?
That’s still a valid question, but the chain has struggled for decades, falling from a high of more than 700 locations to fewer than 80 today. However, the brand, or at least its management, believes that a comeback is possible.
Sizzler has closed numerous locations over the years.
QSR Magazine’s Danny Klein interviewed Sizzler Chief Growth Officer Robert Clark about the chain’s latest revival efforts. Clark has been with Sizzler since 1984 and worked in various positions before joining the C-Suite.
In his 41 years with the company, Clark has seen many attempts to change or revitalize the chain. Most, he noted, were misguided and focused on changing brands.
“Our current leadership is much more focused on hey, let’s take the best of Sizzler and make it even better,” he told QSR.
Sizzler has survived, despite filing for bankruptcy in both 1996 and 2000.
CEO Chris Perkins, who has held that position since 2019, acknowledged that the chain’s problems cannot be attributed solely to Covid.
“Many of the company-owned restaurants were struggling before the pandemic,” Perkins said, Restaurant Business reported.
He blamed many factors, including higher labor costs and local taxes, that made it difficult to remain profitable.
The chain has focused on remodeling stores. That has worked, according to QSR magazine:
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The brand saw sales increase of approximately 47% in renovated restaurants.
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One location that completed an upgrade a few months ago increased sales by 100 percent.
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Sizzler has completed nine upgrades in the past two years and has a plan for franchisees to follow suit.