The Most Unexpected Restaurant Comebacks Happening In 2026
Think you’d seen the last of these restaurants? Think again! 2026 may be looking bleak for the food industry, but, for some chains, this is the year of the unexpected comeback.
#RedLobster #Quiznos #Wingstop
Red Lobster | 0:00
Friendly’s | 1:34
Quiznos | 2:50
Chipotle Mexican Grill | 3:50
TGI Fridays | 5:02
Chi-Chi’s | 6:17
Cava | 7:38
Wingstop | 8:47
Bojangles | 9:47
Voiceover By: Danica Lopez
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41 Comments
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Pizza Hut is officially bringing back the all you can eat lunch buffet.
Good luck to them all. I'm sorry Bojangles is the only one I might frequent again. Friendlies was alright.
Red Lobster was bankrupted by private equity, not endless shrimp.
My TGI Friday closed down a few months ago in my town in the UK.
I don't know about Chi Chi's, that placed worked in the 80s when most American's Mexican food experience was that and fast food tacos. Now there's food trucks, fast food, casual dining & mom and pop Mexican food everywhere.
TGI Fridays still got the frozen food helping em in groceries stores
Fridays – You can't build your way out of the problems. Focus on the intangibles like customer feedback and value. Push for higher customer throughput with lower profit margins. Don't saddle the company building new locations at $1.5M each, fixed costs for a "standing army," and gas costs of minimum $2000/mo.
I don't care. Corporate greed at its finest coupled with shrinkflation… it's a win-win for these corrupted companies. Making home cooked meals instead.
Which chain do you want to make a comeback?
So Chipotle thinks the only reason they were failing is the economy……..right!
The CEO of Red Lobster is an IDIOT and, they SHOULD HAVE hired a Foundational Black American, NOT an African.
2- ALL of his ideas have FAILED so far, ESPECIALLY in the FBA community. He doesn’t know how we think because, he’s NOT one of us and WE are the ones that kept Red Lobster afloat ALL THESE DECADES.
3- Endless Shrimp WAS & IS a BRILLIANT IDEA. They just didn’t implement it properly. This CEO is LITERALLY a PLUMB FOOL. Red Lobster doesn’t need AI. They need to bring back Endless Shrimp, charge a PROPER PRICE that will give them a HUGE ROI and, add 20% Gratuity to each check that orders it. PROBLEM SOLVED.
The people that can’t afford it won’t buy it so, no “expensive product” (as he said) being wasted for a profit less price AND, those that do order it can afford it AND, the Servers and Bar Tenders make the money they are supposed to from all the running around they do and EVERYONE (INCLUDING RED LOBSTER CORP) IS HAPPY!!!
My God, folks. It’s NOT THAT DIFFICULT!!! 😩🤷🏽♂️😏
Red lobster is doomed
That’s because Wing Stop did what ALL GREEDY restaurants companies do…
They opened too many stores near each other OR, in places where they weren’t necessary and, they ended up cannibalizing themselves.
Again, it’s NOT that DIFFICULT… 😩🤷🏽♂️😏
Subway always sucked and always will
Wingstop needs to lower its prices. It's just chicken.
Private Equity buys a business. They bury their debt in it. Declare bankruptcy. And walk away Scot free.
Hope he is not Somali
Those "Quiznos Creatures"😧
Very good advertisement!
The one in the Philippines, allowed smoking, which is forbidden so we left and never returned
Wing stop costs too much yes go to India and watch what happens
Red Lobster has always attracted the grape soda/EBT crowd who spend a few bucks, gorge themselves, stay for hours , complain about everything and don't tip
My family miss TGIFridays
Chipotle took a hit when they changed their portion sizes!.
Chipotle portion have become very stingy. I decided to cut ties other Mom & Pop shops better food better prices.
Um……you LITERALLY just did a video on Red Lobster going under and closing stores.
Please PLEASE let Chi-Chi's just stay gone.
Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips!
As much as I like Chi-Chi's, it's been over twenty years; they can say it's back, but memories have faded and who knows how true to the original it will prove to be.
Oh dear God,the shrinkflation @ Chipotle is THE reason they're struggling📉💸
I can't wait for Chi Chis to start expanding out of Minnesota.
In 2015-16 I had several terrific meals at Friendly's with my roommate. I can't say how it is today. My #1 observation is that the ice cream served in the restaurant is far far better than the Friendly's ice cream you can buy in a supermarket. I heard that the explanation is that it's much fresher.
Amen. God bless 🙏 🙏 🙏
Chipotle and Cava? Really. Mashed is lazy.
Worked for CHI CHIs in 1987…lets GO!!!!!
In North Carolina there's at least one Bojangles in every town of any size and many in the cities. At their best Bojangles serves as good fried chicken as anyone in the business and their mashed potatoes are to die for. However, that's at their best. We in NC are well aware that there is no norm for quality of Bojangles, the franchises ranging from terrific to appallingly bad. I personally gave up on patronizing this chain because the quality of food and service varies from location to location so enormously. In fact, I've never encountered any other chain with such a gigantic disparity. Many of their employees simply should not be in the work force; they look and act like they hate every moment they are there. Their bad attitudes are not merely reflected in the hostile manner of service, but in the poor quality of the food as well. It's a shame that the corporation doesn't make any effort to maintain a minimum level of standards in their franchises, because the bad franchises ruin the reputation of all the others.
Glad to hear about Quizno's. T.G.I. Friday's, not interested. My wife and I got sick at 3 different restaurants. 3 strikes and yer out! Friendly's sounds great! I hope they get to the Los Angeles area.
Bojangles' new restaurants are all chicken fingers, so we don't buy it much. If you're opening up new ones, some of them should have BONE-IN CHICKEN, NOT JUST FINGERS.
AND WHERE ARE THE SIDES OF MASHED POTATOES? THE NEW ONES DON'T HAVE THAT EITHER.
And as for Wingstop, they need to work with their workers because it is one slow place to get wings.
How many of these were bought by private equity? Yeah, we know how that will go.
Just yesterday this very same list was 'fast food on the brink of failure'. Make up your mind!