People Are Predicting Which Restaurant Chains Will Be Gone by 2030 — Sizzler, Panera, and MOD Pizza Are Getting the Most Votes

A Reddit thread asked which restaurant chain might disappear completely by the end of the decade. The post had drawn more than 2,000 upvotes and 3,400 comments as of publication.

One commenter described childhood memories tied to several of the chains mentioned in the thread. One commenter wrote that they had spent time at Chili's, Applebee's, and Ruby Tuesday with their father and had celebrated their 21st birthday at Applebee's.

They also described using Panera as a workspace while building a web development business. "I used to sit in front of the fireplace on cold days for a couple hours and get stuff done," they wrote, adding that Pizza Hut carried childhood memories tied to their parents.

The commenter said watching these chains fade felt personal. "It's like losing a bit of your childhood every time one disappears," they wrote.

Another commenter pointed to steep location losses at two chains as evidence some are already fading without formal closure announcements. They said Sizzler dropped from roughly 500 locations to 71. They also said Shakey's Pizza fell from more than 400 locations to about 45.

The commenter also named Quiznos, Hooters, and Boston Market as chains they considered functionally dead already. They added Winchell's Donut House to their list as a chain they expect to disappear next.

One commenter pointed to Panera, criticizing what they described as a recent reduction in sandwich meat portions.

They said their last three orders contained less than 2 ounces of meat for over $10 per sub, compared to a local deli charging less for 4 to 5 ounces.

One Redditor predicted MOD Pizza would not survive another decade. They said, "I would be absolutely shocked if MOD Pizza sees the next decade roll in. They've had to close so many stores, nearly went bankrupt, product has severely decreased in quality, the amount of price raises are insane, and burnt out or sketchy managers are running stores into the ground."

However, one commenter disagreed with some of the more common picks. They said chains like Friendly's and Fuddruckers had left their region but remained active elsewhere, and that reviewing a list of defunct fast-food chains, they recognized none of the names. "I think once a fast-food chain is national, it just retreats to its profitable bunkers but it never dies," they wrote.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify every commenter's personal experience with specific restaurant locations, including portion sizes and food quality complaints. The details above reflect predictions and accounts shared by individual users on r/AskReddit.