10 Classic Restaurant Chains That Are On The Comeback Trail

Chain restaurants are having a resurgence, y'all. We seem to be coming out of a long period of resistance to restaurant chains, as customers turned away from recognizable brands and comforting menus and toward independently owned eateries that offered something different. While we still fully support those kinds of restaurants, it looks like people are increasingly attracted to what they know. Chain restaurants seem to be in vogue again, partly due to Gen Z and its love of all things nostalgic. There's a comfort to the stability of chains and their slightly old-fashioned ways, and that comfort is intensified even more when it comes to classic brands that were once thriving in the 20th century.

So it's no surprise that some of these chains are well and truly on their way back. Retro restaurant chains like Bennigan's, Planet Hollywood, and The Ground Round are seeing a resurgence in their fortunes and renewed momentum, leading to re-expansion. Some restaurant chains, like Chi-Chi's, have even been revived fully, coming back from the dead to please a whole new generation of customers. Ready to see which of your old favorites are on the comeback trail? We've got them all right here.

Back in the '80s and '90s, you couldn't move for a Bennigan's. The casual dining chain was founded in 1976 and quickly swept the nation, with people drawn like moths to a flame to the pub-themed restaurant and its easygoing grub. In 2008, however, the bubble burst, both in the financial world and the culinary one. Bennigan's was a casualty of that year, filing for bankruptcy and being acquired by new owners.

You'd be forgiven for assuming this was the beginning of the end for Bennigan's, or indeed the end entirely. Post-2008, the brand took on a slightly outdated feel, and its pub-like atmosphere didn't quite gel with a 2010s crowd. Cut to 2025, however, and Bennigan's has repositioned itself excellently for a major comeback. The company started debuting its Bennigan's On The Fly concept in restaurants around the country, which supplied Bennigan's food through virtual kitchens, allowing it to insert its name into various businesses around the country. Additionally, Legendary Restaurant Brands, owner of Bennigan's, is currently actively pursuing franchise opportunities for both Bennigan's and Bennigan's On The Fly. It may not be fully back yet, but it's re-establishing itself and looks set to be everywhere in the coming years.

People who love a combination of nostalgia and kitsch will be very pleased that The Ground Round is on the way back. The restaurant chain was opened back in 1969 by fellow giant Howard Johnson's, and by the 1980s it was doing a roaring trade. People flocked to The Ground Round for its quirky offerings and serving styles, which included piling soft serve into baseball cap cups. Just a few decades later, though, The Ground Round was in trouble — and in 2004 its parent company filed for bankruptcy, creating shockwaves through the food world and putting The Ground Round's future in jeopardy.

However, in 2024 an enterprising couple decided that it was time to bring The Ground Round back to the masses. Nachi and Joseph Shea purchased the rights to The Ground Round, banking on people's love of the old brand to get them through the door. Well, it worked. The Sheas opened their first restaurant in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and it was an instant success. The future's looking bright for The Ground Round going forward, and we wouldn't be surprised if you see more cropping up in a town near you.

As far as restaurant chains go, Perkins is one of the most old-timey out there. This chain was founded in 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the six and a half decades it's been in operation it's managed to retain its classic appeal. However, over the past few years, what was once seen as traditional and cozy has started to come across as a little bit staid and stuffy. Perkins has somewhat receded into the background, while other, more modern chain restaurants have taken the lead.

But that's changing. Top management at Perkins has spent much of the last few years figuring out how it can bring the brand up to date, and it seems to have succeeded. Countless hours have gone into its menu, incorporating new technology, and revamping its overall design. It's also been reconsidering its offering entirely, and in October 2024 it was announced that its new fast casual model, Griddle & Go, would be coming to market. Then, in 2025, its brand new flagship restaurant was opened in Orlando, Florida. "This is our stake in the ground. We're taking our 66-year legacy and laying the foundation for the future," explained brand president Toni Ronayne to FSR. "This grand opening is the culmination of all the work we've done over the past year ... This is day one of our evolution. The future is here." Okay, we're on board.

As steakhouses go, Sizzler is one of the most recognizable in the United States — and one that's faced some of the biggest difficulties. When Sizzler debuted in 1958, its cost-conscious approach to a steak dinner was a revolution. People relished the fact that they could get a quality piece of meat without having to take out a loan, and the brand's popularity exploded. Then, the decline started. Sizzler's appeal began to drop, and it filed for bankruptcy in 1996. This bankruptcy claim was the culmination of a slow retreat for the chain, and while it continued to serve customers around the country, it never really recovered — and had to file for bankruptcy once again in 2020.

This second claim should have been the end for Sizzler, but somehow this troubled steakhouse chain has managed to bounce back. In 2023 Sizzler mounted a full-on offensive, reinvigorating its stores and menu and bringing in new blood to help promote the brand. While this remount took a little while to take action, by mid-2025 the chain was starting to see results, with once-closed units reopening their doors. Seems like it's just the start for Sizzler.

When you think of '90s brands, how quickly does Planet Hollywood come to mind? If you're anything like us, it happens pretty rapidly. This restaurant and hotel chain sprang into life at the start of the 1990s, and as you might expect from its name, its offering was heavily centered around the glamor of Tinseltown. The chain enlisted countless celebrities to promote it, and that star power worked. In terms of profile, Planet Hollywood experienced a rapid climb to the top, and new locations sprang up quickly.

Soon, though, the bubble burst. Planet Hollywood experienced extensive financial problems, two bankruptcy claims were filed, and the brand became undeniably cheesy and old-fashioned. That wasn't the end of it, however. Planet Hollywood is still well aware of the power of its appeal, and it's making a play for a big comeback. At the start of 2025 it re-opened its New York restaurant after several years of being shuttered up, with an emphasis on embracing new technology. It coupled this reopening with "throwback pricing," using its original 1991 product rates (including a $7.95 turkey burger) in a limited-edition capacity to get people through the door. Will it work? Planet Hollywood seems confident.

If you'd forgotten about Chi-Chi's, we wouldn't blame you — although doing so might mean you've also forgotten about one of the most troubling viral outbreaks in recent history. Chi-Chi's was first opened in 1975, and its approach to Mexican cuisine was an immediate hit. It soon ballooned to more than 200 locations worldwide.

However, Chi-Chi's shut down for good in 2003 after a disturbing incident left it totally exposed. Shortly after filing a bankruptcy claim and in the midst of ownership changes, one of its restaurants was identified as the primary source of a hepatitis A outbreak. A restaurant outside Pittsburgh had been using green onions which were contaminated with the virus to make its salsa, which was placed on every table. At least 650 people became sick with the virus, and four people tragically died. Chi-Chi's couldn't bear the blowback, and it closed for good.

By the end of 2024, however, Chi-Chi's was on its way back. Two decades after closing, the founder's son Michael McDermott came to an agreement with Hormel Foods, and the pair began spearheading a brand reboot. The chain is expected to open new branches in 2025 and beyond, and it's banking on good old-fashioned nostalgia to get people back into its dining rooms.

Grumpy's has the feel of a restaurant that's been around a lot longer than it has, and peoples' strong association with the brand gives it a classic feel. Grumpy's opened its first restaurant in 1999, and the concept was simple: Let's do breakfast, and do it well. However, that concept quickly wavered when the founder of the restaurant chain (who was known as "Chef Grumpy" to locals and friends) stepped back. The brand then went through a long period of fluctuation and ownership change, with new ideas, menu items, and service styles being thrown at customers — all with little success. Eventually, the modest chain truly lost its way.

However, 2024 brought about a full-on reset for Grumpy's. The brand refocused on what it was best at, which was serving homestyle breakfasts for a price anyone could stomach. It trimmed its menu while innovating with new items, and at the same time announced intentions to continue expanding across Florida. The brand has clearly now got a pep in its step, and it knows exactly what people want.

You might not be aware, but 2008 was a difficult year for restaurants. The financial crisis resulted in terrible outcomes for a lot of major chains, and Steak and Ale was one such casualty. That year, the restaurant chain had to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a move which also saw them close all of its units pretty much immediately. It was a sad end to a brand which had been feeding families since 1966 and which pretty much brought the salad bar to the masses for the first time, before every restaurant in the country started doing the same thing.

In 2023, the next chapter in Steak and Ale's story began, when Paul and Gwen Mangiamele acquired the brand from Fortress Investment Group. Now operating under their Legendary Restaurant Brands umbrella, the Mangiamele's are bringing Steak and Ale back to the world, with an emphasis on smaller restaurants and a raft of trendy craft beers to complement its classic ales. While Steak and Ale's new locations have faced some trouble getting off the ground, it's clear that the Mangiamele's have no intention of this comeback being a flop.

Few restaurant chains can boast as long a lineage as Friendly's. The brand's story goes all the way back to 1935, when it first opened as an ice cream shoppe (note the old-timey spelling there, folks, that's how far back this one goes) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Soon enough, Friendly's became a fully-fledged restaurant, but it never lost sight of its dessert-based roots — and by the 1980s you could find its ice cream in stores around the land.

As the years went on, its power in the restaurant space waned, and it's faced a torturously slow decline since the 1980s. Its unit numbers have been decimated, it's had to deal with the after-effects of bankruptcy, and like all of us it reckoned with COVID-19 and the restaurant closures that accompanied it. However, Friendly's isn't tapping out yet, and in 2024 it began mounting a major-scale comeback. The chain revamped its menu and refitted its stores, leading to boosted traffic and sales. As a result, franchisees began to come knocking again, and new restaurants have started springing around the country. There's been a particularly groundswell of movement in the South, with the company keeping their eyes set on Texas in particular. It seems like the next couple of years are looking good for this brand.

There are some epic comebacks out there, and then there's Golden Corral's. The fact that this old-fashioned buffet chain has survived to this day is pretty impressive, but what's even more noteworthy is that it's been absolutely thriving in recent years. Golden Corral's buffet has been its key offering for decades, but it's been threatened multiple times in its lengthy history, both by health scares and by waning interest in all-you-can-eat dining. As a result, it began to look stuffy and aged, and its unit numbers started to suffer.

Nonetheless, in the last few years it's been on the rise. Golden Corral has seen its Average Unit Volume scale significantly since 2019, and it's got its sights on the next 50 years with an ambitious growth plan that will make it inextricable from the American food landscape. Part of the way that it's managed to gain a renewed competitiveness is by fully embracing new technologies, which allow it to streamline operations and make ordering simpler. This is a brand that has its eyes on the future.