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THE rivalry between Applebee’s and Chili’s has taken another turn -but this time, it’s Applebee’s conceding ground.
Applebee’s in Oshkosh has closed its doors for good, marking the latest in a string of Wisconsin shutdowns.
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Applebee’s Grill + Bar on South Koeller Street has officially closed, joining the growing list of locations in the state that have recently shuttered.
The restaurant served its last customers on August 14, leaving patrons with only a sign inside the restaurant explaining the closure.
“The decision has been made to permanently close this location,” the sign read, per The Oshkosh Northwestern.
The restaurant offered no further explanation.
This follows the closures of Applebee’s locations in Sheboygan, Neenah, and Racine, all of which shut down in 2023 due to a lack of profitability, the outlet reported.
The closure is part of a broader trend affecting the casual dining industry, where competition, changing consumer preferences, and rising operational costs have pressured many chain restaurants.
Applebee’s, a fixture in American casual dining, has not been immune to these challenges.
For Oshkosh residents, the nearest Applebee’s is now located in Appleton on West College Avenue, about a 25-minute drive north.
The shutdown of the South Koeller Street location marks the end of an era for many local diners who frequented the restaurant for its familiar comfort food and casual atmosphere.
As of now, no further details have been provided regarding the reasons behind the closure or any potential plans for the vacant property.
JC-BYE-BYE
JCPenney has announced the permanent closure of its store in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, after tragedy struck the store earlier this year.
The decision comes years after the department store chain shuttered around 100 stores nationwide as part of its bankruptcy proceedings.
The Eden Prairie JCPenney, located in a shopping center about 20 minutes from Minneapolis, has been temporarily closed since April 17, when a transformer fire broke out in the store.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain’s affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California, and one in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana. This was followed in July by a bankruptcy filing from its parent company which announced the closure of 150 locations.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Red Lobster: The seafood chain filed for bankruptcy in May and shuttered over 100 locations.
- Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Frisco’s Chicken: The poultry restaurant shuttered all of its locations over the summer
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
- Foster’s Freeze: Shuttered a location in California after five decades in business due to financial struggles.
- Chicken Salad Chick: After nine years the restaurant shuttered one location in Jacksonville, Florida, with no reason given.
- México Lindo: The New York City-based restaurant announced its final day after 52 years and finally shuttered its doors for good on July 31.
- American Dream Pizza: Closed all of its locations in Oregon in July.
- Tender Greens: The Southern California-based chain filed for bankruptcy.
- Lefty’s Famous Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, & Grill: Abruptly shuttered 18 locations in July due to a family feud.
- Firehouse Subs: Shuttered a location in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State over the summer citing “unforeseen circumstances”
- Taco Time: The Taco Bell rival shuttered a location in Seattle after 50 years following a death in the franchise owner’s family.
- Burgerim: Shuttered a location in Burlington, Massachusetts in July, reigniting bankruptcy fears from 2020.
- Denny’s: The chain has shuttered over 40 locations so far this year with the owner of the one outlet blaming vandalism.
- Starbucks: The chain shuttered one of its most iconic locations in New York City after almost three decades with fans blaming crime. It also lost a location in Seattle.
- Subway: In August, the sandwich chain shuttered over 20 locations across the US and Canada after a franchisee lost money after being a victim of fraud.
- IHOP: A restaurant in New Hampshire shut its doors after 24 years, leaving four locations in the state.
- Switchback Coffee Roasters: The popular chain filed for bankruptcy in August after over a decade in business.
- Jimmy John’s: The sandwich shop chain shuttered a location in Nevada on August 19 after 12 years citing overexpansion issues.
- KFC: Closed the remaining three locations in Rockford, Illinois all on the same day on August 19. In total, it closed six locations across four cities in Illinois.
- Rusty Bucket: The chicken shop chain confirmed it would officially leave Florida as it announced a handful of closures including in Sarasota and Ohio.
- Buca di Beppo: The Olive Garden rival abruptly shuttered 44 locations across five states before filing for bankruptcy.
- Red Robin: Announced the closure of its Ashburn, Virginia location on August 25 after 15 years in business.
- Noodles & Company: Shuttered dozens of locations due to their contribution to around $2 million worth of losses.
- Shoney’s: The classic American-style food chain founded in 1947 officially exited Ohio after three decades of business as it reduced its operational footprint.
- Homegrown: The sandwich chain based in Seattle announced the closure of 10 locations leaving 150 employees in the lurch.
- World of Beer: Filed for bankruptcy after closing 14 outlets.
- Arby’s: The chain announced a number of closures this year including in Lexington, Kentucky, Akron, Ohio,
- Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Shuttered a location in New Jersey in July, leaving just two in the state, followed by the closure of a Baltimore location in August.
Although the fire was successfully extinguished, it left behind significant water damage, leading to the store’s closure.
Now, four months later, officials from Eden Prairie Center have confirmed that JCPenney will not be reopening this location.
Nancy Litwin, Vice President and General Manager of the shopping center, shared with Bring Me The News that the decision to permanently close the store was made by JCPenney.
“JCPenney has been a part of our center for many years but decided to permanently close this store,” Litwin said.
“We view this as an opportunity to enhance Eden Prairie Center’s offerings and better meet our customers’ needs.”
Plans are currently in the works to repurpose the former department store space, though Litwin did not disclose specific details about its future use.
Despite the loss of JCPenney, Eden Prairie Center remains home to several major retailers, including Von Maur, Target, Kohl’s, and Scheels.
Other companies have also struggled to keep some of their locations open.
Iconic clothing retailer Ted Baker filed for bankruptcy in May, kicking off 30% off liquidation sales across its stores in the United States and Canada.
Red Lobster has also fallen victim to financial strain, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As part of its restructuring, the seafood chain has sold most of its assets and is in the process of closing at least 87 locations nationwide.
