Growth at Fast Food Joints Like Wendy’s Looks Soggy Next to Casual-Dining Chains

There’s only one place you can sit in a booth surrounded by Egyptian columns, European-style frescos, and fiery blown-glass light fixtures that resemble the Eye of Sauron and scarf down a slice of “Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake.” That’s Cheesecake Factory of course, which, along with other kitsch dine-in chains, is having a moment as diners ditch fast food for sit-down experiences they can’t have at home (or so one hopes). 

Chains including Cheesecake Factory, BJ’s, IHOP and Chili’s have seen sales and foot traffic climb alongside their shares, while fast-food companies like Wendy’s are struggling to keep sales warm.

Sitting Down, Not Driving-Thru

The casual-dining sector seemed to start its comeback last year, with sales among 500 chains tracked by Technomic climbing 2.9%. That’s a pickup in pace compared with 2024’s 1.5% growth. Chili’s led the charge with double-digit growth last year. As of last quarter, the Triple Dipper-seller has been on a growth streak for five years. Cheesecake Factory, meanwhile, saw sales climb 5.8% and foot traffic rise 2.7%, and it’s a similar story for BJ’s, IHOP and Darden-owned locales including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. 

Fast-food restaurants, on the other hand, are missing traffic as diners’ back-of-the-napkin math seems to favor value from sit-down chains: 

• McDonald’s reported sales growth of less than 1% in its most recent quarter. While customers spent more per check, traffic fell. McDonald’s had rolled out a national discounting strategy to bring value-conscious diners back, but CEO Chris Kempczinski said many franchises didn’t get with the program. 
• Wendy’s, for its part, is proving that likes on super out-of-pocket social posts don’t translate to sales. The chain last week reported its sixth quarter in a row of falling same-store revenue. To save the square-burger chain, Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management is said to be prepping a bid to take it private. The chain has said both its quality and value prop have weakened over the years. 

Not a Monolith: While quick-service restaurants have generally seen foot traffic slow or stall and casual-dining spots have been notching more butts in booths, there are exceptions to the rule in both categories. Burger King has been winning royally with surging same-store sales, while Applebee’s has struggled to turn dollaritas into dollars for parent Dine Brands. Customers want more bang for their buck and when the gap between a fast-food burger and a casual-dining dish closes, they may be willing to pay a little extra for a meal served under a European-style fresco.