Say Goodbye to Your Favorite Sit Down Restaurant. Another Victim Of Obama's Economy

Why Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Their Casual-Dining Bretheren Are Endangered Species


The past few quarters have been tough on shareholders of casual dining chains such as Darden International's (NYSE: DRI  ) Red Lobster and Olive Garden franchises, Bravo Brio Restaurant  (NASDAQ: BBRG  ) , and BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ: BJRI  ) . While the stock market and the economy have improved, these restaurants have stalled mightily.
The big question is whether these restaurants are going through a brief dry spell, or are they suffering a permanent trend downward? There's a few different ways to look at the problem.
Stuck in the middle
The past few quarters have been good for restaurants in fine dining, quick service, and especially fast casual (the sector grew 12% year over year). The one area that is struggling is casual dining.


http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/11/why-red-lobster-olive-garden-and-their-casual-dini.aspx