Put your dang cheese toast out, dear friends. Because Sizzler‘s slow, painful slide into oblivion continues.
The once-thriving all-you-can-eat nirvana proved simply too special for us all to enjoy, and as such has waned over the years, reduced to a handful of restaurants predominantly in Queensland; a state that apparently knows when it’s on to a good thing and clings on to it, god damn it.
Around 12 months ago parent company Collins Foods announced it had severely written down the value of the franchise in Australia, stating that it no longer viewed the business as a growth prospect and as such halted the allocation of any further capital.
What that meant in reality was that corporate support for the struggling remaining stores was officially donezo, and as such over the past year the closure of stores has begun.
But rather than execute a swift exit from the Australian market/our hearts, the withering of the salad bar kings has been painfully slow, with the number of stores reducing from 26 at this time last year, down to just 21 now. Oh, god. This hurts.
The remaining stores left in the country number 15 in QLD, 4 in Western Australia, and just 2 in New South Wales, leaving the south eastern-states the same barren, dessert-bar free zones that they have been for many a moon now.
Collins Foods revealed that, although overall company profit had risen thanks to a successful stake in a string of KFC restaurants, Sizzler’s revenue had dropped by 18%, down to $72.6million to May 1st, thanks in large part to the closure of the unprofitable locations.
In a statement issued, the company asserted that they would “continue to monitor our remaining restaurants closely and take appropriate action where necessary.” Or, in other words, they’ll continue to hover like vultures waiting for the exact moment a Sizzler becomes a lame duck, before swooping on the carcass to pick the bones.
So if you were thinking of making a final pilgrimage to the promised land, now might be the time to do it.
In the meantime, rest easy in the knowledge that the company still maintains a weirdly active social media presence, posting cheesy nuggets of fried gold on the reg.
HOW THE HELL CAN YOU CLOSE A COMPANY THAT DOES THIS FOR ITS CUSTOMERS?
OUR HEARTS. YOU’RE BREAKING THEM.
Source: News.com.au.
Photo: Sizzler/Instagram.
