Burger Chain Closing 70 Locations: Are Any in IA, IL, or WI?

I've felt like a broken record in recent months because I feel like I've been constantly writing about popular businesses and chains closing all around Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. That said, these last few months have seen once instantly recognizable brands go the way of the dodo.

The final few months of 2024 saw a number of major retailers announce they'll be closing their doors. Big Lots shut down a couple different Iowa stores. Party City is going out of business, with stores in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin closing soon. It was also revealed Kohl's would be closing 27 stores, two of which in Illinois. Two weeks ago, it was reported Hooters was filing for bankruptcy. And Home Run Inn just closed a third of its locations in the Chicagoland area.

Now, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is in the process of "evaluating alternatives" for approximately 70 underperforming locations, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This comes during a time when multiple restaurant locations' leases will be expiring, which would appear to be the optimal time for the chain to make some crucial decisions about locations that aren't generating enough business.

The Des Moines Register notes there are about 500 Red Robin locations across the United States in Canada. In 2025, 10 to 15 of those locations will close. Most of the 70 restaurants named will be shuttered by 2030.

At present, there are five Red Robin locations in Iowa:

Cedar Rapids
Davenport
Dubuque
Sioux City
West Des Moines

There are 17 locations in Illinois:

Algonquin
Champaign
East Peoria
Edwardsville
Fairview Heights
Gurnee
Hoffman Estates
Norridge
Orland Park
Oswego
Plainfield
Rockford
Schaumburg
Skokie
South Elgin
Springfield
Warrenville

Finally, there are 11 locations in Wisconsin:

Appleton
Brookfield
Eau Claire
Green Bay
Greenfield
Janesville
Kenosha
Madison
Monona
Oshkosh
Wausau

It's important to note that there has not been any confirmation on which restaurant locations Red Robin is considering to close at this time. The Des Moines Register noted that Red Robin generated an operating loss of about $6 million in 2024, and also burned about $9.5 million on restaurants in capital expenditures.

Total revenue has been in a sharp decline of over $20 million in 2023. Furthermore, menu prices increased 7.3% in 2024, a tale common with hundreds of restaurants in the inflationary times of the last couple years.