Casual dining decelerates amid inflation

Casual dining has faced inflationary headwinds in 2022 and, in turn, has struggled.

Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s, Cracker Barrel, Outback Steakhouse, and The Cheesecake Factory have all seen declines in either order market share, monthly new distinct customers, or both in 1H22 vs 1H21.

However, the Italian casual restaurant Maggiano’s is the exception to this rule. Maggiano’s has gained order market share steadily since August 2021, up 3pp YoY.

This growth seems to be due to the launch of “Maggiano’s Italian Classics”, a DoorDash exclusive with a curated limited menu prepared in Brinker’s “virtual kitchens.” Like Pizza Hut – who recently launched 3P delivery and gained pizza delivery market share – Maggiano’s has benefitted from increased investment in a third-party partner. DoorDash gives the chain access to a set of new, hard-to-acquire customers and helped to increase the retailer's sales.

Sources: Email receipt data

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