- The chain was based in 1958.
- It had 700 places at its peak.
- The model is known for its all-you-can-eat salad bar, which presents rather more than salad.
In school, my roommate and I appeared for worth when it got here to our off-campus eating selections. Chains like Oliver Backyard, which supplied limitless soup and breadsticks, had been on our radar, as had been varied native bars with all-you-can-eat wings promotions.
Each from time to time, we went to breakfast at Ponderosa, a sequence that supplied all-you-can-eat weekend breakfast and brunch for an inexpensive value. The meals wasn’t all that good, however there was bacon, sausage, and a waffle bar, which had been adequate for our wants again within the early Nineteen Nineties.
For dinner, nevertheless, one model was form of the holy grail of worth and decadence. If we went to Sizzler, we might get a satisfactory steak, together with entry to its all-you-can-eat salad bar, the place the largest attraction was the impossibly thick New England clam chowder.
Sizzler was based approach again in 1958 with a easy motto.
Why does a pleasant juicy steak have to interrupt the financial institution?
Sizzler web site
That is still a sound query, however the chain has struggled for many years, dropping from a excessive of over 700 places to underneath 80 now. The model, nevertheless, or no less than its administration, believes a comeback is feasible.
Sizzler has closed quite a few places over time.
The place Sizzler stands now
QSR Journal’s Danny Klein interviewed Sizzler Chief Progress Officer Robert Clark in regards to the chain’s newest rebirth efforts. Clark has been with Sizzler since 1984 working in a wide range of positions earlier than becoming a member of the C-Suite.
In his 41 years with the corporate, Clark has seen quite a lot of makes an attempt to vary or revitalize the chain. Most, he famous, had been ill-advised and centered on altering the model.
“Our current leadership is much more focused on hey, let’s take the best of Sizzler and let’s make it even better,” he advised QSR.
Sizzler has survived, regardless of submitting for chapter in each 1996 and 2000.
CEO Chris Perkins, who has held that job since 2019, acknowledged that the chain’s struggles cannot be blamed solely on Covid.
“Many of the company-owned restaurant locations were struggling pre-pandemic,” Perkins stated Restaurant Enterprise reported.
He blamed quite a lot of elements, together with larger labor prices and native taxes that made it troublesome to keep up profitability.
Sizzler plans a comeback
The chain has centered on reworking shops. That has labored, based on QSR journal:
- The model noticed a gross sales enhance of roughly 47% in up to date eating places.
- A location that completed an replace a couple of months in the past hiked gross sales one hundred pc.
- Sizzler has accomplished 9 updates within the final two years and has a plan for franchisees to observe swimsuit.
“We feel like we have a really great brand here,” Clark advised the journal. “And our outcomes have been very stable.”
The company, for its part, wants to get back to its mission statement:
“Sizzle is the magic that you simply get after we take the time to put money into the little issues. And that’s nonetheless what we do immediately, from the right sear on our hand-cut steaks to the crispy parmesan smothered cheese toast with each meal,” it shared on its web site.
Sizzler timeline:
- 1958: Based by Del and Helen Johnson in Culver Metropolis, California, providing budget-friendly steak, seafood, and salad bar.
- Sixties-1970: Expanded throughout California and the U.S.; grew to become identified for its all-you-can-eat salad bar.
- Seventies-Nineteen Eighties: Fast U.S. progress and preliminary worldwide enlargement into Australia, New Zealand, and components of Asia.
- Nineteen Nineties-2000s: Confronted heavy competitors from chains like Outback Steakhouse and Applebee’s; many U.S. places closed.
Filed for chapter in each 1996 and 2000.1996 chapter supply: Los Angeles Instances
2020 chapter supply: NPR
- 2010s: Focus shifted to Australian operations, which grew to become the model’s foremost market.
The final Australian places closed in 2020. - 2025: The chain has centered on reworking its remaining U.S. places.
Here is what’s left of Sizzler
There are 74 Sizzler places in the USA as of June 27, 2025.
Breakdown of prime states/territories:
- California: 50 places (68% of the full)
- Puerto Rico: 10 places
- Utah: 4 places
- Oregon: 4 places
- Idaho: 3 places
- Arizona: 2 places
- New Mexico: 1 location
Supply: ScrapeHero
The chain’s most up-to-date closures embrace its last-remaining Florida location on Irlo Bronson Freeway in Kissimmee, close to Disney World.
Associated: Practically-100-year-old fast-food chain closes remaining eating places
