Adweek: Why America’s Aging Casual-Dining Chains Are Quietly Building Fast-Casual Restaurants

In the last few years, many restaurants in the casual-dining segment have built their own new restaurant concepts that fall into the fast-casual category, according to a recent Adweek article. Convenience and quicker delivery closer to fast food set the hybrid category apart from developed dishes at casual dining spots. Cracker Barrel’s newer Holler & Dash, Denny’s scaled-down concept The Den, and Jaggers by Texas Roadhouse are all quietly being introduced into the market.

Why would these established chains want to tap into other segments? To put it simply, millennials. To get younger diners in the door with new menus and fun décor, restaurants can start fresh and leave behind their legacy reputations that millennials may or may not connect with.

This also provides an opportunity for brands to sell new concepts to larger franchisees. Legacy chains can now step into new markets with a fresh look and appeal.

Click here to read the full article.