For decades, industry titans have cornered
the fast food market. In recent years, new fast food chains have
emerged to break the mold — but they haven't all hit the mark. Whether it's because of silly gimmicks or
unoriginal concepts, here's a list of new fast food chains that are doomed to fail. Pie Five Pizza exploded onto the scene in
2011, rapidly expanding to over 100 locations across the south thanks to their guarantee
of a customized pizza in just five minutes. Unfortunately, though, the chain has been
in economic freefall since 2014. The chain closed 18 locations in 2017, and
in 2018 they reported a year-over-year sales decline of more than 18 percent. Yikes! David Chang, most well-known as the creator
of Momofuku Noodle Bar, decided to put his stamp on chicken sandwiches with Fuku. With just four dedicated locations, the upscale
chain is starting small, but it has an uphill battle thanks to the ubiquitous presence of
Chick-fil-A, whose sandwiches cost less than half what Fuku charges. That doesn't seem like a recipe for success. Another chain with a limited footprint is
Pure Green, which offers upscale juices to people in New York City. And by upscale, we mean expensive. While the chain has managed to do okay so
far thanks to clever locations near gyms and yoga studios, simple economics suggests that
they may face trouble in the future. With an average smoothie coming in around
$9.50, Pure Green is probably too upscale to thrive outside of expensive areas like
Manhattan. But that cost of living means that Pure Green
locations needs to sell a ton of juice in order to afford rent. It's a tough balance — and it may not be
sustainable. The main issue for Beefsteak is that it doesn't
have a clearly identifiable niche. It's a lot like Chipotle, only without the
Mexican flavor. The chain's tagline is "Vegetables, unleashed,"
which frankly sounds... terrifying. “Tomato!" But even if you aren't afraid of your veggies,
most people who want to eat a salad or veggie bowl are likely to hit up the more well established
Sweetgreen. Unless Beefsteak can show why it should exist,
it may not exist for much longer. There are over 75,000 pizzerias in the United
States alone, but this chain is definitely the most ampersand-forward. And that's actually a problem. We know what you're thinking: "What the f--- does that have to do with pizza?" "I don't know." But it's an issue because many potential customers
seem confused about how to even say the chain's name. Is it… &pizza? &pizza? &pizza?! &pizza is trying to carve a niche out for
themselves with a modern vibe and artsy social media offerings. But with a name that implies pizza is just
an afterthought, an afterthought just may be what this chain becomes. Pinstripes has one of the strangest gimmicks
around, as it combines bistro dining with a bowling alley. And some bocce courts, because what hungry
person doesn't love bocce? The combination is weird enough to make your
head spin. It's like a Chuck-E-Cheese for adults, which
sounds great on paper, but seems a little weird for anything other than birthday parties
or company outings. Can those things keep this chain afloat? We'll see. Like Beefsteak, the main problem facing the
build-your-own salad chain Mixt is that the dining industry already has two other well-established
chains in the same space: Sweetgreen and Chopt. Unless Mixt finds some way to stand out from
the pack, it's going to be difficult to gain traction in an oversaturated market. Finally, there's Thirsty Lion, which straddles
the line between fine dining and fast food, and risks being neither. A so-called "gastropub" with locations in
the southwest and pacific northwest, Thirsty Lion is more like a watered down, classic
pub, with stuff like fries, burgers and beer on the menu rather than the high end offerings
the term "gastropub" implies. As we've seen, branding is important when
it comes to defining expectations for potential diners — and if Thirsty Lion doesn't meet
those expectations, they could be forced to gastro-close. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite
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