The trend of comfort food restaurants being closed due to health trends, diet drugs, and changing tastes has led to a decrease in popularity with traditional comfort food brands like Denny's and Cracker Barrel. While Denny’s CEO Kelli F. Valade shared plans to close more restaurants during its second-quarter earnings call, Denny also updated shareholders on its strategy to close underperforming restaurants and return to growth of flat to slightly positive in future years. MCL Restaurant & Bakery, a 76-year-old cafeteria-style buffet chain, is closing several locations in March and bringing its footprint to seven locations. The company ended 2024 with 13 locations and $25.7 million in sales, a 2% increase year-over-year, according to Technomic data. As a private company, MCL does not have to share its closure plans as a member of the public, it does not need to share financial information.