There are several ways a restaurant chain can increase its earnings. It can add more restaurants, as Chili’s is doing, or it can improve its existing operations, as Wendy’s has done. Some restaurants make money with high turnover at the tables and low-priced meals (Cracker Barrel, Shoney’s, and McDonald’s fit this category), while others have low turnover and higher-priced meals (Outback Steakhouse and Chart House are recent examples). Some make their biggest profits on food sales, and some have gift shops (Cracker Barrel). Some have high profit margins because their food is made from
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