Consumer dining trends are reshaping real estate, with notable full-service restaurants shuttering their doors and creating opportunities for other companies, including fast-food chains, to expand their footprints. A new report from CNN says, “In Woodbridge, Virginia, LongHorn Steakhouse will take over an old TGI Fridays. In Watertown, New York, a former Red Lobster is being converted to a Northern Credit Union bank. And Chick-fil-A is taking over a shuttered Red Lobster in Naples, Florida.”

The slowdown in eat-in and family dining has suffered since the pandemic. “Customer traffic to full-service restaurants like Denny’s has dropped 0.5% so far this year, while it has increased 3.2% at fast-casual restaurants and 0.6% at fast-food restaurants, according to data from Placer.ai.”

This gives rise to chain restaurants, like Chick-fil-A and Chipotle, who “pay higher rents and draw in more customers.” They’re also more profitable than full-service restaurants because of lower overhead and maintenance costs.

“Fast-food and fast-casual chains are taking these spaces and building more drive-thru lanes. Chipotle is building 4,000 new locations, the majority with drive-thru lanes, while Chick-fil-A is building new spots with four-lane drive thrus.”