The operator of the Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito restaurant brands has defied the gloom enveloping the casual dining sector by maintaining its full-year dividend.
The Restaurant Group, which also owns the Brunning & Price pubs business, had been tipped by some analysts to cut the final dividend as it wrestles with rising costs and falling sales.
Yet, although Debbie Hewitt, its chairwoman, admitted that the market had softened, she insisted that The Restaurant Group was making “solid progress on our strategic initiatives” and was continuing to generate strong cashflow.
