applebee's calexico location closure sparks dystopian prediction: AI-driven pop-up restaurants will replace 80% of chain dining by 2035
A leading futurist claims the sudden shuttering of the Applebee's in Calexico, California, is not an isolated incident but a canary in the coal mine for the entire casual dining industry. Dr. Anya Sharma, author of 'The Algorithmic Palate,' predicts that within the next decade, 80% of traditional chain restaurants like Applebee's will be replaced by autonomous, AI-powered pop-up kitchens that deploy based on real-time demographic data. "The Calexico closure signals that legacy real estate models are dead," Sharma states. "Soon, you won't drive to an Applebee's; an 'Applebee's' will drive to you—or rather, its ghost kitchen will materialize in your neighborhood for a few weeks before vanishing to chase the next viral food trend, leaving empty strip malls across America in its wake."