The heat is on for America’s steakhouses, and not every establishment is managing to withstand it. This is particularly true for a once-thriving chain of high-end steakhouses, which has seen its presence shrink dramatically from 60 locations to a mere 13.
McCormick & Schmick’s emerged from the Pacific Northwest with a straightforward yet appealing concept back in the late 1970s: offer exquisite steaks, exceptionally fresh seafood, and a bounty of oysters in a setting that was both inviting and upscale, without falling into the trap of stuffiness.
The journey began in 1979 when founders Bill McCormick and Douglas Schmick opened their inaugural restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The establishment quickly gained traction, with locals flocking to experience its unique charm, soon followed by visitors, and the restaurant garnered a reputation for offering refined dining that eschewed the traditional white-tablecloth formality.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, McCormick & Schmick’s embarked on a nationwide expansion, strategically opening new venues in bustling downtown areas, vibrant business districts, and in close proximity to major convention centers.
Locals packed the place, visitors followed, and the brand quickly became known for polished dining without white-tablecloth pretension.
During the 1980s and 1990s, McCormick & Schmick’s expanded across the country, opening locations in downtown areas, business districts and near convention centers.
It became a go-to spot for happy hour oysters, towering seafood platters, big steaks and the kind of business dinners that featured expense reports and martinis.
By the late 2000s, the chain was riding high, with nearly 100 restaurants and catering locations across the US and Canada.
McCormick & Schmick’s started with a simple concept in the Pacific Northwest in the late 70s
The mission was to serve great steaks, super-fresh seafood and plenty of oysters in a place that felt special but not stuffy. MacKenzie Spurlock tends bar at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant on J Street in Sacramento, California, in 2007
Locals packed the place, visitors followed and the brand quickly became known for polished dining without white-tablecloth pretension
McCormick & Schmick’s became a go-to spot for happy hour oysters, towering seafood platters, big steaks and the kind of business dinners that came with expense reports
Things changed in 2011, when McCormick & Schmick’s was acquired by Landry’s, the Houston-based restaurant empire behind brands like Morton’s The Steakhouse, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co and Del Frisco’s.
Not long after, the McCormick & Schmick’s footprint began to shrink.
The first major round of closures occurred in 2017, when roughly a third of the chain’s locations closed.
Over the years that followed, more restaurants quietly disappeared as leases ran out, dining habits shifted, and competition in the steak-and-seafood world grew fiercer.
By 2024 and 2025, the pullback sped up. The brand shuttered longtime locations in major cities, including its final Oregon restaurant, closing the loop on the state where it all began.
In Charlotte, NC, the last McCormick & Schmick’s closed after decades in the city.
Even Chicago’s Loop, once prime territory for the chain, lost its location.
Today, just 13 McCormick & Schmick’s restaurants remain nationwide – a dramatic fall from its peak and a sign of how much the once-ubiquitous brand has faded.
More restaurants quietly disappeared as leases ran out, dining habits shifted and competition in the steak-and-seafood world grew fiercer
Danny DeVito and Judd Hirsch dine at McCormick & Schmick’s in Los Angeles in 2013. Just 13 restaurants still remain open nationwide
Classic steakhouse chains are facing a perfect storm of people eating out less often, rising operational costs, changing tastes and stiff competition
Industry watchers point to a mix of rising costs, changing tastes, and tough choices inside Landry’s sprawling restaurant portfolio.
Instead of reviving McCormick & Schmick’s, the company appears to be moving on, swapping shuttered locations for newer or more profitable concepts.
At the moment, classic steakhouse chains are facing a perfect storm of people eating out less often, rising operational costs, changing tastes and stiff competition.
Outback Steakhouse’s recent closures and ongoing turnaround efforts illustrate these pressures in real time and show how even well-known brands must adapt quickly – or fade.
