Closings, Layoffs at Brinker

Dallas Brinker International Inc., parent to casual-dining chains Chili’s, Maggiano’s Little Italy and On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina restaurants, confirmed news reports Monday that it laid off 155 employees last week after closing 35 locations.

The transition, said a company spokesperson, is attributed to a streamlining process associated with Brinker’s focus on developing more franchise-owned restaurant operations.

Brinker will eliminate 55 positions at its North Texas headquarters office and 100 positions in the field nationwide.

Brinker has 1,000 employees working at its corporate support center in Dallas and 100,000 employees nationwide.

The layoffs come after Brinker announced completion of the sale of Romano’s Macaroni & Grill.

Brinker recently recorded a loss for the second quarter of 2009 as the company grappled with a 5.4% drop in same-store sales, as well as a revenue decline attributed to a drop in capacity.

Overall, Brinker recorded a second-quarter loss of $21.8 million, down from a profit of $54.5 million.

The company’s revenue hit $949.4 million for the 13-week period ending Dec. 24, down from revenue of $1.02 billion during the same period last year.