National restaurant chain plans to close more than 30 restaurants this year
Applebee’s plans to close multiple locations across the country this year.
Applebee’s president Tony Moralejo revealed the exact figure during a fourth-quarter earnings call on February 29, reports TODAY.com.
“We’re expecting 25 to 35 net fewer domestic Applebee’s restaurants,” Moralejo said during the call, before adding that up to 25 new IHOP restaurants are set to open this year. “With our new development strategy in place, we feel confident in our ability to continue to open up new restaurants and scale the footprint of our brands over time.”
“Applebee’s is a mature brand, and it is natural to have closures with changing trade areas and franchisee agreement expiration,” Moralejo told TODAY.com.
Applebee’s and IHOP may have dual locations
Dine Brands Inc., which owns the Applebee’s and IHOP chains, says the two restaurants may soon have dual-branded locations that share a back-of-house and a blended front-of-house, according to an earnings call from the company in February.
In an interview with Nation’s Restaurant News, Peyton said the hybrid restaurants will have “discrete entrances” that allow guests to flow between Applebee’s and IHOP.