# Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar

> Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar is one of America's largest casual-dining chains, built around affordable American comfort food, a full bar, and a franchise-first business model. Owned by Dine Brands Global (NYSE: DIN), the brand operates roughly 1,500 restaurants across the United States and about 15 other countries, nearly all run by franchisees. It competes on value, familiarity and neighborhood ubiquity - promotions like the $1 Dollarita and 2 for $25 combos are as central to the strategy as riblets and the Quesadilla Burger.

- **Founded:** 1980
- **Headquarters:** Pasadena, California, United States
- **Founders:** Bill Palmer (Co-founder), T.J. Palmer (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** Applebee's brand support: ~2,100 employees; the broader franchised system employs tens of thousands of restaurant workers.
- **Products:** Casual-dining restaurants, Value combo platforms, Dollarita and bar promotions, Off-premise: delivery, takeout & catering, Applebee's Club loyalty & digital gift cards
- **Notable:** Grew from a single 1980 Georgia restaurant into one of the largest casual-dining chains in the U.S., Began trading publicly in November 1991 and opened its 1,000th restaurant in Aurora, Colorado in 1998., Operates roughly 1,500 restaurants across the U.S. and about 15 countries, almost entirely franchised.

## Products & services

- **Casual-dining restaurants** — Full-service neighborhood grill and bar serving American comfort food - burgers, riblets, steaks, chicken, appetizers - with a full bar.
- **Value combo platforms** — Recurring value deals such as 2 for $25, All You Can Eat boneless wings/shrimp, and the Really Big Meal Deal.
- **Dollarita and bar promotions** — Signature $1 margarita and rotating low-cost drink specials used to drive traffic, especially among younger guests.
- **Off-premise: delivery, takeout & catering** — Online ordering, curbside, and third-party delivery via DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub; group catering and party packages.
- **Applebee's Club loyalty & digital gift cards** — Loyalty rewards program and digital/physical gift cards driving repeat visits and customer data.
- **Dual-branded Applebee's/IHOP restaurants** — Co-located restaurants sharing a building with sister brand IHOP to capture more dayparts.

## Achievements

- Grew from a single 1980 Georgia restaurant into one of the largest casual-dining chains in the U.S.
- Began trading publicly in November 1991 and opened its 1,000th restaurant in Aurora, Colorado in 1998.
- Operates roughly 1,500 restaurants across the U.S. and about 15 countries, almost entirely franchised.
- Turned the $1 Dollarita into a repeatable traffic-driving promotion that reaches younger diners.
- Grew off-premise (delivery/takeout) to about 23% of sales mix.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — The $1 Dollarita returned nationwide for July, dine-in only for guests 21+, poured after a two-year hiatus.
- **2026-02** — Parent Dine Brands reported fiscal 2025 results: total revenue about $879 million; Applebee's off-premise near 23% of sales.
- **2025-01** — Launched the Really Big Meal Deal at $9.99 featuring the Big Cluckin' Chicken Sandwich and endless fries.
- **2025-01** — Dine Brands accelerated dual-branded Applebee's/IHOP openings to capture more dayparts per location.

## Links

- Website: https://applebees.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/applebee's
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/applebees
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/applebeeing
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/applebees/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/applebees
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@applebees

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Last updated: 2026-08-12