Could Montana’s Applebee’s be Facing a Closure Threat?

Applebee's has been around for a long time. I can remember going to Apllebee's after Little League baseball games. I would always order the "RIBLETS" and make the biggest barbecue sauce mess on my baseball outfit.

Fast forward a few years, and I can remember struggling to not get any barbecue sauce on my face during a dinner date. Now that I think of it, I haven't stopped in and destroyed a plate of riblets in a long time.

Maybe that is why Applebee's is continuing to close restaurants all over the country... NO! Not because I haven't had any riblets in a while. They are just not making the same money that they used to.

According to Restuarant Business Online

Applebee’s has shut down about 300 stores since 2017 in an effort to weed out underperforming locations and return to growth mode. It had initially targeted 2023 as the year it would open more restaurants than it closed, marking an end to the strategic pruning. But rising development costs have slowed new openings.

Applebee's plans to retire locations that are over 20 years old and have struggled to make revenue.

Montana has 7 Applebee's locations across the state. So far, NONE of the 7 have been chosen for "retirement." Applebee's recently announced a possible co-branding with IHOP that could combine two of your favorites.

According to Restaurant Business Online

Applebee’s and IHOP could soon begin opening co-branded locations in the U.S. after the model has proven successful overseas.

Parent company Dine Brands has already opened eight such locations in Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico. The restaurants are the same size as a regular Applebee’s or IHOP, but generate twice as much revenue because they cover all four dayparts

All this talk of food is making me hungry. Better practice how to eat ribs without wearing the sauce.

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