Casual eatery quietly shutters
Applebee's, the neighborhood eatery you went to when you couldn't drive and had few dining options, has closed its Dunwoody restaurant. The freestanding Applebee's restaurant was located in an outparcel of the SuperTarget anchored Perimeter Place shopping center, closest to Michael's (former Loehmann's).
Applebee's, the neighborhood eatery you went to when you couldn't drive and had few dining options, has closed its Dunwoody restaurant. The freestanding Applebee's restaurant was located in an outparcel of the SuperTarget anchored Perimeter Place shopping center, closest to Michael's (former Loehmann's).
The 5,300 square foot restaurant opened around 2007 so its recent closure, reportedly within the last couple of weeks, may have marked the end of a ten year lease.
The first Applebee's opened on Memorial Drive in Decatur in 1980, although today the restaurant is part of DineEquity and is based in Glendale, California.
Applebee's closed its North DeKalb Mall and Sandy Springs restaurants in 2013. The restaurant also closed locations in Suwanee and Marietta in recent years and in Statesboro earlier this year.
The chain no longer has any restaurants ITP but does have locations in Decatur, Smyrna, Lithia Springs, Jonesboro and Tucker, among others.
Julia Stewart, Chairman and CEO of DineEquity, resigned from the company effective March 1st after over 16 years with the company. Stewart is credited with the 2007 merger that brought IHOP and Applebee's together. The merger was originally met with optimism and growth prospects but both chains, like many others in the casual dining industry, have struggled in recent years.
This past March, DineEquity announced it saw system-wide comparable sales drops at both IHOP (.1%) and Applebee's (5%). The company subsequently announced plans to close 40-60 Applebee's and nearly 20 IHOP restaurants.
Over the years, Applebee's has many times lowered prices and refreshed its logo in addition to hiring comedian endorsers like Wanda Sykes and Jason Sudeikis to counter tremendous competition from various fast casual eateries.
Are you surprised Applebee's is struggling so much? When was the last time you ate at an Applebee's? What would you like to see open in place of the former Applebee's in Dunwoody?
Please share your thoughts below.