Applebee's is an American company which develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain.
As of December 2017, there were 1,936 restaurants operating system-wide in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 15 other countries, all owned and operated by franchisees. The company was headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, after moving from bordering Johnson County, Kansas in September 2011. On September 3, 2015, it was announced that their parent company, DineEquity, would be consolidating its headquarters for Applebee's and IHOP to DineEquity's Glendale, California, location. As a result, President Steven R. Layt chose not to relocate and resigned effective September 4, 2015.
The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads, chicken, pasta, burgers, and "riblets" (which is considered Applebee's signature dish). All Applebee's restaurants feature a bar area and serve alcoholic beverages (except where prohibited by law).
On November 29, 2007, IHOP (now DineEquity) announced that it had completed a $2 billion purchase of the Applebee's chain.
On August 11, 2017, DineEquity announced that Applebee's would close between 105 and 135 locations by the end of the year.