*Dine Brands Global, the parent company of IHOP and Applebee’s, has begun opening dual-branded locations that share kitchen operations while maintaining separate entrances for each brand.
CEO John Peyton announced on a recent earnings call that eight prototypes have launched internationally, including a new location in León, Mexico, NBC News reports. The initiative aims to cut costs and boost revenue by drawing in customers at different times of the ultimate dining experience.
“At breakfast, when there are more IHOP customers, customers can be seated in the Applebee’s area and vice versa at dinner,” Peyton told Nation’s Restaurant News.
The company intends to introduce the concept to the U.S. in the future. As we reported earlier, Dine Brands has launched its first-ever IHOP/Applebee’s fusion restaurant in Seguin, Texas, allowing customers to enjoy menu favorites from both chains under one roof.
Partnering with franchisee Ramzi Hakim Group, the brand plans to open 12 more locations later this year, Eat This reports. The menu features signature dishes from both IHOP and Applebee’s, along with creative crossover items like a Buffalo Chicken Omelette and the Ultimate Breakfast Burger, plus specialty cocktails such as espresso martinis and Irish coffee.
Scroll to continue reading
“This dual-branded model is more than just two great restaurants under one roof. It’s a vision for the future – a future of growth, of opportunity, and bringing even more communities a place where people can gather, connect, and enjoy the best of both worlds – Applebee’s and IHOP. Seguin is just the beginning, and we are so excited of what’s to come,” Ramzi Hakim Group vice president Danny Hakim during the grand opening event.
“Being in a business is a risk. Those risks are what make a business successful. If you don’t try new things, you’re going to stay stagnant,” Hakim added.
“They are tremendous operators, they’re great developers, but most importantly, they understand innovation, they understand test and learn, and they understand that this is restaurant number one of what we plan for hundreds,” said Peyton on why they partnered with Hakim. “We all got into this together knowing this was a science experiment, a prototype, and that’s why they were the right choice for this.”
Peyton confirmed that more IHOP/Applebee’s fusion restaurants will be popping up across America.
“We’re not going to talk about locations yet, but we’ve got a bunch in the works, and we are geographically dispersed. What I can tell you is we’ve got geographic variety across the country, we’ve got a mix of Applebee’s adding an IHOP, IHOPs adding an Applebee’s, and new construction,” Peyton said.
“All of those are chosen by design so we get experience with all the different variables as we perfect the model,” he added.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: IHOP and Applebee’s Launch First-Ever Fusion Restaurant in Texas
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
