Applebee's
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| Applebee's International, Inc.
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding:16px 0 16px 0;">Image:Applebees logo.gif</td></tr> | |
| Type | Public (NASDAQ: APPB) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Overland Park, Kansas, USA
<tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Key people</th><td>Lloyd L. Hill, Chairman & CEO |
Applebee’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPB) is a United States company which develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurant chain. It is the largest chain of casual dining restaurants in the country, with over 1,800 restaurants across the United States, Canada, and other locations worldwide. The headquarters is located in Overland Park, Kansas.<ref>Company Overview. Investor Relations: Information for Investors. Applebee's International, Inc (2005-12-25). Retrieved on 2006-07-17.</ref>
[edit] History
The Applebee's chain was started by T.J. and Bill Palmer who opened their first restaurant, T.J. Applebee’s Rx for Edibles & Elixirs, in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980. After opening their second restaurant the pair sold their company to W. R. Grace and Company in 1983. As part of the transaction, Bill Palmer was named president of the Applebee's Division of an indirect subsidiary of W. R. Grace and Company. In that capacity, Palmer guided the operation from its entrepreneurial beginnings to a full-fledged franchise system. He became an Applebee's franchisee in 1985 and today owns more than three dozen Applebee's restaurants.
Today, with more than 1,800 restaurants, Applebee's is the world's largest casual dining concept. For each of the past 13 years (1993-2005), Applebee's has opened 100 or more new restaurants. The company estimates the development potential of the Applebee's concept in the United States to be at least 3,000 restaurants.
Summer 2006 Applebee's Grill & Bar changed its name to just Applebee's and is in the process of renovating all of its locations. They are also removing the bars from some locations to make them more of a family atmosphere.
In 2006, Applebee's was featured in the film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Not only do characters in the film eat there (and get thrown out) repeatedly, but during the film's climactic final crash scene, the film cuts to a commercial for Applebee's, in a parody of the commercialism of NASCAR. After the ad finishes, the film resumes with the cars still wrecking.
Recently, Applebee's began promoting ads featuring Tyler Florence, a popular chef from the Food Network.
- Courtney Kennedy, Dual Olympic Medal Winner in Women's Ice Hockey is an Honored Guest at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill in The City of Woburn, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
