Applebee’s has been one of the most popular casual dining restaurant chains in the US since the company was founded in 1980. There are over 2,000 Applebee’s restaurants around the country, as well as in South America, Europe and Asia. The name was changed to Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar and Grill in 1986, to better reflect the founders’ concept of a local meeting place. Applebee’s employs around 28,000 people and has annual revenues of several billion dollars.
As well as its welcoming and cozy atmosphere, the restaurant chain is also known for its extensive range of menu items, and like other casual dining restaurants the Applebee’s menu features burgers, salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches and a variety of desserts. Meat dishes include ribs, chicken and steak dishes and customers also have the option of combination meals, combining two entrees. Side dish items on the Applebee’s menu include mashed potatoes, green beans and steamed broccoli, as well as signature sides such as four cheese mac & cheese, and maple pecan mashed sweet potatoes.
The Applebee’s menu for kids features such popular dishes as a grilled cheese sandwich, chicken tenders and chicken mac & Cheese, as well as several sodas, juices and milk shakes. Applebee’s offers a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including the industry’s first cocktail with under 100 calories. Desserts currently on the menu include a hot fudge sundae shooter and a triple chocolate meltdown.
Applebee’s has had to take into account changing tastes and customers’ demand for healthier menu options. The chain has several meals that they sell and promote as lighter fare, including a cedar grilled lemon chicken and shrimp wonton stir fry. All the items on the Applebee’s menu have the number of calories indicated, and the lighter fare items are identified by a small green heart logo. The restaurant’s website also publishes a nutrition guide on its website, and restaurants have a policy of making substitutions or changes to a meal, based on a customer’s dietary needs.
The Applebee’s menu has also changed over the last few decades based on food trends and what customers prefer to eat, and the chain has also had to compete with several other casual dining family restaurants. A new menu was introduced in 200, and a few years later Applebee’s introduced its Carside To Go service for customers in a hurry, and also partnered with Weight Watchers. In 2009 Applebee’s introduced a new line of burgers based on home cooked backyard fare, called Realburgers, and revamped its lunch menu the following year with several new options.
Like other restaurants, Applebee’s has introduced several promotions and discounts, intended to attract customers and keep them coming back. Many locations offer a 2 for $20 offer which allows two people to share an appetizer and enjoy an entrée each. Customers who join the Applebee’s email club receive a coupon for a promotion on their birthday, as well as various coupons and special offers emailed to them regularly. Applebee’s offers customers the convenience of online ordering and gift cards.
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