IHOP & Applebee’s Serve Up Huge News
From hot cakes to happy hour, a new co-branded restaurant in Texas now gives diners a wide range of food options. Applebee’s and IHOP (owned by the same operator) announced this new concept last month.
Those who love breakfast for dinner and power-eaters who want to start the day with a Bloody Mary and a steak can find ways to feed their cravings.
This joint venture includes new co-branded menu items, like the Buffalo Chicken Omelette and Ultimate Breakfast Burger.
A whopping 84 percent of Americans eat breakfast daily, and 42-year-old Applebee’s has about 1,600 locations worldwide. IHOP has close to 1,800 locations, making brand recognition a huge asset in this new endeavor. The IHOP brand is close to 70 years old and has been through some changes over the past decades (including abbreviating “International House of Pancakes” to its new name starting in 1973 and changing its logo in 2015).
IHOP acquired Applebee’s International in 2007, but this new restaurant concept is the first time the brands have brought this “marriage” to the consumer.
Although the location in Seguin, Texas, located just outside of San Antonio has separate dining areas for the two brands, consumers can find what they want on the combined menu. The parent company (Dine Brands) expects to open 15 more locations following this model.
Many MULO (multi-location) food and beverage brands are finding creative ways to bring their companies together for promotions, locations, and economies of scale in purchasing and food preparation.
As more private equity firms and global operators “gobble up” multiple brands, they are starting to think creatively about how to leverage their diner databases, purchasing power, and economies of scale.
For more trends in the MULO restaurant, retail, and service ecosystem, please attend Street Fight LIVE 2025 on September 30th at Microsoft’s LA headquarters.
