Thursday, April 27, 2017

Dunwoody Residents No Longer Have an Applebee's to Ignore

Casual eatery quietly shutters

Applebee's, the neighborhood eatery you went to when you couldn't drive and had few dining options, has closed its Dunwoody restaurant.  The freestanding Applebee's restaurant was located in an outparcel of the SuperTarget anchored Perimeter Place shopping center, closest to Michael's (former Loehmann's). 

The 5,300 square foot restaurant opened around 2007 so its recent closure, reportedly within the last couple of weeks, may have marked the end of a ten year lease.  

The first Applebee's opened on Memorial Drive in Decatur in 1980, although today the restaurant is part of  DineEquity and is based in Glendale, California. 

Applebee's closed its North DeKalb Mall and Sandy Springs  restaurants in 2013. The restaurant also closed locations in Suwanee and Marietta in recent years and in Statesboro earlier this year.  

The chain no longer has any restaurants ITP but does have locations in Decatur, Smyrna, Lithia Springs, Jonesboro and Tucker, among others.  

Julia Stewart, Chairman and CEO of DineEquity, resigned from the company effective March 1st after over 16 years with the company.  Stewart is credited with the 2007 merger that brought IHOP and Applebee's together.  The merger was originally met with optimism and growth prospects but both chains, like many others in the casual dining industry, have struggled in recent years.  

This past March, DineEquity announced it saw system-wide comparable sales drops at both IHOP (.1%) and Applebee's (5%).  The company subsequently announced plans to close 40-60 Applebee's and nearly 20 IHOP restaurants.    

Over the years, Applebee's has many times lowered prices and refreshed its logo in addition to hiring comedian endorsers like Wanda Sykes and Jason Sudeikis to counter tremendous competition from various fast casual eateries.  

Are you surprised Applebee's is struggling so much? When was the last time you ate at an Applebee's?  What would you like to see open in place of the former Applebee's in Dunwoody?

Please share your thoughts below.  

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Haven't been to an Applebee's in years, especially after pleading with my mom not to give me anymore gift cards to their restaurants. I once was going to re-gift one to some friends and my hubby jokingly asked if I didn't like our friends anymore!

Indi said...

Surprised it took this long. It was not very popular with Brio and other food options very close to them. Plus it always felt like their fries were either old or fried in very old grease.

Anonymous said...

Can't believe it made it a decade. I went there one time - for dinner with my wife and daughter after cheer practice. We waited for 5 minutes at the hostess stand until someone finally came to seat us. The restaurant was nearly empty. We then waited ten minutes at the table and a server didn't even come to greet us. Ten minutes is an eternity for that situation. So we got up and left and never returned. We live nearby and eat at various places within that center about once a week. Hopefully something good takes its place.

oden said...

No more Bee's tea?!! I love to get drunk for $3

Anonymous said...

I remember right after they opened I went there with my family and ordered a salad, took a bite, and almost broke some teeth on the faucet sprayer that was mixed in my salad.

Tired of It said...

Should close North Charleston sc down!! Can't get nothing right and want make it good either!! on rivers ave.

Anonymous said...

In coralville iowa I miss their 2/20 steak and they've taken out the tall tables also not a fan of the new wood fire steaks.

Micheal said...

It's a great restaurant and yes they have there flaws but there not the only place that does. I could go on and on about places that are horrible but I won't because ever place should get a second chance

Anonymous said...

I've always felt that Applebee's is best for more rural areas where there aren't as many dining options. No idea how they survive in the Greater Atlanta area. I drive past the one in Smyrna all the time and am always surprised at the number of cars in the parking lot!

Anonymous said...

For the love of god, please post a lesson on 'their', 'they're', and 'there'. Oh, and Applebees sucks.

Anonymous said...

Go to Applebees when I am on the road and always have a pretty decent experience. This location however was by far the worst. Went one time for lunch and went back when I was completely hammered and I still thought it was terrible.
Tough location as well.

Amber said...

The Johns Creek location closed on 4/27, as well.

Anonymous said...

@ anon 9:28AM : So you are saying that Applebee's is only a good option when there are no other options available? Can't argue with that.


@anon 9:52AM.
LOL and amen.

Anonymous said...

"For the love of god, please post a lesson on 'their', 'they're', and 'there'. Oh, and Applebees sucks."

Do you spell check for the mainstream media as well? Christians like you are so intolerant!

fbenario said...

""For the love of god, please post a lesson on 'their', 'they're', and 'there'. Oh, and Applebees sucks."

Do you spell check for the mainstream media as well? Christians like you are so intolerant!"


Christian or not, he doesn't proofread his own writing. Applebee's includes an apostrophe. Do you really equate using good grammar with being Christian? I don't see the connection.

Anonymous said...

Starting out a rant with "For the love of god" = Christian connection. Why do the the grammar police always like to change the subject? Wish this much scrutiny were given to the mass media and THEIR LIES that they feed the public every single day. Food for thought.

Anonymous said...

The essential problem for me with any Applebee's is the lack of any real flavor in the food. I'm sure Dunwoody will replace it with another bland, boring chain store.

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