Dine Brands to Triple Dual-Branded Applebee's and IHOP Locations This Year
Dine Brands is growing its combined Applebee's and IHOP restaurant format this year, planning to open 35 new spots worldwide. This will almost triple the current footprint of 19 co-branded restaurants to 56 by year's end.
The expansion includes 23 international locations and 12 to 14 new restaurants in the United States, through both new construction and converting existing single-brand locations.
"I am incredibly proud of the progress we are making to expand and grow with new and existing franchisees around the world," said Scott Gladstone, president of international and corporate development at Dine Brands Global.
The combined format puts both restaurant chains under one roof with separate eating areas but a single kitchen, creating what the company calls "operating efficiencies."
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This restaurant mashup has proven to be profitable. The company reports that co-branded locations generate 1.5 to 2 times higher revenues than standalone restaurants because they cover four meal times throughout the day.
International expansion will bring the concept to new markets in 2025, including Costa Rica, Bahrain, Egypt, and Oman. The company is also seeking master franchisees in Europe, Spain, and Asian countries like South Korea and Japan.
In the United States, the first dual-branded restaurant opened last month in Seguin, Texas, in a converted IHOP location. The company plans to transform more existing restaurants while also building new locations from scratch through 2026.
This growth plan comes as Dine Brands tries to turn around recent shrinking. Last year, despite opening 65 new restaurants across both brands, the company closed 83 locations.
The parent company currently operates or franchises more than 3,500 restaurants across 19 countries, though most remain in the U.S. At the end of 2024, Dine Brands had 243 international locations between the two brands, plus the 117-unit Fuzzy's Taco Shop chain.
