Latest news with #JohnPeyton
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Applebee's fan favorite deal returns... with a tasty twist
Applebee's All You Can Eat (AYCE) specials are back in restaurants nationwide today. The restaurant chain is allowing customers to enjoy Riblets, Double Crunch Shrimp, and Chicken Tenders with endless fries. This marks Chicken Tenders' AYCE debut, and it comes with the choice of 8 delectable sauces, including Classic Buffalo, Honey BBQ, and Spicy Honey Mustard. 'Every combination is a win when it comes to our All You Can Eat Riblets, Double Crunch Shrimp, and Chicken Tenders,' said Reid Leslie, vice president of marketing. 'Whether starting with Riblets or Chicken Tenders paired with your favorite two sauces, followed by Double Crunch Shrimp, or sticking with your favorite - the combinations are endless.' The popular deal is running for a limited time and starts at $15.99 per person. The special comes in the midst of the restaurant chain's 'Lookin' Good' reimaging program, a multi-year effort aiming to make the look and feel of locations meet customer expectations. Applebee's is implementing the plan to help the chain climb out of its longtime financial struggles. Before the plan was initiated, around 300 Applebee's were closed between 2016 and 2023. The restaurant chain went on to shutter up to up to 35 restaurants closed in 2024. The program kicked off with 30 of the 47 Applebee's locations Dine Brands took over from franchisees last November. Dine Brands CEO John Peyton confirmed that 5 of those units would become dual-branded Applebee's and IHOP restaurants. At least 30 of those restaurants will then be refranchised after the revamps. In total, the company plans to open 12 to 14 of the dual-branded restaurants in the US this year. Applebee's employees and customers have also been adjusting to Toast Go handhelds and its kitchen display systems. Despite the changes, the brand suffered a 4.7 percent decline in sales during last year's fourth quarter. When not enjoying scrumptious AYCE food and Toast Go technology, customers can enjoy Strawberry Daq-A-Rita, Rum Breeze, or Part on the Beach Bacardi Buckets. The buckets feature $6 Watermelon Mana Margaritas containing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Teremana Tequila Blanco. Guests can also enjoy the restaurant chain's new dirty fountain sodas.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Applebee's perks up its loyalty program with an emphasis on exclusivity
This story was originally published on CX Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CX Dive newsletter. Dine Brands is expanding Applebee's loyalty program and improving operations at IHOP as it works to elevate CX throughout the business, executives of the parent company said on a Q1 2025 earnings call last week. The Club Applebee's loyalty program reached 8.5 million members during the quarter, according to John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands and interim president of Applebee's. The restaurant will focus on exclusive offerings and third-party partnerships to build on this momentum. The introduction of on-table tablets at IHOP improved speed of service and time between seating new customers by two minutes, according to Lawrence Kim, president of IHOP. Dine Brands is exploring experience, value and communication in tandem as it works to help its two biggest businesses find growth. Applebee's reported a domestic same-restaurant sales decline of 2.2% year over year for the first quarter of 2025, according to a company earnings report. IHOP reported a domestic same-restaurant sales decline of 2.7% during the same period. One way Applebee's aims to improve its performance is through Club Applebee's, which has existed in a somewhat benign state for the past several years, according to Peyton. Now, the restaurant chain will innovate to grow the share of customers that visit three or more times per year. Applebee's launched its loyalty push in February by making its Date Night Pass contest exclusive to Club Applebee's members, according to Peyton. The promotion, which let 3,000 winners purchase a $100 pass that provides $50 discounts for 12 visits, drove 175,000 loyalty program sign-ups. 'Providing early or exclusive access to new products and promotions is a key component of our loyalty strategy,' Peyton said during the call. 'We'll continue to leverage Applebee's strong brand relevance and tap into insights from IHOP's loyalty program to enhance the Club Applebee's platform and its offerings.' Though Club Applebee's will take some learnings from IHOP's International Bank of Pancakes, Applebee's will ultimately chart its own course, according to Peyton. International Bank of Pancakes is a points-based loyalty program, while Club Applebee's will make special privileges and offers its core benefit. 'So it's all around enabling them to be much more of insiders and to grow our share of those guests that visit us three or more times a year,' Peyton said. While Applebee's is aiming at loyalty as an experience driver, IHOP is turning to its in-restaurant operations. The restaurant chain wants to make its locations cleaner while simplifying procedures and looking at ingredients to improve speed for everyone involved. Initiatives include reducing the number of steps for food preparation. For example, IHOP will aim to cut the procedure for a dish with 17 steps by 10% to 20%, according to Kim. The company is also testing revised training procedures, including the use of short-form videos instead of traditional methods. 'This is a key focus of our operations team, just because we want to enhance not just the consumer experience and the guest experience in restaurants, but also we want to amplify and enhance and ease our team member experience as well,' Kim said during the call.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dine Brands reports $214.8m revenue in Q1 FY25
Full-service restaurants company Dine Brands Global has reported total revenues of $214.8m the first quarter (Q1) of the fiscal year 2025 (FY25), up from $206.2m posted in the same period of the previous year. Dine Brands Global is the parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, IHOP and Fuzzy's Taco Shop restaurants. The Pasadena, California-based company states that its revenue rose mainly due to acquiring 47 Applebee's restaurants in late 2024, partially offset by lower franchise revenues from declining same-store sales and fewer Applebee's and IHOP franchise locations. However, despite the revenue growth, Dine Brands experienced a drop in adjusted net income available to common stockholders, which stood at $15.4m, or $1.03 per diluted share, compared to $19.9m - $1.33 per diluted share - in Q1 FY24. The decline was due to a decrease in segment profit, partially mitigated by reduced general and administrative expenses and lower cash interest expense. The company's consolidated adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation) for the first quarter also fell to $54.7m from $60.8m in the same period of the year before. Adjusted free cash flow also declined to $14.6m compared to the previous year's $29.7m. Dine Brands repurchased approximately $1.6m of its common stock and distributed $7.8m in dividends during the quarter. In its fiscal 2025 guidance, the company anticipates that Applebee's domestic system-wide comparable same-restaurant sales will vary between a 2% decline and a 1% increase. IHOP will see a range between a 1% decrease and a 2% increase in similar metrics. Franchise development activities are projected to result in a net reduction of between 20 and 35 restaurants for Applebee's and a net change ranging from ten fewer to ten new restaurants for IHOP. The consolidated adjusted EBITDA forecast remains from $235m to $245m. Dine Brands Global CEO John Peyton stated: "As we navigate the current operating environment, the fundamentals of our business remain strong, and since the second half of the quarter, we're seeing steady improvement across sales, traffic and our development pipeline. We're advancing our long-term strategy by executing the near-term priorities outlined last quarter — enhancing the guest experience, strengthening our menu and value platforms, and driving clearer value messaging through marketing. We're making great progress, and our team and franchisees are focused on continuing the positive momentum." "Dine Brands reports $214.8m revenue in Q1 FY25" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Dine Brands is going all in on dual-branded restaurants
This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. It's only been a couple of months since Dine Brands opened its first domestic dual-branded IHOP/Applebee's restaurant in Seguin, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio, but the company is already seeing significant opportunities with this store model. The unit is 'performing above expectations' and generating three times the sales compared to when it was a standalone IHOP, Dine Brands CEO John Peyton said Wednesday during an earnings call. Guests particularly like the combined menu of brand favorites, he added. While IHOP is largely focused on breakfast, Applebee's targets the dinner daypart, creating a complementary menu. Dine Brands is on track to have 14 dual-branded restaurants in the U.S. by the end of the year, Peyton said. And Dine's San Antonio franchisee has already signed up for another eight dual brands to open up in the market over the next two years. 'As a result of this strong showing, we continue to receive interest from both new and existing franchisees to build or convert to this new concept,' Peyton said. In addition to opening co-branded restaurants, the company is remodeling Applebee's locations, opening new IHOPs and improving recently acquired company-owned restaurants to boost operations and sales. The company's development strategy could help grow traffic and sales, which continued to struggle across both IHOP and Applebee's during the first quarter of 2025. Domestic comparable sales fell by 2.2% for Applebee's and 2.7% at IHOP during the quarter, according to an earnings release. Some franchisees are also expanding their portfolio by acquiring Applebee's restaurants. A current Applebee's and IHOP franchisee bought six Applebee's restaurants while another IHOP franchisee bought five Applebee's in Wisconsin. All of these restaurants will be converted to dual-branded restaurants or undergo Applebee's re-imaging program, dubbed 'Lookin' Good,' which launched earlier this year. 'These deals in particular are positive indicators that our development strategy is resonating with our franchisees for two reasons,' Peyton said. 'First, it's a great example of franchisee cross pollination between our brands, and second, it shows that our franchisees are engaged and interested in growing our brands, particularly with our new restaurant formats.' Going forward, U.S. development will be a mix of dual-branded restaurants and standalones. IHOP continues to open 40 standalone restaurants annually, for example. Some of Applebee's largest franchisees are also starting to build new units, as well. Dine completed its initial work on an Applebee's prototype and will build a company-owned restaurant with the new model, which is expected to trim $1 million from buildout costs, in the last half of the year. Peyton didn't share any additional information on the features of the prototype. The mix between standalones and dual-brands will depend on what is practical for each territory because 'not every IHOP can take an Applebee's and not every Applebee's can take an IHOP because of the adjacent brand next to them,' Peyton said. Dine doesn't want dual brands to infringe on other existing franchisee territories and what restaurants already exist in a market, he added. Internationally, development will focus primarily on dual-branded locations. The company plans to open 13 more dual-branded units and complete 10 dual-brand conversions this year, which will double its international co-branded restaurant count to 41 units, Peyton said. It will also continue to bring the co-branded restaurant into new markets with its first in Costa Rica to open in the third quarter. Dine plans to improve restaurants it recently brought into its company-owned portfolio. During the first quarter, it bought back 10 IHOPs following its fourth-quarter acquisition of 47 Applebee's restaurants. 'This year will be a transition year, with investments tied to operations, marketing, remodeling and dual brand conversions of these restaurants, and we're working quickly to execute on each of these initiatives,' Peyton said. In the past few months, Dine has worked on marketing and operations at these 47 Applebee's to help boost performance — that has already helped boost comparable sales and traffic. Those initiatives include adjusting menu prices based on a price optimization study, and boosting local marketing efforts. The company also improved staffing levels and extended restaurant hours in Atlanta to grab more of the lunch daypart. Dine has completed two remodels within that portfolio and has 28 more planned for this year, Peyton said. About five of the restaurants will be converted to dual-branded units, Peyton said during a fourth-quarter earnings call. Dine plans to eventually refranchise these restaurants. Applebee's store overhaul strategy includes refreshing aesthetics like awnings, lighting and refacing the facades. It also could include interior updates like new flooring, wall coverings and lighting, as well as refinished tables and new upholstery. 'The franchisees have renovated with our new package and the couple that we have done are showing more than required to justify the ROI there, which is exactly what it's intended to do,' Peyton said. Recommended Reading Dine Brands opens first US dual-branded Applebee's/IHOP restaurant Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's Going On With Applebee Parent Dine Brands Stock On Wednesday?
Dine Brands Global Inc. (NYSE:DIN) shares gained on Wednesday after reporting the first-quarter earnings. The company clocked first-quarter FY25 revenue growth of 4.1% year-on-year to $214.78 million, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $217.56 million. The increase was primarily due to an increase in company restaurant sales, which were mainly attributable to the acquisition of 47 Applebee's restaurants in the fourth quarter of 2024. Adjusted EPS of $1.03 missed the analyst consensus estimate of $1.23. Applebee's year-over-year domestic comparable same-restaurant sales declined 2.2% while those of IHOP's fell 2.7%. General and Administrative expenses declined 1.7% to $52.2 million. Gross profit decreased 7.3% to $90.3 million with a gross margin of 42%.Adjusted EBITDA fell 10% to $54.7 million. Operating cash flow for the quarter totaled $16.1 million, and adjusted free cash flow was $14.6 million. As of March 31, 2025, the company held $186.5 million in cash and equivalents. 'As we navigate the current operating environment, the fundamentals of our business remain strong, and since the second half of the quarter, we're seeing steady improvement across sales, traffic, and our development pipeline,' said CEO John Peyton. Outlook FY25: Applebee's domestic system-wide comparable same-restaurant sales performance is expected to be negative 2% and positive 1%. IHOP's domestic system-wide comparable same-restaurant sales performance is expected to be negative 1% and positive 2%. Dine Brands expects adjusted EBITDA of $235 million—$245 million and capital expenditures of $20 million—$30 million. Price Action: DIN shares closed higher by 2.05% to $20.38 on Wednesday. Read Next:Photo by Tada Images via Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? DINE BRANDS GLOBAL (DIN): Free Stock Analysis Report This article What's Going On With Applebee Parent Dine Brands Stock On Wednesday? originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
