A popular fast casual restaurant chain is closing restaurants across three states.
The Commercial Appeal reports Applebee’s is shutting down locations in Indiana, Missouri and New York. According to the reports, three locations have closed in Columbia, Missouri and Evansville, Indiana this month. Another location in Glenville, New York is also set to close.
None of Alabama’s 28 locations are set to close. Applebee’s Alabama locations are owned by Birmingham-based Quality Restaurant Concepts LLC. They operate multiple restaurants in Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville, as well as single locations in Gadsden, Florence, Prattville, Guntersville, Cullman, Ft. Payne, Tuscaloosa, Jasper and Decatur.
The closures of underperforming stores don’t signal a shutdown of the chain as a whole. Applebee’s parent company, Dine Brands Global, plans to open 80 dual-branded Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants throughout 2026. Dine Brands operates Applebee’s, IHOP and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop with more than 3,500 total locations.
In its latest financial reports, Applebee’s reported a fourth-quarter drop of 0.4% for same-restaurant sales. At the same time, IHOP same-restaurant sales grew 0.3%.
“In 2025 our brands’ performance improved as we made meaningful progress against our strategic priorities by strengthening the fundamentals of the business and positioning our brands for long-term growth,” said John Peyton, Chief Executive Officer of Dine Brands. “Our focus is on the guest experience, everyday value and continued menu innovation to drive improvements in sales and traffic.
It’s unclear if more closures are planned in the coming months but company officials said they expect between “15 and 5 net fewer restaurants” in the U.S. in 2026.
