Who owns Applebee's?
Applebee's is owned by Dine Brands (the United States, NYSE: DIN), which has owned the brand since 1 November 2007.[1]
Evidence: Dine Brands Global, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-25, SEC EDGAR, 25 February 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Dine Brands Global, Inc. verified
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Pasadena
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Decatur
- Founded
- 1980
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Casual dining › Casual dining restaurants
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: DIN
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Applebee's
Applebee's is a casual dining brand offering simple American fare with classic drinks and local draft beers, according to the Dine Brands 10-K. The first restaurant in what became the chain opened in 1980 in Decatur, Georgia. Dine acquired Applebee's International in November 2007. At 28 December 2025 there were 1,579 restaurants, 1,520 franchised and 59 company-owned.
What Dine Brands's annual report says about Applebee's
Sentences about Applebee's from Dine Brands's latest annual filing[1], copied word for word.
Most of our revenue is derived from domestic sources within our business segments, with approximately 74% of our total revenues for the year ended December 28, 2025 being generated from our two largest operating segments, IHOP and Applebee's.
Our Strategic Priorities Our approach to restaurant brand building centers on innovation and evolution of our existing brands, such as our expansion into dual-branded IHOP and Applebee's restaurants, as well as exploring investments or acquisitions of new concepts.
We subsequently refranchised all Applebee's company-owned restaurants and were 100% franchised.
How often Dine Brands names Applebee's in its annual report
A plain count of the times the name appears in the text of each annual report, not counting the start of a sentence. A brand that an owner writes about more is usually one it treats as central. The brand is named less often than it was three years earlier.
Ownership timeline of Applebee's
- 2007 – present Dine Brands [1] verified
Where Applebee's sits in Dine Brands
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Dine Brands ownership tree →
See the full Dine Brands brand portfolio (3) →
Other brands owned by Dine Brands
Dine Brands controls 3 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in restaurants & foodservice.
Also in restaurants & foodservice
- Fuzzy's Taco Shop (2003)
- IHOP (1958)
Other brands in casual dining restaurants, and who owns them
The 72 brands in casual dining restaurants on Brandtree belong to 24 owners. The largest is Gulf Hotels Group, with 19; Dine Brands has 2.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Al Waha Restaurant | Gulf Hotels Group | 🇧🇭 Bahrain |
| Casa Bella | Spur Corporation | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| Chaonabian | Jiumaojiu | 🇨🇳 China |
| Bonefish Grill | Bloomin' Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen | Darden | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Oliver's Super Sandwiches | Café de Coral | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
| Café de Paris Monte-Carlo | Monte-Carlo SBM | 🇲🇨 Monaco |
| Chili's Grill & Bar | Brinker | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Dine Brands
Dine Brands is a publicly listed company headquartered in Pasadena, United States. Brandtree records 3 brands under its control, and it is listed as NYSE: DIN.
Dine Brands Global is a Pasadena, California franchisor of IHOP, Applebee's and Fuzzy's Taco Shop. Its fiscal 2025 10-K reports 3,509 restaurants across the three brands in 20 countries and two territories, with the substantial majority owned and operated by independent franchisees. The company was previously named DineEquity, Inc. and, before that, IHOP Corp.
🇺🇸 Applebee's and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,399 brands that began in the United States. 461 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Applebee's is not one of them.
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
- Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen — Darden 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Applebee's?
The parent company of Applebee's is Dine Brands, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Applebee's American?
Yes. Applebee's originated in the United States in 1980 and its owner, Dine Brands, is also headquartered in the United States.
Since when has Dine Brands owned Applebee's?
Dine Brands has owned Applebee's since 1 November 2007.
Is Applebee's still owned by Dine Brands?
Yes. As of 10 October 2026, Applebee's is still owned by Dine Brands. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Dine Brands Global, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-25 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 25 February 2026; retrieved 3 October 2026.
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