TWO beloved Applebee’s locations were abruptly shut down, leaving fans of the American casual dining restaurant chain shocked and disappointed.
The Milwaukee-area locations were closed in the last few weeks, leaving diners to find out via a note on the door.
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Two Applebee’s restaurants in the West Allis and Delafield neighborhoods, located in the Milwaukee metropolitan area of Wisconsin, closed down to the dismay of fans.
“Got up to the door. Saw the sign. And, yeah, disappointed,” West Allis resident Sandy Bansemer told local ABC affiliate WISN-TV on Friday.
Bansemer and her friend Darlene Duewel were turned away from the restaurant after discovering that the Applebee’s doors were locked.
“We had absolutely no idea. But as I pulled in, I said, there’s nobody here,” recalled the customer.
Her friend, a long-time local, was similarly surprised by the restaurant’s closure.
“Well, I’m shocked because I’m a West Allis girl, and I’ve lived here a long, long time,” said Duewel. “We came to Applebee’s quite often. I’m totally stunned. We hadn’t heard anything.”
Court records revealed that an eviction order was signed this month, filed by the property’s landlord because the franchise owner owed roughly $90,000 and was “repeatedly chronically late with payments of base rent.”
The Delafield Applebee’s, also operated by the SBG Apple North company, similarly has been shut down due to rent issues.
SBG Apple North owed over $60,000 to the Delafield landlord “for past-due rent and various other charges due,” according to court documents.
Applebee’s employees impacted by the abrupt Delafield closure were inside last Tuesday when an officer showed up with an eviction notice, they told WISN-TV.
The deputy informed the staff that they had to exit the premises immediately.
STRING OF SHUTDOWNS
The two closures are just the latest setbacks Applebee’s has faced in the Milwaukee metropolitan region.
Several of the chain’s locations have closed in recent years, including the Pewaukee location, which closed in 2023 after 24 years of operation.
An Applebee’s restaurant in Brookfield has also shuttered, while a location in New Berlin closed and was converted into an IHOP.
The Applebee’s in Oak Creek also shut down for a period last fall due to “health concerns” but has since reopened.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain’s affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California, and one in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana. This was followed in July by a bankruptcy filing from its parent company which announced the closure of 150 locations.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Red Lobster: The seafood chain filed for bankruptcy in May and shuttered over 100 locations.
- Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Frisco’s Chicken: The poultry restaurant shuttered all of its locations over the summer
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
- Foster’s Freeze: Shuttered a location in California after five decades in business due to financial struggles.
- Chicken Salad Chick: After nine years the restaurant shuttered one location in Jacksonville, Florida, with no reason given.
- México Lindo: The New York City-based restaurant announced its final day after 52 years and finally shuttered its doors for good on July 31.
- American Dream Pizza: Closed all of its locations in Oregon in July.
- Tender Greens: The Southern California-based chain filed for bankruptcy.
- Lefty’s Famous Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, & Grill: Abruptly shuttered 18 locations in July due to a family feud.
- Firehouse Subs: Shuttered a location in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State over the summer citing “unforeseen circumstances”
- Taco Time: The Taco Bell rival shuttered a location in Seattle after 50 years following a death in the franchise owner’s family.
- Burgerim: Shuttered a location in Burlington, Massachusetts in July, reigniting bankruptcy fears from 2020.
- Denny’s: The chain has shuttered over 40 locations so far this year with the owner of the one outlet blaming vandalism.
- Starbucks: The chain shuttered one of its most iconic locations in New York City after almost three decades with fans blaming crime. It also lost a location in Seattle.
- Subway: In August, the sandwich chain shuttered over 20 locations across the US and Canada after a franchisee lost money after being a victim of fraud.
- IHOP: A restaurant in New Hampshire shut its doors after 24 years, leaving four locations in the state.
- Switchback Coffee Roasters: The popular chain filed for bankruptcy in August after over a decade in business.
- Jimmy John’s: The sandwich shop chain shuttered a location in Nevada on August 19 after 12 years citing overexpansion issues.
- KFC: Closed the remaining three locations in Rockford, Illinois all on the same day on August 19. In total, it closed six locations across four cities in Illinois.
- Rusty Bucket: The chicken shop chain confirmed it would officially leave Florida as it announced a handful of closures including in Sarasota and Ohio.
- Buca di Beppo: The Olive Garden rival abruptly shuttered 44 locations across five states before filing for bankruptcy.
- Red Robin: Announced the closure of its Ashburn, Virginia location on August 25 after 15 years in business.
- Noodles & Company: Shuttered dozens of locations due to their contribution to around $2 million worth of losses.
- Shoney’s: The classic American-style food chain founded in 1947 officially exited Ohio after three decades of business as it reduced its operational footprint.
- Homegrown: The sandwich chain based in Seattle announced the closure of 10 locations leaving 150 employees in the lurch.
- World of Beer: Filed for bankruptcy after closing 14 outlets.
- Arby’s: The chain announced a number of closures this year including in Lexington, Kentucky, Akron, Ohio,
- Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Shuttered a location in New Jersey in July, leaving just two in the state, followed by the closure of a Baltimore location in August.
- Hart House: Shutterd all four locations in California in September just two years after the vegan fast-food restaurant chain was launched by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
Fans can visit three other Applebee’s in the Milwaukee area:
- Menomonee Falls
- West Milwaukee
- Kenosha
LOOKING FORWARD
Applebee’s, which operates roughly 1,500 US locations, shut down around 150 over the past few years.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the beloved casual dining chain.
Dine Brands, the parent company of Applebee’s, will initiate its bold “Lookin’ Good” remodeling plan this year at 30 locations.
The initiative, to eventually impact all of the chain’s locations, will span across multiple years and refine the look and feel of Applebee’s, according to Dine Brands CEO John Peyton.
The “Lookin’ Good” strategy will first target 30 of the 47 Applebee’s locations that the parent company took over last fall, per Restaurant Dive.
Once the renovations are completed, the 30 units will be re-franchised, and five of the remaining sites will be transformed into dual Applebee’s and IHOP locations.
“Six of our top 10 franchisees, representing 57% of the Applebee’s system, have already elected to accelerate remodels of their restaurants by the end of 2025 based on the Lookin’ Good program,” said Peyton.
“The dual brand concept is now a core pillar of our development strategy, and we’re optimistic about the long-term upside potential. On average, we’ve seen these locations achieve 1.5 to two times the revenue compared to a single brand restaurant,” added the CEO.
Dine Brands intends to open 12 to 14 dual-branded locations nationwide in 2025.
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