Off-premise business boosts Applebee’s, IHOP sales
By Sara Shaw • November 7, 2018
Off-premise business drove sales gains at Applebee’s and IHOP in the most recent quarter, parent company Dine Brands Global Inc. said Wednesday, adding that it sees significant runway for further growth in delivery. Dine Brands’ net income for the quarter rose to $23.6 million, compared with a loss of $450.3 million for the comparable quarter a year ago.
Specifically, Dine Brand executives credited off-premise sales for much of the quarter’s growth. At Applebee’s, off-premise sales grew 37 percent and now make up 10 percent of the sales mix. At IHOP, to-go comparable sales increased by 35 percent and to-go traffic by 26 percent. IHOP recently announced a national delivery partnership with DoorDash. “While the vast majority of our current off-premise business is to-go, we anticipate delivery being offered in almost a thousand restaurants by year-end in addition to our emerging catering business,” said John Cywinski, Applebee’s president.