Chain restaurants probably aren’t the first places that come to mind when late-night drinking is on the agenda. But Applebee’s is trying to change that.
Certain Applebee’s locations in the U.S. have become known as Club Applebee’s because locations such as one in Del Rio, Texas, and about 50 Applebee’s in central Florida lure customers in with half-price appetizers, drink specials and the promise of dance music or karaoke.
Brian Masilionis, senior manager-beverage at Applebee’s, credits a Florida franchisee, Neighborhood Restaurant Partners Florida, with popularizing Club Applebee’s. Pamela Jones, VP-marketing at Neighborhood Restaurant Partners Florida, said that after patrons started calling it that, the franchisee began using the clubapplebees.com domain name for its franchises.