Applebee’s has been closing a handful of locations across the country since February, but the company hasn’t released a list of locations slated to close.
Four Applebee’s locations in Florida shuttered in 2025 and another closed just this month.
Here’s what we know about Applebee’s locations closing, which locations in Florida have closed and how many locations there are left in the Sunshine State.
Is Applebee’s closing?
Applebee’s is not closing all of its stores, but the chain is shuttering select underperforming locations this year.
Applebee’s parent company is Dine Brands, which also owns IHOP and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop. According to the annual report Dine filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2025 and the Evansville Courier & Press, Applebee’s franchisees have recently struggled with rising fuel and food costs and utility bills.
Why are Applebee’s locations closing?
Following reports of locations in Indiana, Missouri and New York in February, USA TODAY asked Dine Brands for a list of closing restaurants. The company declined and sent a statement from Applebee’s President John Peyton instead.
Restaurant closures “are a normal part of running a mature national system, but they don’t define our trajectory,” Peyton told USA TODAY in the statement.
“What matters is the momentum behind our growth, and we’re seeing real signs of an inflection point. This year, we’re planning on opening more restaurants than we have in prior years.”
In 2025, at least four Applebee’s locations in Florida closed, in Daytona Beach, Gainesville, Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. And on March 9, an Applebee’s location in Ormond Beach closed.
How many Applebee’s locations are in Florida?
The first Applebee’s opened in 1980 in Decatur, Georgia, and there are now more than 1,500 locations nationwide, according to the Applebee’s website.
According to the Applebee’s website, there are 76 locations in Florida as of March 17, 2026.
Contributing: Saleen Martin and Jon Webb, USA TODAY; Helena Perray, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Lianna Norman is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Applebee’s is closing restaurants in Florida. Here’s where
Reporting by Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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