"What should we get for dinner?"
That question has been asked far too many times, especially over the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic when people relied on fast-food and other easy take-out options.
But the traditionally sit-down restaurant Applebee's wants to make it a lot easier to get your favorite meal. Get ready to be "fancy like Applebee's on a date night." Bourbon steak and an oreo shake equals 'yes, please.'
Applebee's president John Cywinski told CNN that the chain is aiming to have about 15 restaurants with drive-thru windows by the end of 2022.
"We think there's a really strong argument for it," Cywinski said, adding "we will scale it, should the business case be clear. My instinct says yes, there's a genuine need."
The chain's off-premise sales increased to about 27% of all sales by the final three months of 2021, as more and more people have started to place orders online for pick-up since the beginning of the pandemic. Their pickup and delivery orders were only about 12.8% of their total sales in the final three months of 2019.
"If you didn't have 1.5 hours to dine-in and you were on the go... you're probably thinking about McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King, and maybe a burger, fries and a Pepsi through a drive-thru window," Cywinski said at an investor day in March.
Now, "we are competing directly with [quick-service restaurants] and fast casual," Cywinski said.
Applebee's currently has about 1,600 locations nationwide, and has already launched drive-thru windows at two locations -- one in Texarkana, Texas, and another in Monroe, Louisiana.
Cywinski said that building the drive-thru windows will depend "on the site and the municipality." A lot of location are owned by a franchisee, who would also have to approve the construction. Even though some locations don't have the room for the addition of a drive-thru window, he believes that the addition of windows would help delivery drivers and expand their customer base.
Fans of Applebee's in West Columbia, South Carolina and Colonial Heights, Virginia can begin to get excited, as drive-thru windows are expected to be added to those locations in the coming weeks.
Related
Related
