Applebee’s To Launch Its First Hawaii Restaurant

America’s Neighborhood Grill And Bar is now present in all 50 U.S. states.

Although maintaining a presence in 17 countries, the bar-and-grill restaurant chain had until now kept its wholly franchised operations out of Hawaii. Owned by DineEquity, Applebee’s and its sister chain IHOP together make the “largest full-service restaurant company in the world, with more than 3,250 locations.” Expanding that reach to Ewa Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, with a restaurant able to seat 128 guests at one time is an important milestone for the casual dining chain.

The long wait will be well worth it as Applebee’s introduces its fresh and improved, proudly American, wood-fired grill menu. The menu comprises bone-in pork chops that have been cut by hand in-house, certified USDA Choice steaks, and salad, shrimp, and chicken entrees with a smoky, fresh taste of food intently grilled over American oak wood.

Applebee’s maintains its laudable culture of supporting the community by actively engaging in local initiatives and partnerships that benefit various charitable organizations. Applebee’s will commemorate the launch by sponsoring fundraising activities for Make-A-Wish® Hawaii. Make-A-Wish® Hawaii is a charity drive that aims to grant the wishes of kids diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.

President of DineEquity Inc., Daniel del Olmo, recognized the deficit that trailed Applebee’s absence in Hawaii. Furthermore, he expressed delight that “as of today, we can say ‘Aloha’ to friends and neighbors in Oahu.”

Similarly, Vince Espino, the president of Apple Five-O LLC, expressed his delight at his firm’s role as the franchise partner responsible for bringing Applebee’s to Hawaii.

He went further to make a generous pledge to the Make-A-Wish Hawaii charity organization. In his words, “…in addition to the donations we receive, we plan to match their contributions dollar for dollar!”

While it took a long time for Applebee’s to set up shop in the 50th state, the chain is looking to ramp things up quickly. Plans are already underway to open a second restaurant in 2017. The proposed location is the Ka Makana Alii Mall in West Oahu.