Applebee’s Veterans Day

The Applebee's chain was started by Bill and T J Palmer who opened their first restaurant T J Applebee's Rx for Edibles & Elixirs in Decatur Georgia on January 1 1980. After opening their second restaurant the pair sold their company to WR Grace and Company in 1983 As part of the transaction, Bill Palmer was named president of the Applebee's Division of indirect subsidiary of WR Grace and Company.


In that capacity Palmer guided the operation from its entrepreneurial beginnings to a full fledged franchise system He became at Applebee's franchisee in 1985 and today owns more than three dozen Applebee's restaurants.The name of the concept was changed to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar to reflect the Palmers' original concept of a place people could call their own.



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Applebees_carside_to_go.jpg/149px-Applebees_carside_to_go.jpgTypical Applebee's in Coral Springs Florida.


Applebee's International Inc became the restaurant chain's franchiser when Kansas City franchisees Abe Gustin and John Hamra purchased the rights to the Applebee's concept from WR Grace with more than 1.900 restaurants Applebee's is the world's largest casual dining restaurant chain From 1993 to 2005 Applebee's opened 100 or more new restaurants each year the company estimates the development potential of the Applebee's concept in the United States to be at least restaurants 3,000.