Applebee’s Gets ‘Incredible Bump’ From Stimulus Spend

At Applebee’s, there could be hope on the horizon amid the pandemic as sales increase, Bloomberg reported.

Flynn Restaurant Group, the sit-down chain’s largest franchisee which runs 444 locations, said the casual dining restaurant is going strong amid its brands, according to Bloomberg. Other Flynn brands include Taco Bell, Arby’s and Panera Bread. Company Founder Greg Flynn said the new strength in sales at Applebee’s could be attributed to “an incredible bump” from stimulus checks, boosted unemployment benefits and tax rebates.

“I’m seeing some of the strongest sales I’ve ever seen in my career,” he told Bloomberg. “People are finally getting vaccinated. Spring is here. There’s a light at the end of a tunnel. The rules are all relaxing. People are getting out, and they have money in their pockets.”

The Applebee’s locations operated by Flynn are mostly reopened now, albeit at limited capacity. There are some in California that are still prohibiting customers from eating inside, Bloomberg reported.

Takeout and delivery at the restaurants are still above pre-pandemic levels. And the lessening competition has helped them out, according to Bloomberg.

Flynn called it a “perfect storm of supply and demand,” adding that it was “very sad,” however, that many restaurants hadn’t made it through, per Bloomberg.

Dine-in restaurants like Applebee’s took a hit during the pandemic, as much of their revenue from people sitting inside dried up because of the need to avoid viral infections from close proximity.

As more people get vaccinated, the post-pandemic future is coming into view, and it’s likely to keep digital food ordering even after it’s safer to go out to eat.

To that end, delivery apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub will likely still see around half of consumers using them once the pandemic is done.

About 40 percent of people have picked up habits of using the phone to call in an order, using mobile order-ahead technology or buying food from a restaurant’s website since the pandemic began.