LENEXA Kan. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar is adding more menu items to its months-old 2-for-$20 promotion, after more casual-dining competitors have stepped up their price-cutting.
Applebee’s Services Inc., the owner and franchisor of more than 2,000 restaurants, announced Wednesday it has added its new Realburgers to the 2-for-$20 deal, which offers guests an appetizer and two entrées for the fixed price of $20. Customers can choose from four Realburgers, including a bacon burger, a bacon cheddar burger, a Steakhouse burger and a quesadilla burger.
The casual-dining chain already offered eight regular entrées on the 2-for-$20 promotion it launched in January, including such items as a 7-ounce sirloin, oriental chicken salad and three-cheese chicken penne.
“We’re making sure our guests get real value,” said Rebecca Johnson, senior vice president of marketing and culinary for Applebee’s, which is a subsidiary of Glendale, Calif.-based DineEquity Inc. “The current challenging economy affects everyone. We’re all time starved and trying to manage a tight budget.”
The 2-for-$20 deal is encouraging repeat traffic, Johnson said.
Applebee’s decision to add more entrées to the promotion follows similar moves by other casual-dining chains that have been cutting prices and offering more fixed-price menu items.
Carrollton, Texas-based T.G.I. Friday’s has been offering $5 salads and sandwiches throughout the month of May. The nearly 600-unit chain is owned by Carlson Restaurants Worldwide.
And in April, the 1,400-plus-unit Chili’s Grill & Bar, owned by Dallas-based Brinker International, launched a promotion of 10 items for $7.
While earnings have not yet reflected traction from any of these promotions, operators have said repeatedly that in this operating environment getting people in the door is the most important objective and can help to build long-term brand loyalty.
Contact Dina Berta at [email protected].