Dine Brands

Dine Brands Global is the parent company of casual-dining restaurant Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and family-dining restaurant IHOP with combined annual sales in excess of $5.3 billion. It changed its name from DineEquity Inc. in early 2018, a year after the resignation of CEO Julia Stewart, who founded the company in 2007 when, as CEO of IHOP, she orchestrated that chain’s purchase of Applebee’s. Since then, both chains have pursued “asset-light” models, in which most of the restaurants are franchised.

IHOP is 100% franchised and Applebee’s has 69 company-owned locations in the Carolinas, about 4% of total restaurants, which it purchased in late 2018 from franchisees.

Stewart departed after efforts to move Applebee’s more upscale with hand-cut steaks and a wood-fired grill failed. She was temporarily replaced by the company’s lead director, Richard Dahl, before former Choice Hotels CEO Stephen Joyce was hired to fill that position in August of 2017. He, in turn, was replaced by John Peyton in November of 2020 after Joyce’s retirement.

Key Data: Dine Brands

Headquarters: Glendale, Calif.

Segments: Casual dining, family dining

Restaurant Segments: FSR American, FSR Midscale

Number of U.S. Locations: 3,378

2020 Sales: $5.3 billion

Source: Datassential Firefly 500

CEO: John Peyton