Applebee's first Indian restaurant to be launched in Bengaluru soon

Dine Brands International has signed a franchise deal with Rohit Malhotra and Jayaprakash Mutharayappa to open the first Applebee’s restaurant in India. The first Applebee’s restaurant will be launched in Bengaluru in late 2020.

The company further aims to launch nine Applebee’s restaurants in the country over the next seven years.

Steve Joyce, CEO and President, International, Dine Brands Global, Inc, said, “We are excited to open our first Applebee’s restaurant later this year in Bengaluru and believe India is an important growth market for Dine Brands.”

“As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, we believe India represents a great opportunity for Applebee’s and we think Indian guests will love our local as well as Western tastes, hand-made to order menu items and signature cocktail bar,” Joyce added.

Rohit Malhotra, CEO, and Jayaprakash Mutharayappa, Chairman, Dine Brands International Franchisees, stated, “We are proud to be the newest Applebee’s international franchisee, we have both been life-long customers of Applebee's, and we look forward to introducing Applebee’s delicious food, outstanding beverages, along with their quality service and great value, to people throughout India.”

Dine Brands International is continuing to place emphasis on growth in markets like the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

Casual Dining Restaurants Industry

In India, the Casual Dining Restaurants Industry is the second most popular category within the food and beverage (F&B) space. 

At present, the Indian restaurant industry is worth Rs 75,000 crore. Growing at an annual rate of 7%, this segment is majorly driven by a young population aged between 15-44 years. Other factors that drive the growth of the casual dining market include disposable incomes, growth of consumers in smaller towns and broadening the exposure of new cuisines, rapid urbanisation and the higher frequency of eating out has evolved the market for the food services industry in India.

Casual Dining Restaurant demand is driven by the shifting lifestyle trends with a wide variety of menu offerings and flavors. Eating out has now transformed from occasion driven to becoming a regular activity even on weekdays besides weekends only and they are gradually moving from fine-dine to enjoy more of casual dining culture.