Applebee’s® Grill Celebrates 15 Years In KSA With Grand Opening Of New Applebee’s Exit 5 Location

Applebee’s®, the quintessential American neighborhood grill where there’s always a reason to celebrate, will be celebrating a milestone of its own when it marks the 15thyear in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the official opening of its newest location, Exit 5 in Riyadh planned for April 16.

The new restaurant will be the 23rdApplebee’s in KSA since franchisee Arabian Entertainment opened the first Applebee’s Grill in Jeddah in 2003.  Located at King Abdulaziz Road, Exit 5 in Riyadh, this new restaurant features the latest “Celebration” design and is expected to bring another 50 new jobs to the local economy.

To mark this special milestone, Steve Joyce, chief executive officer of Applebee’s parent company Dine Brands Global Inc., will fly in from Los Angeles to help officials from Arabian Entertainment cut the ribbon marking the restaurant’s official opening.

“Applebee’s has been bringing people together over great food since the first location opened in Atlanta in 1980, and it has been exciting to see this experience embraced in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and throughout the world,” said Joyce.

“I am especially glad to be here to celebrate the opening of our 23rdrestaurant and our fifteenth year of partnership with our terrific franchisee Arabian Entertainment,” Joyce continued. “They have done a tremendous job of bringing the Applebee’s experience to guests throughout KSA, with a respect for local tastes and customs while remaining true to the both the brand and our standards of excellence. I look forward to many more years of success and growth in the country.”

“Fifteen years ago, we brought guests in KSA the very best American Grill experience when we opened our first Applebee’s location, and our growth over the past decade and a half shows that guests have truly embraced Applebee’s as their own neighborhood grill” said Ahmed Marashde, chief executive officer, Arabian Entertainment. “Applebee’s in KSA has been a success story for our guests and for our company and this beautiful location is the latest chapter in that story.”

“In bringing the Applebee’s experience to 22 locations throughout KSA over the past 15 years, we have also created over a thousand new jobs for team members, as well as the many more indirect jobs created from local vendors and distributors,” said Gary Moore, regional vice president and general manager, Dine Brands Global. “We’re proud that our 15 years in the Kingdom have had a significant positive impact on the local economy as well as creating memorable family experiences for our guests.”

Applebee’s menu features such classic American grill fare as steaks, hamburgers, chicken dishes and salads as well as a wide array of appetizers and desserts.  Guests can also enjoy an assortment of “mocktails” and juices created especially for the region.

The Exit 5 Applebee’s is located at King Abdulaziz Road, has seating for 220 guests and the hours of operation are 11am to 1pm Sat to Wed, and 11am to 2am Thursday, and 1pm to 2am Fri.

There are Applebee’s locations throughout KSA including Jeddah, Riyadh, Al Khobar, Jubail, Dhahran, Dammam, Madinah, Jazan City and Al Ihsaa.