https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/03/business/applebees-turnaround/index.html
"Americans are stressed," Cywinski told CNN Business.
"When stressed, they tend to go to comfort food ... and we're pretty darn good at comfort food," he said. "That's the role we play."
Alcohol accounts for about 15% of Applebee's business, Cywinski said. It's important because stressed out customers may want a drink with dinner. And when people come to drink, they often order food.
When it comes to meals, Applebee's is focusing on "abundant value," Cywinski said. That means all-you-can-eat riblets and chicken tenders and creamy pasta dishes.
But Applebee's has been "significantly outperforming the industry," Vaccaro added. That may be because Applebee's has done such a good job of showing customers that it's about the value and the experience, he said.
"They're not going after the avocado toast Millennials," said Anderson. "They're going after middle America."
But Applebee's is paying attention to certain trends. Like other chains, Applebee's is investing in off-premise dining, technology and delivery.
Submitted November 04, 2018 at 06:48PM by COMPUTER1313 https://ift.tt/2JDVlAc
