I Tried the First IHOPplebee’s in America

00:28:50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knIZiRI6O_I

Summary

TLDRThe video delves into the world of combination restaurants, particularly focusing on the newly opened IHOpplebees in Texas, which merges Applebee's and IHOP. The host, a self-proclaimed combination restaurant aficionado, examines the unique aspects of IHOpplebees, including its shared kitchen and combined menu, while comparing it to a similar establishment in Detroit. The video discusses the decline of combo restaurants in America, exploring historical trends and the challenges they face, such as profitability and consumer spending. Despite these challenges, the host expresses hope for a resurgence in combo dining experiences, especially with the innovative approach taken by IHOpplebees. The video concludes with a call for viewers to share their thoughts on the future of combination restaurants and potential new pairings.

Takeaways

  • 🍽️ IHOpplebees combines Applebee's and IHOP for a unique dining experience.
  • 📍 The first IHOpplebees in America is located in Texas, with a similar one in Detroit.
  • 🕒 Customers can order from both menus at any time, except Applebee's before 11:00 a.m.
  • 🍳 Crossover menu items like the loaded buffalo chicken omelette are exclusive to IHOpplebees.
  • 📉 Combination restaurants are declining due to profitability and operational challenges.
  • 🔄 The future of combo restaurants is uncertain, but there are plans for more IHOpplebees locations.
  • 🍔 Unique features include a shared kitchen and combined branding.
  • 💡 Ideas for new combos include Arby's and Sonic for a drive-in experience.
  • 📊 Historical trends show a decline in combo restaurants since the mid-2000s.
  • 🤔 Viewers are encouraged to share thoughts on the future of combination restaurants.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The narrator embarks on a quest to find the last remaining Kaco Hut, highlighting the decline of combination restaurants in America. They discover a new combo restaurant in Texas, an Applebee's and IHOP hybrid, dubbed IHOpplebees, and express excitement about its potential to revive the trend.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The narrator, a combination restaurant enthusiast, explains their framework for categorizing combo restaurants. They differentiate between loosely attached businesses and those with shared kitchens and employees, noting that IHOpplebees fits the latter category despite being casual dining rather than fast food.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Upon researching a similar establishment in Detroit, the narrator finds discrepancies in its classification as a combo restaurant. They confirm that customers can order from both IHOP and Applebee's sides, challenging the claim that the Texas location is the first of its kind in the U.S.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The narrator travels to Detroit to experience the combo restaurant firsthand, discussing the unique features of the IHOP Express and the shared kitchen setup. They note the absence of a bathroom inside the restaurant and the limited menu offerings compared to traditional IHOPs.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:28:50

    After visiting both the Detroit and Texas locations, the narrator reflects on the future of combo restaurants. They express hope for the success of IHOpplebees due to its innovative crossover menu items and shared branding, while also acknowledging the challenges faced by the industry.

Show more

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is IHOpplebees?

    IHOpplebees is a combination restaurant that merges Applebee's and IHOP, allowing customers to order from both menus.

  • Where is the first IHOpplebees located?

    The first IHOpplebees in America is located in Texas, but there is a similar establishment in Detroit.

  • Can you order from both Applebee's and IHOP at IHOpplebees?

    Yes, customers can order from both menus at any time, except Applebee's items are not available before 11:00 a.m.

  • What are some unique features of IHOpplebees?

    IHOpplebees features a shared kitchen, combined menus, and crossover items exclusive to the location.

  • Why are combination restaurants declining?

    Combination restaurants have been declining due to challenges in profitability, training staff, and maintaining quality.

  • What is the future of combination restaurants?

    The future is uncertain, but there are plans for more IHOpplebees locations, indicating a potential resurgence.

  • What are crossover menu items?

    Crossover menu items are unique dishes that combine elements from both restaurants, like the loaded buffalo chicken omelette.

  • How does IHOpplebees compare to other combo restaurants?

    IHOpplebees is considered one of the best-executed examples of combination restaurants due to its shared branding and menu.

  • What challenges do combo restaurants face?

    Combo restaurants face challenges like declining consumer spending, operational complexity, and competition.

  • What are some ideas for new combo restaurants?

    Potential combos include Arby's and Sonic, leveraging their unique offerings and drive-in setups.

View more video summaries

Get instant access to free YouTube video summaries powered by AI!
Subtitles
en
Auto Scroll:
  • 00:00:00
    Earlier this year, I set out to find the
  • 00:00:02
    last remaining Kaco Hut because
  • 00:00:04
    combination restaurants have been dying
  • 00:00:05
    out rapidly across America. They go from
  • 00:00:08
    three restaurants to two, two
  • 00:00:10
    restaurants to one, or sometimes they
  • 00:00:12
    just close entirely. It seems like an
  • 00:00:14
    irreversible trend. Or is it? In
  • 00:00:16
    February, a new combination restaurant
  • 00:00:18
    opened in Texas, the likes of which had
  • 00:00:20
    never been seen before in America. A
  • 00:00:22
    combo Applebees and IHOP, or as I like
  • 00:00:25
    to call it, IHOpplebees. And since I'm
  • 00:00:27
    weirdly passionate about combo
  • 00:00:29
    restaurants, I knew I had to go
  • 00:00:30
    experience it for myself and see if this
  • 00:00:32
    could be the comeback we're all hoping
  • 00:00:34
    for.
  • 00:00:37
    [Music]
  • 00:00:40
    If you're new here, I'm a little bit of
  • 00:00:42
    a combination restaurant afficionado.
  • 00:00:44
    And because of that, I can't tell you
  • 00:00:45
    how many times people sent me these
  • 00:00:47
    headlines.
  • 00:00:55
    Besides the fact that this just sounds
  • 00:00:57
    like an incredible culinary experience,
  • 00:00:59
    one reason I was so excited to go see
  • 00:01:00
    this place in person is that I think
  • 00:01:02
    this might be one of the best examples
  • 00:01:04
    of a combination restaurant that's ever
  • 00:01:06
    existed. And here's what I mean by that.
  • 00:01:08
    I've developed a framework for all the
  • 00:01:09
    different ways that restaurants can be
  • 00:01:11
    combined. On the one end, you've got
  • 00:01:12
    separate businesses that are loosely
  • 00:01:14
    attached. This includes things like mall
  • 00:01:16
    food courts, gas stations, and travel
  • 00:01:18
    plazas, Little Caesars inside a Kmart.
  • 00:01:20
    In most cases, I don't even really
  • 00:01:21
    consider these to be combo restaurants.
  • 00:01:24
    In the middle, you've got multiple
  • 00:01:25
    brands in a dedicated space, but
  • 00:01:27
    separate counters and separate
  • 00:01:28
    employees. The best example of this is a
  • 00:01:30
    combination Wendy's and Tim Hortons. And
  • 00:01:32
    then on the other end, the most pure
  • 00:01:34
    examples of combination restaurants
  • 00:01:36
    include a shared kitchen, shared
  • 00:01:38
    counter, and shared employees. Examples
  • 00:01:41
    include Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Dunkin,
  • 00:01:43
    BaskinRobins, Auntie Ans, Cinnabon, and
  • 00:01:45
    Carville, and of course the
  • 00:01:46
    aforementioned Kaco Hut, which is a
  • 00:01:49
    triple combination KFC, Taco Bell, and
  • 00:01:51
    Pizza Hut. Obviously, IHOP and Applebees
  • 00:01:53
    are slightly different in that they come
  • 00:01:54
    from the world of casual dining, not
  • 00:01:57
    fast food. So, they don't really have a
  • 00:01:58
    counter like these other places, but
  • 00:02:00
    from what I can tell from these
  • 00:02:01
    articles, this place checks all the
  • 00:02:03
    other boxes with a shared kitchen,
  • 00:02:04
    shared employees, and shared branding.
  • 00:02:07
    So, as I got ready to fly to Texas, I
  • 00:02:09
    had one big question on my mind. Why are
  • 00:02:11
    IHOpplebees popping up in 2025 when most
  • 00:02:14
    other combination restaurants are going
  • 00:02:15
    in the other direction? But
  • 00:02:17
    unfortunately, before I could answer
  • 00:02:18
    that question, I ran into a huge
  • 00:02:21
    problem. Okay, so when people started
  • 00:02:23
    sending me these articles, I was like,
  • 00:02:25
    "Guys, I think there already is one of
  • 00:02:26
    these in Detroit." Like in this ideas
  • 00:02:28
    note on my computer, it says IHOP plus
  • 00:02:31
    Applebees in Detroit. I hadn't really
  • 00:02:32
    looked into it. It was just an idea for
  • 00:02:34
    a video that I had jotted down. So when
  • 00:02:36
    these articles came out, I went back and
  • 00:02:37
    looked into the Detroit one, and there
  • 00:02:39
    weren't that many pictures, but I found
  • 00:02:40
    this one that shows the two restaurants
  • 00:02:42
    side by side, almost like they would be
  • 00:02:44
    set up at an airport, which if you
  • 00:02:46
    remember, would put them in the category
  • 00:02:48
    with like food courts and travel plazas.
  • 00:02:50
    And I'm like, surely, surely the authors
  • 00:02:53
    of these articles did their research
  • 00:02:54
    before they called this one in Texas the
  • 00:02:56
    first in the US. But then just now as
  • 00:02:59
    I'm like getting ready to go, I find
  • 00:03:01
    these 360° walkthroughs.
  • 00:03:04
    And the reason why I didn't see these
  • 00:03:05
    before, and this is one of my gripes
  • 00:03:07
    with combination restaurants, is that
  • 00:03:08
    they're listed as separate
  • 00:03:10
    establishments on Google Maps. So when
  • 00:03:12
    you look at the listing for IHOP, the
  • 00:03:13
    only 360° images are from Street View.
  • 00:03:16
    But when you look at the listing for
  • 00:03:17
    Applebee's, it's like the Street View
  • 00:03:19
    card drove right through the restaurant.
  • 00:03:21
    Like this is clearly one restaurant.
  • 00:03:24
    Like I'm on the Applebee's side and
  • 00:03:26
    they've got syrup on the table. I don't
  • 00:03:27
    know if you've been to Applebee's
  • 00:03:29
    recently, but that's not typical
  • 00:03:30
    Applebee's behavior. I was able to find
  • 00:03:32
    that it's in this hotel and on the hotel
  • 00:03:35
    website it says these are the IHOP hours
  • 00:03:38
    and these are the Applebee's hours and
  • 00:03:40
    they don't overlap. So I'm thinking,
  • 00:03:42
    okay, so that's not really a combo
  • 00:03:44
    restaurant. like it just switches from
  • 00:03:46
    an IHOP to an Applebee's. But maybe you
  • 00:03:48
    can't really order both at the same
  • 00:03:49
    time. So maybe that's why the articles
  • 00:03:51
    are calling the one in Texas the first.
  • 00:03:53
    But I went ahead and called the
  • 00:03:54
    restaurant just to be sure. By the way,
  • 00:03:57
    a lot of people are giving me a hard
  • 00:03:58
    time for never calling the Kaco Hut in
  • 00:04:00
    Puerto Rico. And I just have to defend
  • 00:04:01
    myself for a second here. When I was
  • 00:04:03
    making that video, they didn't have a
  • 00:04:04
    phone number on their Google Maps
  • 00:04:06
    listing or on any websites. And even if
  • 00:04:08
    they did, my Spanish is so rusty that it
  • 00:04:10
    just would have been a nightmare for
  • 00:04:11
    everyone involved. Hello and thank you
  • 00:04:13
    for calling the Applebee's IHOP. Press
  • 00:04:15
    one for hours of operation. The hours of
  • 00:04:18
    operation for the Applebee's IHOP at the
  • 00:04:20
    Millinger Center are 7:00 a.m. to 10:00
  • 00:04:22
    p.m. daily. Press three to reach a team
  • 00:04:24
    member or manager or to
  • 00:04:28
    thank you for calling IHOP. How can I
  • 00:04:30
    help you? Hi, I just have a quick
  • 00:04:32
    question for you. What time does the
  • 00:04:34
    restaurant switch over? 11:00 a.m. Okay,
  • 00:04:38
    so after 11:00 a.m. you can't order IHOP
  • 00:04:41
    anymore? No, you can. You just can't
  • 00:04:43
    order Applebees before 11. So,
  • 00:04:45
    hypothetically,
  • 00:04:47
    would I be able to order IHOP from the
  • 00:04:49
    Applebee's side at like 8:00 p.m.? Yep.
  • 00:04:53
    Okay. Thank you so much. No problem.
  • 00:04:55
    Have a nice day. So, as it turns out,
  • 00:04:57
    those hours on the hotel website were
  • 00:04:59
    wrong. You can sit on either side and
  • 00:05:01
    order from either restaurant, except you
  • 00:05:03
    can't order from Applebee's before 11:00
  • 00:05:04
    a.m. I mean, this checks all the boxes
  • 00:05:08
    for combination restaurant, which is
  • 00:05:10
    crazy because that would mean that all
  • 00:05:11
    those articles are wrong. And I think it
  • 00:05:13
    also means that I'm probably going to
  • 00:05:15
    need to
  • 00:05:16
    go to Detroit.
  • 00:05:19
    Since I was going to be making the trip,
  • 00:05:20
    I tried to see what other videos I could
  • 00:05:22
    work on between here and there. And I'm
  • 00:05:23
    going to be honest with you guys. When
  • 00:05:24
    I'm traveling and filming three to four
  • 00:05:26
    videos at the same time, staying on top
  • 00:05:28
    of my spending can feel a little bit
  • 00:05:29
    stressful. But that's why I'm thankful
  • 00:05:31
    to partner with Chime, who's the sponsor
  • 00:05:32
    of this episode. Chime lets you feel
  • 00:05:34
    good about your money without having to
  • 00:05:36
    stress about all those monthly fees
  • 00:05:37
    we've become so used to paying with
  • 00:05:39
    traditional financial institutions.
  • 00:05:40
    There were multiple times in college
  • 00:05:42
    when I accidentally overdrafted my
  • 00:05:43
    checking account and then got hit with
  • 00:05:45
    fees from my bank that were higher than
  • 00:05:46
    the charge itself. It felt like I was
  • 00:05:48
    trying to get on top of my finances, but
  • 00:05:49
    was constantly hitting setbacks. Chime,
  • 00:05:52
    on the other hand, is built to help you
  • 00:05:53
    get ahead. They provide a checking
  • 00:05:55
    account, a secured credit card, and
  • 00:05:56
    savings tools that are easy to use,
  • 00:05:58
    totally transparent, and built to
  • 00:06:00
    support real financial progress. Take
  • 00:06:02
    their checking account for example. With
  • 00:06:04
    SpotMe, eligible members can overdraft
  • 00:06:06
    up to $200 on debit purchases or cash
  • 00:06:08
    withdrawals with no fees. Whether you
  • 00:06:10
    accidentally overdraft like I did, or
  • 00:06:12
    need a quick spot, Spot is there to help
  • 00:06:14
    you cover what you need and then pay it
  • 00:06:16
    back later. No stress, no questions
  • 00:06:18
    asked. It's there to cover you when you
  • 00:06:20
    need it. So, if you're tired of surprise
  • 00:06:21
    fees, long waits for paychecks, and
  • 00:06:23
    outdated tools, you can use the link in
  • 00:06:25
    the description or scan this QR code to
  • 00:06:27
    sign up for Chime for a smarter way to
  • 00:06:29
    manage your money with no monthly fees,
  • 00:06:30
    no minimums, and no stress. Get started
  • 00:06:33
    today. And thanks again to Chime for
  • 00:06:34
    sponsoring this episode. After a full
  • 00:06:36
    day of driving, I eventually made it to
  • 00:06:38
    the city of brotherly love, Detroit. The
  • 00:06:40
    hotel where the restaurant is located is
  • 00:06:42
    right across the river from South
  • 00:06:44
    Detroit, aka Windsor, Canada. It's not
  • 00:06:46
    super clear when this IHOpple bees
  • 00:06:48
    opened, but the signage first appears on
  • 00:06:49
    Google Street View in the summer of
  • 00:06:51
    2018. So, it's been there for at least 7
  • 00:06:53
    years. IHOP and Applebees have been
  • 00:06:55
    under the same parent company since
  • 00:06:57
    2007, but 2018 would make sense for this
  • 00:07:00
    opening because that's when their parent
  • 00:07:01
    company rebranded from Dine Equity, Inc.
  • 00:07:03
    to Dine Brands Global and tried to shake
  • 00:07:06
    things up a little bit. So, here's the
  • 00:07:07
    view from the lobby side. They've put up
  • 00:07:09
    about half an acre of shrubbery to kind
  • 00:07:12
    of separate the lobby from the
  • 00:07:13
    restaurants, but as you can tell, still
  • 00:07:15
    kind of looks like they're two separate
  • 00:07:16
    entities on the right and the left with
  • 00:07:18
    one host stand in the middle. And I just
  • 00:07:20
    want to acknowledge the elephant in the
  • 00:07:21
    room right off the bat. I know that it
  • 00:07:23
    says Coffee Bar by IHOP and IHOP
  • 00:07:26
    Express. And I'll explain what that is
  • 00:07:28
    in just a second. I got there around
  • 00:07:29
    8:30 p.m. and the restaurant was far
  • 00:07:31
    from full, but I was told there was a
  • 00:07:32
    15-minute wait if I didn't want to sit
  • 00:07:34
    at the bar. So, I joined a wait list and
  • 00:07:36
    found a seat in the lobby where I was
  • 00:07:37
    able to start looking over their menu.
  • 00:07:39
    Also, just as a side note, one weird
  • 00:07:40
    feature is that there's no bathroom
  • 00:07:42
    inside this restaurant. So, instead,
  • 00:07:44
    they'll tell you to go stop by the desk
  • 00:07:45
    in the hotel lobby where they'll give
  • 00:07:47
    you a code for the hotel bathroom. Okay,
  • 00:07:49
    so IHOP Express. Most of the official
  • 00:07:51
    information from IHOP about IHOP Express
  • 00:07:54
    is in relation to airport locations.
  • 00:07:56
    They say the difference is that IHOP
  • 00:07:57
    Express locations have limited menus and
  • 00:07:59
    then the option for either counter
  • 00:08:01
    service or table service. But looking at
  • 00:08:03
    this menu from the Detroit location, it
  • 00:08:05
    seems pretty built out. I recognize a
  • 00:08:07
    few things they don't carry here, like
  • 00:08:08
    breakfast tacos, but I don't feel like
  • 00:08:10
    there's too much that I'd be like really
  • 00:08:12
    mad that they didn't have. And then the
  • 00:08:14
    coffee bar part. First of all, the fact
  • 00:08:15
    that you can get lattes, cappuccinos,
  • 00:08:17
    and iced coffees here is incredible.
  • 00:08:19
    Like, none of that is on the menu at my
  • 00:08:21
    local IHOP. And then it looks like there
  • 00:08:22
    are also some grab-and-go food items.
  • 00:08:25
    Not only are there more varieties of
  • 00:08:26
    breakfast burritos here than on the
  • 00:08:28
    normal IHOP menu, but I don't think
  • 00:08:29
    these bowls are included on the normal
  • 00:08:31
    IHOP menu at all. Also, just to be
  • 00:08:32
    clear, there is a seating area for IHOP.
  • 00:08:35
    Like, it's not just this counter, but
  • 00:08:37
    I'll show you that in just a second. So,
  • 00:08:38
    say what you want about IHOP Express,
  • 00:08:40
    but I feel like it should at least get
  • 00:08:41
    credit for having options that a
  • 00:08:42
    traditional IHOP doesn't have.
  • 00:08:44
    Eventually, I got seated and I saw that
  • 00:08:46
    large sections of the restaurant were
  • 00:08:48
    curtained off. Later, when I was
  • 00:08:49
    leaving, I was able to look through the
  • 00:08:50
    windows to see the rest of it, and it's
  • 00:08:52
    actually a really big space, and I do
  • 00:08:53
    feel like it's normal for restaurants to
  • 00:08:55
    limit service after a certain time, but
  • 00:08:57
    8:30 p.m. doesn't seem like crazy late
  • 00:08:59
    when you're open until 10:00. Two things
  • 00:09:00
    I want to point out to further solidify
  • 00:09:02
    the fact that this is in fact a legit
  • 00:09:04
    combo restaurant are that it's
  • 00:09:06
    definitely a shared kitchen and the
  • 00:09:07
    menus are printed together. It's not
  • 00:09:09
    like you're ordering from two separate
  • 00:09:10
    menus. I knew I wanted to get some
  • 00:09:12
    classics from both restaurants. So, I
  • 00:09:14
    ordered a Mountain Dew darkberry bash,
  • 00:09:16
    which is an Applebee's exclusive. The
  • 00:09:18
    quesadilla appetizer from Applebee's. I
  • 00:09:20
    asked if they had half off apps after
  • 00:09:22
    9:00 p.m., but was told that they only
  • 00:09:23
    had a happy hour from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
  • 00:09:25
    So, my quesadilla would be full price.
  • 00:09:27
    For IHOP, I got a stack of chocolate
  • 00:09:29
    chip pancakes. And then for dessert, I
  • 00:09:31
    ordered the triple chocolate meltdown.
  • 00:09:33
    The drink came out first and immediately
  • 00:09:35
    I was like, I don't know what that is,
  • 00:09:36
    but it is definitely not Mountain Dew
  • 00:09:38
    darkberry bash. I'm just going to show
  • 00:09:39
    you a sideby-side comparison so you can
  • 00:09:41
    see the difference in color. For a split
  • 00:09:43
    second, I was like, wait, does this I
  • 00:09:44
    Helbe serve Baja Blast? But after
  • 00:09:46
    tasting it, I confirmed that it was
  • 00:09:48
    neither Baja Blast nor Dark Berry Bash.
  • 00:09:50
    Perhaps a secret flavor exclusive to
  • 00:09:52
    this location. If anybody from Mountain
  • 00:09:55
    Dew or Applebees is watching and can
  • 00:09:56
    tell me what I just drank, that would be
  • 00:09:58
    great. The quesadilla was delicious.
  • 00:10:00
    Very salty, but otherwise no notes. And
  • 00:10:02
    the pancakes were solid. Exactly what
  • 00:10:04
    you'd expect from IHOP. Although, at one
  • 00:10:05
    point, I almost accidentally took a sip
  • 00:10:07
    of the syrup instead of my drink. Could
  • 00:10:09
    have been bad. And then the chocolate
  • 00:10:10
    meltdown thing was decent. I've heard
  • 00:10:12
    that pretty much everywhere that serves
  • 00:10:13
    these, from fancy restaurants all the
  • 00:10:15
    way down to Domino's, just gets them
  • 00:10:16
    from the same supplier. I haven't been
  • 00:10:18
    able to confirm that, but honestly, it
  • 00:10:20
    would not surprise me. One thing I made
  • 00:10:21
    sure to ask my waitress about was this
  • 00:10:23
    buffet I had seen in those 360 images.
  • 00:10:25
    So, from these pictures, which are dated
  • 00:10:27
    June 2018, it looks like you could do an
  • 00:10:29
    IHOP breakfast buffet for $13.99,
  • 00:10:32
    featuring waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage,
  • 00:10:35
    biscuits, and gravy, and then cereal,
  • 00:10:36
    and other stuff. Basically, a really
  • 00:10:38
    nice hotel breakfast buffet. And once
  • 00:10:40
    again, way more than you're getting at a
  • 00:10:41
    typical IHOP. And then at lunchtime,
  • 00:10:43
    there was an Applebee's buffet for the
  • 00:10:44
    same price, which looks like it included
  • 00:10:46
    a soup and salad bar and then rotated
  • 00:10:48
    based on the day. So you might get stir
  • 00:10:50
    fry, tacos, shrimp, riblets, or maybe
  • 00:10:53
    different types of chicken. Incredible
  • 00:10:55
    setup, phenomenal deal. But sadly, my
  • 00:10:57
    waitress told me that they stopped doing
  • 00:10:58
    that sometime around CO. She said
  • 00:11:00
    occasionally they'll throw a buffet back
  • 00:11:02
    there during a big game to take some of
  • 00:11:03
    the stress off the kitchen, but mostly
  • 00:11:05
    it's just nothing. Here's a shot of what
  • 00:11:06
    that section looks like now. So after
  • 00:11:08
    eating here, does this location deserve
  • 00:11:10
    the title of being the first IHOpplebees
  • 00:11:12
    in America? As someone who may have
  • 00:11:14
    accidentally become one of the world's
  • 00:11:15
    foremost experts on combination
  • 00:11:17
    restaurants, I would say yes for the
  • 00:11:19
    following reasons. For one, as I
  • 00:11:21
    mentioned before, the menus are combined
  • 00:11:22
    and all the food is prepped in the same
  • 00:11:24
    kitchen. Two, for all intents and
  • 00:11:26
    purposes, it's a combined seating area.
  • 00:11:28
    Like, sure, the vast majority is themed
  • 00:11:30
    like Applebee's, and you've got one room
  • 00:11:32
    that's exclusively themed like IHOP, but
  • 00:11:34
    you can sit on either side and order
  • 00:11:35
    from either menu, as exemplified by the
  • 00:11:37
    syrups on the table on the Applebee's
  • 00:11:39
    side. just don't even think about trying
  • 00:11:40
    to order from Applebee's before 11:00
  • 00:11:42
    a.m. And finally, three, I don't feel
  • 00:11:44
    like the fact that it's an IHOP Express
  • 00:11:46
    disqualifies it in any way. In fact, a
  • 00:11:48
    lot of the combination restaurants were
  • 00:11:50
    most familiar with feature a limited
  • 00:11:51
    menu for one or both of the restaurants.
  • 00:11:53
    Like, most combination Pizza Hut and
  • 00:11:55
    Taco Bells are actually just Taco Bells
  • 00:11:57
    with a Pizza Hut Express menu tacked on.
  • 00:11:59
    That being said, there's one huge reason
  • 00:12:02
    I think I still need to visit the
  • 00:12:03
    location in Texas. In the first video I
  • 00:12:05
    made about combo restaurants about a
  • 00:12:07
    year and a half ago, I said the real
  • 00:12:09
    reason, the biggest reason in my opinion
  • 00:12:11
    these restaurants are now an endangered
  • 00:12:12
    species is that they never really
  • 00:12:14
    capitalized on exclusive crossover items
  • 00:12:17
    like the ones that I was trying to make
  • 00:12:18
    in that video. And the Detroit location
  • 00:12:20
    definitely didn't do that. But from what
  • 00:12:22
    I've heard, the new location in Texas
  • 00:12:25
    does. But before we get there, the
  • 00:12:26
    question still remains. Why now? Why is
  • 00:12:30
    Dine Brands taking this big swing by
  • 00:12:32
    announcing plans for over a dozen of
  • 00:12:34
    these IHOP and Applebees combos when
  • 00:12:35
    other companies are going in the
  • 00:12:37
    opposite direction? To understand the
  • 00:12:39
    background and hopefully find an answer
  • 00:12:40
    to that question, I've prepared for you
  • 00:12:42
    a very abridged version of the history
  • 00:12:44
    of combination restaurants. So, buckle
  • 00:12:46
    up. In 1977, PepsiCo buys Pizza Hut and
  • 00:12:49
    then Taco Bell a year after that. In
  • 00:12:51
    1986, they acquire KFC and 7 years
  • 00:12:54
    later, a baby boy is born on the south
  • 00:12:56
    side of Richmond, Virginia. His name
  • 00:12:59
    Dwide Shrewd. Just kidding. His name was
  • 00:13:01
    Sam Reed. But little does he know that
  • 00:13:03
    same year, exactly 45 mi to the
  • 00:13:05
    northeast, a KFC in Tapahanic, Virginia
  • 00:13:08
    is remodeled and becomes the world's
  • 00:13:10
    first KFC Taco Bell. This ends up being
  • 00:13:13
    wildly successful, and PepsiCo plans to
  • 00:13:15
    open 50 dual branded restaurants by the
  • 00:13:17
    summer of 1995. A couple years later,
  • 00:13:19
    the restaurant division of PepsiCo spins
  • 00:13:21
    off to become Tricon Global Restaurants.
  • 00:13:24
    And around that same time, Dunkin Donuts
  • 00:13:25
    and BaskinRon Robbins, who are both
  • 00:13:27
    under parent company Allied Dome, start
  • 00:13:29
    testing co-branded locations as well. In
  • 00:13:31
    the year 2000, Trion experiments by
  • 00:13:33
    teaming up with another company called
  • 00:13:34
    Yorkshire Global Restaurants, who owns
  • 00:13:36
    Long John Silvers and A&W to make even
  • 00:13:39
    more combinations. And they're like,
  • 00:13:40
    "You know what? This is going so well.
  • 00:13:42
    We should just merge our two companies."
  • 00:13:44
    So in 2002, Trion and Yorkshire combined
  • 00:13:46
    to form Yum Brands. And by this point,
  • 00:13:49
    Yum has over a thousand multibranded
  • 00:13:51
    locations. Here's where it gets good.
  • 00:13:53
    From roughly 2002 to 2010 is what I
  • 00:13:55
    would personally describe as the golden
  • 00:13:57
    age of combination restaurants. People
  • 00:13:59
    are bullish on the idea that you can
  • 00:14:01
    increase revenue by 30 to 40% without
  • 00:14:03
    paying any more for real estate. And so
  • 00:14:05
    during that time, Yum doubles its number
  • 00:14:07
    of co-branded locations from 1,500 to
  • 00:14:10
    roughly 3,000. The chief development
  • 00:14:12
    officer at Yum says they plan to
  • 00:14:13
    increase the number of combination
  • 00:14:14
    restaurants to 6,000 by 2007. And on one
  • 00:14:18
    annual report, they claimed that they
  • 00:14:19
    have the potential for 13,000 co-branded
  • 00:14:23
    locations in the US. And yet, in 2025,
  • 00:14:26
    there are mere hundreds left. So, what
  • 00:14:28
    happened? Despite their lofty goals,
  • 00:14:30
    Yum's 10K filings with the SEC reveal
  • 00:14:32
    that the actual number of multibrand
  • 00:14:34
    units never broke 5,000. And just as a
  • 00:14:37
    point of clarification, they include
  • 00:14:38
    Pizza Hut and Wing Street in that total,
  • 00:14:40
    which I don't really consider a combo
  • 00:14:42
    restaurant because Wing Street doesn't
  • 00:14:44
    exist outside of Pizza Hut. So when you
  • 00:14:46
    take out those locations, the actual
  • 00:14:47
    number is closer to 3,000. I've
  • 00:14:50
    discussed some of this before, but
  • 00:14:51
    basically multibranding wasn't quite as
  • 00:14:53
    profitable as everyone thought it would
  • 00:14:55
    be. It was harder to train staff,
  • 00:14:57
    maintain inventory, and customers
  • 00:14:59
    complained that the quality was just
  • 00:15:00
    never as good. And then on top of all
  • 00:15:02
    that, discretionary spending from
  • 00:15:03
    consumers declined each year from 2007
  • 00:15:06
    to 2009 because of the recession. By
  • 00:15:08
    2010, a Young Brands quarterly report to
  • 00:15:10
    investors revealed a reduced emphasis on
  • 00:15:13
    multibranding as a long-term growth
  • 00:15:15
    strategy. And by the end of 2011, they
  • 00:15:17
    had sold A&W and Long John Silvers to
  • 00:15:20
    another company. So, I kind of thought,
  • 00:15:21
    okay, there's the answer to why they're
  • 00:15:23
    dying off. It's no longer a priority for
  • 00:15:24
    Yum. And if Yum can't pull it off, what
  • 00:15:26
    chance does smaller companies have? Case
  • 00:15:28
    closed. Pretty straightforward. I know
  • 00:15:30
    that recent Yum CEOs have tried to
  • 00:15:32
    improve efficiency and I thought that
  • 00:15:33
    meant letting combo locations slowly die
  • 00:15:35
    off as remodels happen or just letting
  • 00:15:37
    them exist in peace if franchises want.
  • 00:15:40
    But what I didn't realize is that there
  • 00:15:42
    was a specific plan in place to kill
  • 00:15:45
    them off. I have right here an internal
  • 00:15:47
    document for Taco Bell franchises that's
  • 00:15:49
    been shared with me by an anonymous
  • 00:15:50
    source, never before seen by the general
  • 00:15:52
    public. And I'd like to read a few
  • 00:15:53
    quotes for you from a section entitled
  • 00:15:56
    Decoupling Incentive Program. This is
  • 00:15:58
    specifically talking about Taco Bells
  • 00:15:59
    that are paired with KFC's. So it says
  • 00:16:01
    option number one, upgrade an existing
  • 00:16:04
    KT, KT meaning Kaco, to a single branded
  • 00:16:06
    KFC restaurant and build a new single
  • 00:16:09
    brand Taco Bell restaurant in the same
  • 00:16:11
    trade area. So if a franchisee took that
  • 00:16:13
    option in 2024, they would get a $22,500
  • 00:16:16
    fee waved, a reduction in the percentage
  • 00:16:18
    of fees they pay to Taco Bell for the
  • 00:16:20
    next year, and get this, $50,000
  • 00:16:24
    cash. Taco Bell is going to pay you
  • 00:16:26
    $50,000 if you break up your combo KFC
  • 00:16:29
    Taco Bell. And then the other three
  • 00:16:30
    options are all variations of that. So
  • 00:16:32
    keep the Taco Bell, build a new KFC,
  • 00:16:34
    downgrade to a KFC without building a
  • 00:16:36
    new Taco Bell, or downgrade to a Taco
  • 00:16:38
    Bell without building a new KFC. So
  • 00:16:40
    again, I just feel like these are polar
  • 00:16:41
    opposite strategies from two restaurant
  • 00:16:44
    giants. Like on the one hand, Yum Brands
  • 00:16:46
    basically has a hunting license for
  • 00:16:47
    their combination restaurants, while on
  • 00:16:49
    the other hand, Dine Brands is kind of
  • 00:16:50
    trying to rehabilitate the species
  • 00:16:52
    Jurassic Park style. Obviously, one is
  • 00:16:54
    in fast food and the other one is in
  • 00:16:56
    casual dining. So, maybe Dine will be
  • 00:16:58
    able to make this setup last in a way
  • 00:16:59
    that Yum never could. But I figured the
  • 00:17:01
    best way to see if this new setup was
  • 00:17:03
    going to succeed or face the same fate
  • 00:17:05
    was to go see it in person. I made my
  • 00:17:07
    way to San Antonio on a redeye flight
  • 00:17:09
    from Portland after attending the Steve
  • 00:17:10
    Irwin Gala in Las Vegas the night
  • 00:17:12
    before. And this I Hoppelbees is located
  • 00:17:14
    near a small town called Sigin, Texas,
  • 00:17:17
    which has a population of about 36,000
  • 00:17:19
    and a really cool downtown area. Their
  • 00:17:21
    high school mascot is the Matadors. Why
  • 00:17:23
    they chose Sigin for this flagship
  • 00:17:24
    location, I'm not sure, but it did seem
  • 00:17:26
    like there was a decent amount of
  • 00:17:28
    construction in the area, possibly
  • 00:17:29
    because of all the business the IHOP is
  • 00:17:31
    bringing in. The restaurant itself is
  • 00:17:33
    just off the highway, and at long last,
  • 00:17:35
    I laid eyes on it.
  • 00:17:39
    Glory,
  • 00:17:41
    glory, hallelujah.
  • 00:17:46
    [Music]
  • 00:17:49
    Glory,
  • 00:17:51
    gloral.
  • 00:17:54
    [Music]
  • 00:17:57
    So, in addition to some incredible
  • 00:17:59
    co-branding on the outside, they have a
  • 00:18:00
    drive-thru for both Applebees and IHOP
  • 00:18:03
    to go orders. Also, just a heads up for
  • 00:18:04
    when you visit, there's apparently a
  • 00:18:06
    very healthy bird population in Sigin.
  • 00:18:08
    So, maybe don't park under the trees
  • 00:18:09
    unless you want your car to get
  • 00:18:11
    absolutely painted. I got there around
  • 00:18:12
    11:30 a.m., which in my mind is the
  • 00:18:15
    perfect time for some breakfast and
  • 00:18:16
    lunch crossovers. Right when you walk
  • 00:18:18
    in, the co-branding continues with a
  • 00:18:20
    bench on each side, one themed like IHOP
  • 00:18:22
    and the other themed like Applebees.
  • 00:18:23
    Kind of reminds me of the different
  • 00:18:24
    color schemes inside a combination Taco
  • 00:18:26
    Bell and Long John Silvers. The entryway
  • 00:18:29
    is also where I learned that Sigin is
  • 00:18:30
    the home to the world's largest pecan.
  • 00:18:32
    And then the first thing you see once
  • 00:18:34
    you get through the next set of doors is
  • 00:18:35
    this giant wall with both logos. And
  • 00:18:38
    then after that, there's a lot to take
  • 00:18:39
    in. So allow me to show you around. On
  • 00:18:41
    the right side, the restaurant is themed
  • 00:18:43
    like IHOP with signs that say things
  • 00:18:45
    like, "Smile, you're at IHOP." And it's
  • 00:18:47
    like, am I I guess kind of, right? And
  • 00:18:49
    then the left side plus the far back
  • 00:18:51
    corner is themed like Applebees. And the
  • 00:18:53
    left side is also where the bar is. As
  • 00:18:55
    you probably know, most IHOPs do not
  • 00:18:56
    serve alcoholic beverages, which you can
  • 00:18:58
    purchase at both this location and the
  • 00:19:00
    one in Detroit. I got seated at a table
  • 00:19:02
    behind the bar on the Applebee's side,
  • 00:19:04
    but just to be abundantly clear, it's
  • 00:19:05
    not like you can only order from one
  • 00:19:07
    restaurant based on where you're
  • 00:19:08
    sitting. Both menus are fair game from
  • 00:19:10
    every seat in the house. I would
  • 00:19:12
    describe the separate sections as more
  • 00:19:13
    of like a visual gimmick than they were
  • 00:19:15
    functional dividers. And this little
  • 00:19:17
    wall thing dividing the sections
  • 00:19:18
    actually featured alternating Applebee's
  • 00:19:20
    apples and IHOP smiles. I found that
  • 00:19:23
    most Applebee's locations have decor on
  • 00:19:24
    the walls that's like vaguely local, but
  • 00:19:26
    I feel like they got pretty specific
  • 00:19:28
    here with the pictures of the Sigin
  • 00:19:29
    Water Tower and stuff like Guadalupe
  • 00:19:31
    County and a few other similar phrases.
  • 00:19:33
    The shirts the staff were wearing had
  • 00:19:35
    both logos, which I feel like you don't
  • 00:19:36
    even get at most KFC Taco Bells. Like
  • 00:19:39
    usually it's just uniforms from one
  • 00:19:40
    restaurant or the other. And of course a
  • 00:19:42
    shared menu with both logos, grill and
  • 00:19:45
    bar and breakfast and tabs so you can
  • 00:19:47
    find the section you're looking for. I
  • 00:19:49
    asked my server if they had any
  • 00:19:50
    crossover items and initially she said
  • 00:19:52
    no. But then she came back and told me
  • 00:19:54
    that they have one called the loaded
  • 00:19:55
    buffalo chicken omelette on the menu
  • 00:19:57
    that has a label that says only
  • 00:19:59
    available here. So I actually combed
  • 00:20:01
    back through the menu and was able to
  • 00:20:02
    find four other items with that same
  • 00:20:04
    label. the sirloin steak and eggs, the
  • 00:20:06
    ultimate breakfast burger, the berry
  • 00:20:08
    balsamic grilled chicken salad, and the
  • 00:20:10
    strawberry waffle sundae. Unlike the
  • 00:20:12
    menu in Detroit, this one wasn't as
  • 00:20:14
    cleanly separated into IHOP and
  • 00:20:16
    Applebee's. There was a section for
  • 00:20:18
    breakfast which was entirely IHOP items,
  • 00:20:20
    but otherwise the items felt more
  • 00:20:21
    interspersed, which I kind of like. Some
  • 00:20:23
    menu items, like these sandwiches, had
  • 00:20:25
    the label buy IHOP, which was kind of
  • 00:20:27
    interesting. And this was a much fuller
  • 00:20:29
    version of the IHOP menu, but still not
  • 00:20:31
    the full thing. For example, still no
  • 00:20:33
    breakfast tacos or like I've had a
  • 00:20:34
    biscuit sandwich at IHOP before that
  • 00:20:36
    wasn't on this menu. But looking over
  • 00:20:38
    the menu, I was surprised at how much
  • 00:20:40
    natural overlap there was. Like
  • 00:20:41
    standalone IHOPS sell burgers and
  • 00:20:43
    sandwiches and like seafood and stuff
  • 00:20:45
    now. So those types of things I think
  • 00:20:47
    are more or less eclipsed by their
  • 00:20:49
    Applebee's counterparts. According to a
  • 00:20:50
    couple different articles, by
  • 00:20:51
    eliminating that overlap, they were able
  • 00:20:53
    to get the menu down to roughly the same
  • 00:20:55
    number of items as a standalone IHOP or
  • 00:20:57
    Applebees so as not to overwhelm the
  • 00:20:59
    kitchen. Much to my surprise, they do
  • 00:21:01
    have half off apps at this location. I
  • 00:21:03
    just wasn't there at the right time. And
  • 00:21:04
    they also have the 2 for 25 deal that
  • 00:21:06
    you can get at most Applebee's. I
  • 00:21:08
    decided to order the loaded buffalo
  • 00:21:09
    chicken omelette, which was their most
  • 00:21:11
    prominently featured crossover item and
  • 00:21:13
    the one my waitress had mentioned. The
  • 00:21:14
    sirloin steak and eggs sounded good, but
  • 00:21:16
    even though it's listed as only being
  • 00:21:17
    available here, it is pretty similar to
  • 00:21:19
    the sirloin steak tips and eggs that you
  • 00:21:21
    can order at a regular IHOP. I guess the
  • 00:21:23
    difference being steak versus steak
  • 00:21:24
    tips. I got another stack of chocolate
  • 00:21:26
    chip pancakes, a strawberry waffle
  • 00:21:28
    sundae for dessert, and finally a
  • 00:21:30
    redemption order of Mountain Dew
  • 00:21:32
    darkberry bash. This time I got it as a
  • 00:21:33
    dirty soda, which basically just means
  • 00:21:35
    that they add whipped cream. And as far
  • 00:21:36
    as I could tell, that was not an option
  • 00:21:38
    at the Detroit location. While I was
  • 00:21:40
    waiting for my food, I found out that
  • 00:21:41
    they'd been open since February 18th,
  • 00:21:43
    2025. I was there in the middle of May.
  • 00:21:45
    So, at that point, they'd been open for
  • 00:21:46
    just shy of 3 months. And before this,
  • 00:21:48
    it was a standalone IHOP location. As we
  • 00:21:51
    were talking, the weight staff referred
  • 00:21:52
    to this combo as the first and only in
  • 00:21:55
    the world. And this actually brings up a
  • 00:21:56
    really interesting point. So even if you
  • 00:21:58
    take the Detroit one out of the
  • 00:22:00
    equation, there are actually other
  • 00:22:01
    IHOpple bees outside of the US. Like
  • 00:22:03
    this one in Dubai, UAE, or this one in
  • 00:22:06
    Leon, Mexico. That one's actually above
  • 00:22:08
    a Chili's, which is a crazy move. Like
  • 00:22:11
    don't tempt me with a good time. From
  • 00:22:12
    what I could find, there are roughly 18
  • 00:22:14
    dual branded IHOP and Applebees
  • 00:22:16
    locations outside of the US. And those
  • 00:22:18
    are spread out across Canada, Mexico,
  • 00:22:20
    UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Honduras, and
  • 00:22:23
    Peru. That's actually the reason this
  • 00:22:25
    video is titled the first Ihapplebees in
  • 00:22:27
    America instead of in the world.
  • 00:22:28
    Although, if the one in Detroit predates
  • 00:22:31
    the international ones, maybe I did go
  • 00:22:33
    to the first one in the world. The
  • 00:22:34
    articles also mentioned plans to open 23
  • 00:22:36
    more IHOpple bees internationally. The
  • 00:22:38
    CEO went so far as to say that the
  • 00:22:40
    global number could soon be in the
  • 00:22:42
    hundreds. The Dine Brands website
  • 00:22:44
    actually has a page pitching potential
  • 00:22:45
    franchises on the idea of dual branded
  • 00:22:48
    units. They say that you can either
  • 00:22:49
    build one from the ground up or renovate
  • 00:22:51
    an existing restaurant like they did
  • 00:22:52
    with this IHOP. But the pitch is that
  • 00:22:54
    you can combine the peak revenue from
  • 00:22:56
    IHOP in the morning with the peak
  • 00:22:57
    revenue from Applebee's in the evening
  • 00:22:59
    and get this Mshaped graph. And believe
  • 00:23:01
    it or not, that was actually Yum's
  • 00:23:02
    thought process as well. In the early
  • 00:23:04
    '90s, KFC was seen as more of a dinner
  • 00:23:06
    concept. And Taco Bell was seen as a
  • 00:23:08
    lunch brand. Same basic idea with Duncan
  • 00:23:10
    and BaskinRobins. Like people are
  • 00:23:11
    getting coffee and donuts in the morning
  • 00:23:13
    and then ice cream in the afternoon and
  • 00:23:14
    evening. But honestly, that mgraph is
  • 00:23:16
    probably what IHOP was going for when
  • 00:23:18
    they introduced burgers to their menu in
  • 00:23:20
    2018. Do you remember that they did this
  • 00:23:22
    huge publicity stunt where they said
  • 00:23:23
    that they were changing their name to
  • 00:23:24
    IHOB? It makes me wonder if this dual
  • 00:23:26
    branded experiment is in response to
  • 00:23:28
    poor burger and lunch and dinner sales
  • 00:23:30
    at IHOP locations. The other interesting
  • 00:23:32
    thing to me is that in the late '9s and
  • 00:23:34
    early 2000s, Yum was saying a co-branded
  • 00:23:36
    restaurant could increase revenue by 30
  • 00:23:38
    to 40%. We'll call it 1.4x. 4x what they
  • 00:23:41
    were doing before. Dine Brands, on the
  • 00:23:43
    other hand, is claiming that this
  • 00:23:44
    co-brand can 1.5 to 2x revenue for a
  • 00:23:47
    franchisee. And that's a big claim,
  • 00:23:49
    especially because dine brands may not
  • 00:23:51
    be doing so hot. According to restaurant
  • 00:23:53
    business online, between Applebees and
  • 00:23:54
    IHOP, they opened 65 new restaurants
  • 00:23:57
    last year, but closed 83. So, with that
  • 00:24:00
    in mind, this strategy to invest in
  • 00:24:01
    combo restaurants could either be genius
  • 00:24:03
    or maybe kind of a lastditch effort to
  • 00:24:06
    stop a ship from sinking. I know I've
  • 00:24:07
    been talking for a while, but the food
  • 00:24:09
    actually ended up coming out pretty
  • 00:24:10
    fast. The omelette had breaded chicken
  • 00:24:12
    tenders on both the inside and the
  • 00:24:13
    outside. Very cheesy and very creamy
  • 00:24:16
    thanks to an abundance of ranch
  • 00:24:17
    dressing, but the buffalo sauce had
  • 00:24:19
    decent flavor. Overall, I would say a
  • 00:24:21
    pretty solid crossover item. I had to
  • 00:24:22
    make sure I wiped my knife off so I
  • 00:24:24
    didn't get buffalo sauce on my pancakes,
  • 00:24:26
    which would have made for a wild ride. I
  • 00:24:27
    also realized that having this Mountain
  • 00:24:29
    Dew with breakfast items was kind of a
  • 00:24:31
    bold choice. Although, I guess I
  • 00:24:32
    technically did it in Detroit, too. But
  • 00:24:34
    that somehow felt more normal because I
  • 00:24:35
    was eating a quesadilla and it was like
  • 00:24:37
    9:00 p.m. Now that I say that, I guess
  • 00:24:38
    I've also had a Baja blast with Taco
  • 00:24:41
    Bell breakfast before. So, I don't know.
  • 00:24:42
    I'm not a lawyer. Either way, this time
  • 00:24:44
    around, the Mountain Dew was definitely
  • 00:24:45
    darkberry bash, which was delightful.
  • 00:24:48
    And finally, I moved on to the
  • 00:24:49
    strawberry waffle dessert. And it's
  • 00:24:51
    actually only half a waffle, but that
  • 00:24:52
    explains why it only costs $2.99. Pretty
  • 00:24:55
    enjoyable as far as desserts go, but I
  • 00:24:57
    had to tap out before I could finish all
  • 00:24:58
    the ice cream because I was stuffed. So,
  • 00:25:00
    having experienced both the original
  • 00:25:02
    location in Michigan and this newer,
  • 00:25:04
    flashier version in Texas, the question
  • 00:25:06
    is, will I Hop Bees suffer the same fate
  • 00:25:09
    as the Yum Brands combos? Or is this
  • 00:25:11
    going to last and be more successful in
  • 00:25:13
    the long term? Is this the start of the
  • 00:25:15
    resurgence of combo restaurants? Here's
  • 00:25:17
    what I'll say. I do think that this is
  • 00:25:19
    probably the best executed example of a
  • 00:25:21
    combination restaurant I've ever seen,
  • 00:25:23
    which does give me hope. I would go so
  • 00:25:24
    far as to say it might deserve its own
  • 00:25:26
    category on this diagram. Primarily
  • 00:25:28
    because of the crossover menu items
  • 00:25:29
    which other companies are just sleeping
  • 00:25:31
    on, but also because of the little
  • 00:25:33
    details like the decorations and the
  • 00:25:34
    employee uniforms incorporating both
  • 00:25:36
    logos. It's just stuff you don't really
  • 00:25:38
    see elsewhere. And then I would say the
  • 00:25:40
    icing on the cake is that you can order
  • 00:25:42
    everything online. That's one huge flaw
  • 00:25:44
    with Yum's combo restaurants. I think
  • 00:25:46
    mostly because they were all built
  • 00:25:47
    before these restaurants had apps and
  • 00:25:49
    online ordering became a thing. But most
  • 00:25:51
    of the time, you're only able to place
  • 00:25:52
    an order for one restaurant or the
  • 00:25:53
    other. There's just no infrastructure to
  • 00:25:55
    place an online or mobile order for
  • 00:25:57
    items from both brands. But I checked,
  • 00:25:58
    and not only can you place an order
  • 00:26:00
    online from this location that includes
  • 00:26:01
    both Applebee's and IHOP items in the
  • 00:26:04
    same cart, but you can also order all
  • 00:26:06
    five of those exclusive crossover items
  • 00:26:08
    as well. I think if they want to succeed
  • 00:26:10
    in the long term, they can tighten a
  • 00:26:11
    couple things up. One major flaw is that
  • 00:26:13
    they're still listed as separate
  • 00:26:15
    restaurants on Google Maps. IHOP and
  • 00:26:17
    then Applebee's. I don't know why. It
  • 00:26:19
    makes it way harder to search for these
  • 00:26:21
    that way. Another piece of feedback is
  • 00:26:23
    that they didn't really go as hard as
  • 00:26:24
    they could have with the crossover
  • 00:26:26
    items. They're not super prominent on
  • 00:26:27
    the menu and the staff didn't even know
  • 00:26:29
    that there were crossover items. I'll
  • 00:26:30
    give them the benefit of the doubt.
  • 00:26:32
    Maybe they were new. Maybe they're still
  • 00:26:33
    learning the menu, but I think they can
  • 00:26:34
    be marketed better. And I also think
  • 00:26:36
    they can get a little bit more creative.
  • 00:26:38
    So, here are some free ideas for you.
  • 00:26:39
    One, burger with pancakes for the bun.
  • 00:26:41
    It's like the McGriddle of hamburgers.
  • 00:26:43
    Two, you do an appetizer sampler with
  • 00:26:45
    breakfast foods. We're talking egg
  • 00:26:47
    bites, French toast sticks, bacon
  • 00:26:49
    wrapped tater tots, little bite-sized
  • 00:26:50
    pancakes. I don't know. And three, I
  • 00:26:52
    want to see a classic Applebee's
  • 00:26:54
    promotion, but with IHOP items included.
  • 00:26:56
    Like maybe all you can eat shrimp,
  • 00:26:58
    riots, and boneless wings, plus sausage
  • 00:27:00
    links. All right, that one actually
  • 00:27:01
    sounds like a nightmare, but I think
  • 00:27:03
    with a little tweaking it could work.
  • 00:27:04
    Despite all the initial buzz about 12 to
  • 00:27:07
    15 additional IHOpple locations,
  • 00:27:09
    including some allegedly opening in
  • 00:27:11
    June, it's now July and the only news
  • 00:27:13
    I've been able to find is about one
  • 00:27:15
    other location in San Antonio that won't
  • 00:27:17
    open until at least March of 2026. I
  • 00:27:20
    emailed the senior vice president of
  • 00:27:21
    global communications at Dine to ask for
  • 00:27:23
    more information, but did not get a
  • 00:27:24
    response. Is this a bad sign? I don't
  • 00:27:27
    know. Maybe they're just behind
  • 00:27:28
    schedule, or maybe the first location
  • 00:27:29
    wasn't as successful as they thought it
  • 00:27:31
    would be, and they're rethinking their
  • 00:27:32
    strategy. I really want this concept to
  • 00:27:34
    succeed. So, I left them a five-star
  • 00:27:36
    review. But unfortunately, they kept all
  • 00:27:38
    their reviews from before the remodel.
  • 00:27:41
    So, the average rating is is like really
  • 00:27:43
    low. Outside of IHelbees, do I think
  • 00:27:45
    combo restaurants can make a comeback? I
  • 00:27:47
    hope so. I want to believe they can.
  • 00:27:49
    There are smaller brands out there that
  • 00:27:51
    have launched new combos recently, but I
  • 00:27:53
    just don't think it's been proven as a
  • 00:27:54
    concept on a large scale since the boom
  • 00:27:56
    of the mid2000s. You know who should be
  • 00:27:58
    doing this though? Arby's and Sonic.
  • 00:28:00
    Same parent company. And I feel like
  • 00:28:01
    Arby's business would skyrocket if you
  • 00:28:03
    coupled it with Sonic's menu and the
  • 00:28:05
    drive-in setup. Let me know in the
  • 00:28:06
    comments if there are other restaurants
  • 00:28:08
    you think would make a good combo, or if
  • 00:28:09
    you think I Happlebee's is going to
  • 00:28:11
    stand the test of time. And hey, before
  • 00:28:13
    you go, recently YouTube legend Tom
  • 00:28:15
    Scott described one of my videos as a
  • 00:28:17
    combination of a research deep dive, a
  • 00:28:19
    travel video, and a slightly nauseating
  • 00:28:21
    food review. And I think that sums it up
  • 00:28:23
    pretty well. So, if that kind of thing
  • 00:28:24
    sounds entertaining to you, it would
  • 00:28:26
    mean a lot if you hit subscribe down
  • 00:28:27
    below. I'll be back in a couple weeks
  • 00:28:29
    with the season finale for season 8,
  • 00:28:31
    which will be really fun. But until
  • 00:28:32
    then, just remember that even when it
  • 00:28:34
    doesn't feel like it, it's going to be
  • 00:28:35
    okay. I'll see you soon.
  • 00:28:39
    All I think about is you late night in
  • 00:28:42
    the middle of June. He always been
  • 00:28:45
    freaking me out. can make you happy or
  • 00:28:48
    not.
Tags
  • IHOpplebees
  • combination restaurants
  • Applebee's
  • IHOP
  • food trends
  • restaurant history
  • crossover menu
  • dining experience
  • fast food
  • casual dining