The Applebee’s Grill and Bar (Website) in Orlando’s SoDo neighborhood has closed (apparently last month, but we just noticed), joining a wave of closures the casual dining chain has been working through nationally in 2026.
Parent company Dine Brands Global projected it would close between five and 15 Applebee’s restaurants in 2026, part of an ongoing trimming of underperforming standalone locations. In 2025, a combined 110 Applebee’s and IHOP locations closed nationwide, including 13 franchise-owned units in the fourth quarter alone.
The company says that rising costs are at the center of the closures. Over the past five years, both food and labor costs have increased roughly 35% for the average restaurant, according to the National Restaurant Association, while prices for food away from home climbed 4% in the 12 months ending January 2026.
“Restaurant closures are a normal part of running a mature national system, but they don’t define our trajectory,” CEO John Peyton said in a statement.
The International Drive location remains open.
