Applebee's expects to close several restaurants. Will Westchester locations be impacted?

Applebee's expects to end the year with 25 to 35 fewer U.S. locations, but will any of the Westchester restaurants be among those closing?

Dine Brands Global, the parent company, has not indicated which locations will close around the country.

A spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment about whether or not Westchester locations might be affected. There are more than 1,600 Applebee’s locations, including about 100 internationally. Applebee's locations in Westchester include Hawthorne, New Rochelle, Yonkers and Yorktown.

In recent quarterly earnings calls, news releases, and earnings-related documents, Dine Brands said in guidance to investors that it projects having between 25 and 35 fewer stores nationwide. Reaching that range could conceivably come from the tally after a combination of new restaurants open and others close.

Of interest: Red Lobster locations closed suddenly, see where in Westchester, Rockland

The company, for instance, has also said in a news release it hopes to open 25 Applebee's locations over the next seven years around the country. “Applebee’s, one of the world’s largest casual dining brands, recently signed an agreement with the world’s largest restaurant franchise operator, Flynn Group, with the goal to open 25 new Applebee’s restaurants in the U.S. over the next seven years. “This expansion goal is part of Applebee’s development strategy to return the brand to net new unit openings,” the Dine Brands April 22 release said.

Applebee's ended up with 33 fewer restaurants around the country in 2023, according to a transcript of the Feb. 28 earnings call published online on Yahoo Finance.

Tony Moralejo, Applebee’s president, said on February’s earnings call that the company was working with franchisees to minimize closings and then build the pipeline of locations “to get us back to net unit growth.”

Among Dine Brands’ other restaurants is IHOP.

Dine Brands expects 25 to 35 net fewer domestic Applebee’s restaurants, but also 15 to 25 net new domestic IHOP restaurants this year. "With our new development strategy in place, we feel confident in our ability to continue to open up new restaurants and scale the footprint of our brands over time," Vance Chang, Dine Brands' chief financial officer, said in an earnings call.

Other closures in New York include Red Lobster, Rite Aid, Sam Ash

Recent closures in the Lower Hudson Valley include the sudden shuttering of Red Lobster locations in Nanuet and Scarsdale, the announcement of the Sam Ash company going out of business (and the closing of its White Plains location), as well as numerous small businesses and restaurants such as The Harrison Market grocery store in downtown Harrison closing May 15, and Rye House in Portchester closing May 19, among others.

Elsewhere in New York state, Rite Aid has announced it will close more than a dozen locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Long Island.

News of openings include the revival of iconic Babies R Us retail stores slated to open in Kohl's locations in the Lower Hudson Valley.

Michael P. McKinney covers breaking news in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley for The Journal News/lohud.com and the USA Today Network.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Applebee's expects to close several restaurants. Will Westchester locations be impacted?