Breaking business story from Applebee's

Great taste or lower calories? At Applebee’s, guests can have their ‘steak’ and eat it too. The world’s largest casual dining chain announces the launch of its groundbreaking menu featuring five unbelievably tasty entrees, all under 550 calories.

The “Unbelievably Great Tasting and Under 550 Calories” menu marks a first for casual dining chains, offering guests unexpected lower-calorie options like steak and potatoes or grilled shrimp and pasta with the same powerful flavors and generous portions guests count on at Applebee’s.

“We know our guests want choices, including lower-calorie entrees, but they still want meals full of flavor,” said Mike Archer, president of Applebee’s Services, Inc. “We’ve created a menu that doesn’t compromise. It has all of the taste with none of the trade-offs.”

In fact, a recent survey of casual dining users posed the question: What would you do if you were president of Applebee’s? One in four said they’d put lower-calorie options on the menu.

“We’re listening,” said Archer.

In restaurants now, the Under 550 menu along with the company’s Weight Watchers selections demonstrates Applebee’s ongoing commitment to provide guests a variety of great-tasting choices when dining out. According to NPD Crest, the nation’s leading provider of retail market data, more Americans than ever before – 60 percent – are watching calories when they eat out. NPD also reports that one in four Americans say restaurants don’t meet their needs for better-for-you food options.

“We are the neighborhood grill and bar, so it’s important we have satisfying choices for everyone,” said Archer. “Whether you want a real burger or a steak without the extra calories, you’ll find it at Applebee’s.”

The new Under 550 menu is the brainchild of Applebee’s executive chefs Shannon Johnson and Jason C. Amell, who spent more than a year developing the menu line up. Working with professional nutritionists, they carefully crafted the lower-calorie recipes to be as satisfying to the palate as the rest of Applebee’s menu.

“We’ve set a new standard with this menu,” said Chef Johnson. “We use great ingredients, rich spices and innovative cooking techniques to create meals that, frankly, are surprising our guests. This is a menu that people will order on taste alone. The lower-calories? That’s a bonus.”

Unbelievably Great Tasting and Under 550 Calories items include:

Grilled Shrimp and Island Rice
Seasoned, grilled shrimp skewers on citrus island rice served with seasonal vegetables.

Asian Crunch Salad
Grilled chicken breast served over crunchy salad greens, roasted red peppers, sugar snap peas and refreshing cucumbers, finished with Applebee’s tangy Asian vinaigrette and sliced almonds.

Grilled Dijon Chicken and Portobellos
Marinated chicken breast grilled and topped with roasted red peppers, Portobello mushrooms, Dijon sauce and aged cheddar cheese. Served with steamed herb potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Asiago Peppercorn Steak
Applebee’s classic 7-ounce sirloin grilled and topped with cracked peppercorn and melted Asiago cheese. Served with steamed herb potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Spicy Shrimp Diavolo
A spicy tomato-basil Diavolo sauce with chili-seasoned shrimp tossed with diced vegetables. Served over a warm bed of whole wheat penne pasta and topped with shredded Parmesan.


About Applebee’s Services, Inc.
Applebee's Services, Inc. and its affiliates franchise and operate restaurants under Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and are a DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN) brand. There are more than 2,000 Applebee's restaurants operating system-wide in 49 states, 16 countries and one U.S. territory. Additional information on Applebee’s can be found at the company’s Web site (www.applebees.com).

Fact Sheet

Applebee’s "Unbelievably Great Tasting and Under 550 Calories" Menu

About Applebee’s Under 550 Calories Menu

• Guests are pleasantly surprised by Applebee’s Under 550 Calories entrees, because they don’t expect lower-calorie meals to provide options like steak, shrimp, potatoes, pasta and cheese – or to taste so good.

• Research shows that consumers increasingly demand lower-calorie meal choices when they dine out:

More Americans than ever – 60 percent – are watching calories when they eat out. (Source: NPD Crest)

1 in 4 Americans say restaurants don’t meet their needs for healthier food options. (Source: NPD Crest)

An increasing number of Americans are monitoring the nutritional value of their food, from calories to fat (Source: NPD Crest)

National Restaurant Association survey shows "nutrition" as one of the hottest restaurant trends for 2010 (Source: National Restaurant Association)

• Applebee’s new Under 550 Calories menu responds to consumer demand, delivering fewer calories with no compromises in flavor.

• To develop the five entrees in the Under 550 menu, Applebee’s executive chefs worked with nutritionists and spent more than a year crafting low-calorie recipes that deliver great taste in generous portion sizes.

• Applebee’s has an ongoing commitment to provide guests a range of great-tasting choices when dining out.

• The new Under 550 Calories entrees join Applebee’s Weight Watchers menu items, introduced in 2004, to give guests a breadth of lower-calorie meal choices unprecedented in the casual dining industry.

About Applebee’s

• Applebee’s became the country’s number one neighborhood grill and bar by listening closely and responding to guests’ dining desires. Adding its new Under 550 Calories menu is an indication of the company’s commitment to better meeting guests’ needs.

• Applebee’s leads the casual dining industry in offering better-for-you meal options.

• Applebee’s was founded nearly three decades ago on the principles of exceptional value and family fun. Its restaurants are open seven days a week.

• Applebee's differentiates itself with innovative attractions, like the popular Carside to Go service available at many of its restaurants.

• More than 2,000 Applebee's restaurants operate system-wide in 49 states, 16 countries and one U.S. territory.

• Applebee's Services Inc., and its affiliates franchise and operate restaurants under Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and are DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN) brands.

• For more information about Applebee’s, Under 550 Calories meals, restaurant locations and other menu items, visit www.applebees.com.