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Monday, Mar 18, 2024

DineEquity to Open Hybrid IHOP-Applebee’s

Foodies craving tri-tip with a side of pancakes will be in luck this fall, when the world’s first co-branded IHOP and Applebee’s restaurant opens at the General Motors Co. headquarters in Detroit. The 12,000-square-foot eatery will be located in the Millender Center, part of the Renaissance Center development owned by GM. It will seat 300 and employ more than 100 workers, according to parent company DineEquity Inc. in Glendale. The restaurant will feature Applebee’s menu with dishes from IHOP included for breakfast-to-dinner appeal. “We are always looking for new ways to meet our guests’ needs,” a DineEquity representative said. “We believe the combination of two of America’s most-loved brands is a great way to do that.” The restaurant will be managed by DineEquity franchisee Team Schostak Family Restaurants in Livonia, Mich., which operates 66 Applebee’s locations around the state in addition to eateries by Del Taco Restaurants Inc., Olga’s Kitchen Inc. and MOD Pizza. Team Schostak opened Detroit’s first Applebee’s in 2015, and while Executive Chairman Mark Schostak did not confirm that more hybrid restaurants were in the pipeline, he noted that his company’s decision to launch the inaugural IHOP-Applebee’s was based on the belief that such a concept would be well-received in the Michigan market. “As we look toward the future, this new and innovative concept is a strong opportunity for us,” Schostak said. “By uniquely combining these two nationally recognized and family-oriented brands into one co-branded restaurant, we will be elevating the dining experience for local residents and anyone visiting Detroit.” In addition to introducing a co-branded restaurant, DineEquity plans to accelerate its international expansion with the goal of doubling its global presence over the course of the next five years. The company has signed multi-unit franchise agreements that will establish 41 Applebee’s and IHOP locations in Thailand, Bahrain, Oman, India and Panama by 2025, and reports to have made development commitments for more than 200 restaurants overseas. Macy’s Consolidation One of two Macy’s Inc. locations in the Simi Valley Town Center will close later this year as part of the company’s effort to streamline its portfolio of brick-and-mortar department stores after a disappointing holiday season. The move will shutter the 190,000-square-foot store that carries the men’s, children’s and home divisions of the Simi Valley Macy’s, while the separate building housing only the women’s section will remain open. A date for the final clearance sale at the closing store has not yet been decided, a representative for Macy’s Southern California said. The closures come as department stores suffer from competition with e-commerce websites and specialty retailers. Nationally, department store sales fell nearly 6 percent year-over-year in 2016, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The consolidation in Simi Valley marks the fourth time in recent months that one of the company’s regional outposts has been culled. In January 2015, Macy’s closed a furniture gallery and a store at the Westfield Promenade mall in Canoga Park. In October, a Macy’s in North Hollywood closed after six decades at Laurel Plaza; its 193 employees were either offered severance package or hired at other store locations. Macy’s did not confirm specifically that the 105 associates who work in the closing sections of its Simi Valley store would be granted the same arrangement, but a press release announcing the development stated that eligible full- and part-time employees would receive severance pay if not relocated. The company’s Simi Valley store is one of 68 locations nationwide that will close in 2017, affecting around 3,900 employees. Macy’s expects the closures to save $550 million in related expenses, about half of which will be channeled into improving its 662 remaining stores and building its online business. Noho West Greenlight The Los Angeles City Council in December approved recommendations for the construction of Noho West, a 25-acre mixed-use complex proposed for the former Laurel Plaza shopping center site in North Hollywood. At a meeting on Dec. 7, the council voted unanimously to accept an environmental impact report commissioned by developers Merlone Geier Partners and GPI Co. as well as reports by the Planning and Land Use Management committee and Los Angeles City Planning Commission, according to public record. The council denied an appeal submitted by North Hollywood resident Walter Hall on behalf of the Laurel Grove Neighborhood Association, which expressed concerns about the Planning Commission’s decision to permit residential buildings on the site to exceed maximum height requirements. When complete, the development will include roughly 572,000 square feet of office and commercial space along with 642 residential rental units. Construction on the retail portion is slated to begin early this year and is expected to be completed by 2019. Staff Reporter Helen Floersh can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or [email protected].

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