Dine Brands Global Inc., the Glendale-based parent company of Applebee’s and IHOP restaurant chains, plans to expand into the Bahamas. The first of 16 IHOP restaurants will open in Nassau later this year.
Through an undisclosed financial agreement with Bahamas Ltd., the new openings will take place “over the next few years,” according to the company. The first location is set to open as soon as the third quarter of this year.
“The Caribbean is an important growth market for Dine Brands,” William Urrego, regional vice president of franchise operations for Dine Brands, said in a statement. The well-developed tourism infrastructure in the Bahamas as well as recent large-scale hotel and resort investments and shopping center developments make it attractive, he added.
IHOP currently operates more than 1,700 locations, many franchised, across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam as well as Canada, Mexico, and several other countries. Each of the Bahamian locations will be on New Providence, the capital and most populous of the islands.
“We are excited to bring IHOP to the English-speaking Caribbean islands. We’ve seen success in Puerto Rico and believe guests in this new market are sure to fall in love with the brand’s world-famous pancakes and familiar comfort foods,” Urrego’s statement continued.
Burton Rodgers, a Bahamian real estate developer, will lead the restaurant’s introduction to the island. Rodgers has been involved in developing and managing hotels in the Bahamas, and will franchise locations with IHOP in the Bahamas.
“We can’t wait to introduce IHOP to the Bahamas. The brand’s relaxed atmosphere and family-friendly fare will be a welcomed addition as locals look for a place to gather at all hours,” Rodgers said in a statement. “This will be the first of many locations to come and we look forward to providing gainful career opportunities to members of these communities.”
The island restaurant locations will create approximately 130 local jobs, Rodgers told Bahamian newspaper Tribune242.
International IHOP locations feature the iconic pancake and breakfast menus that have long defined the chain, as well as regional favorites. Bahamas-specific items have not yet been announced, but the IHOP brand, according to Rodgers, is a favorite on the islands.
“Bahamians love the IHOP brand. Talk to the average Bahamian about the staples they like when they travel to the U.S., and it’s one of the restaurants they tend to frequent when there,” Rodgers told Tribune242. “We’re a tourism-based economy, which means we work shifts. We have people going out to work at midnight and getting off at 5 a.m., and they will be able to breakfast and dine when they get off. These are all reasons why the brand will do extremely well. It fits our daily lives.”