A woman is going viral on TikTok after sharing what she thought was a surprising new development in her hometown: Applebee’s and IHOP appearing to operate as a single restaurant.
Ahilah Nicole (@anilahnicole) said she pulled up to her local Applebee’s, which she said had always stood on its own. This time, though, something looked off. Alongside the familiar Applebee’s branding, the building also featured IHOP signage.
“Why does it say IHOP-Applebee’s?” Nicole asked in her video as she took in the signage.
Curious, she investigated further and found that the restaurant appeared to be promoting both chains under one roof.
Once inside, Nicole says an employee told her that Applebee’s and IHOP had merged—a claim that only added to her confusion.
@anilahnicole ♬ original sound – Anilah nicole
She pointed out that even the menu leaned into the dual branding, prominently featuring both names at the top.
“Grill + Bar + Breakfast,” the menu reads.
Nicole’s clip struck a chord with viewers who were equally puzzled by the apparent mashup of two well-known chains. As of Friday, the video had racked up more than 1.2 million views.
Since when are Applebee’s and IHOP merging forces?
To be clear, Applebee’s and IHOP didn’t merge in the traditional sense—and, more importantly, neither brand disappeared into the other. What Nicole stumbled onto was a newer experiment from the two restaurant chains to operate side by side under one roof.
According to Restaurant Business, the first U.S. location combining both chains opened in February in Seguin, Texas. Instead of a corporate merger, the setup is a dual-branded restaurant, meaning Applebee’s and IHOP still exist as separate brands but share a single building and kitchen.
In this spirit, that means customers can order breakfast items such as pancakes (from IHOP) or burgers (from Applebee’s) at any time of day.
These locations are designed to optimize both restaurants for success. Breakfast traffic naturally flows toward IHOP in the morning, while Applebee’s “thrives in the afternoons and evenings,” according to Dine Brands. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the two share management, fixed costs, and prep space, which helps make better use of the building throughout the day.
Dine Brands executives have framed the concept as a growth strategy rather than a rebrand. What’s more, more dual-branded locations are expected to follow, given the success of the earlier launches.
Commenters aren’t amused by the merger
Viewers reacting to Nicole’s video were largely underwhelmed by the two restaurant chains joining forces. Several argued that combining them doesn’t fix what they see as a bigger problem—that the food at both spots is too forgettable to make the pairing work in the first place.
“That microwave working OT in the kitchen,” one man joked.
“SO BASICALLY DENNY’S,” another commenter wrote, adding a crying-laughing emoji.
“Just back there cooking anything!” a third chimed in.
Others took the mashup as something more ominous: a symptom of a struggling economy.
“The real recession indicator,” one user remarked.
“Rent getting expensive, everybody shacking up,” another observed.
“Recession indicator,” a third echoed. “Businesses having to share buildings.”
Still, not everyone was put off. A handful of commenters said the idea at least sparked their curiosity and that they’d be willing to give it a shot.
“This is kinda cool,” one person allowed. “Cause KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut combo places used to hit.”
“Cuz sometimes when you’re leaving the club at 3 am, u don’t want breakfast,” another added. “Sometimes u want a baby back ribs.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nicole via a TikTok comment.
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