(Seguin) – Food palates will collide this Tuesday as the nation’s first hybrid Applebee’s|IHOP restaurant opens in Seguin. The original IHOP only location has been converted into the dual brand of bar & grill meets breakfast.
This uniquely blended concept has obviously raised many questions among customers.
Franchise Owner Danny Hakim says customers can first rest assure that fan favorites from both well-known brands will be available across the restaurant.
“The beauty about the dual brand is that you can get the best of both brands anytime during our operation. So, if you want pancakes, you can get pancakes. If you want a beer while you are having your pancakes, you can have that as well,” said Hakim.
Hakim says the restaurant, which will be open daily from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., aims at providing one seamless experience.
“You will walk in, and the host will greet you. Wherever is open in the restaurant you can sit. If you want to sit on the IHOP side and order Applebee’s that’s fine and if you want to sit on the Applebee’s side and order IHOP that’s fine. We want the whole restaurant to feel as one space,” said Hakim.
All items on the menu will be available at any point in the day. Hakim says this gives the dual brand the opportunity to satisfy a number of cravings all at one time.
“As an operator, the thing that intrigued me the most was you can hit all day parts — where it’s breakfast, brunch, lunch, mid-afternoon, dinner, late-night and hopefully, the restaurant will be busy and when a restaurant is busy, it’s a great environment for the employees, the customers, everyone because it means the employees can work at any time of the day. They can make their money. Hopefully, we will have great service and that’s what excited me the most with the concept,” said Hakim.
As doors prepare to open this Tuesday, Hakim asks that customers let loose and pair up something new.
“As a first-time guest, come with an open mind as this is a new concept but also order a burger with pancakes. Try the combination because it does work. We have had many training sessions here. When you are a family of four and there’s all that variety, this is a great pairing and that’s what I think should excite the community the most,” said Hakim.
Customers are also encouraged to be on the lookout for a few special items. Hakim says these menu items will only be available in Seguin.
“We do have couple of unique menu items that you can only get here at the dual brand. So, we have a unique omelet called the buffalo chicken omelet. So, it’s a play between our breakfast omelet from IHOP with that little spiciness and wings from Applebee’s. We also have a burger, a brunch burger and we have a few more but we have blends with both brands. That’s only exclusive to the dual branded location,” said Hakim.
Topping off the experience at Applebee’s|IHOP is the restaurant’s bar area. Uniquely designed with the spirit of Seguin as its focal point, the space provides customers with yet another option for dining.
“We offer a full-service bar. We have 21 flat screen TVs if you want to come watch the games or whatever, you are more than welcome to. You can even order pancakes at the bar while you are watching the game or any other IHOP item so that’s every unique,” said Hakim.
Hakim says Seguin’s growth and development are what prompted the business venture. He says there wasn’t a better place than Seguin to open the first Applebee’s|IHOP brand in the nation.
“We operated the IHOP here previously. We opened in 2008, so we were very familiar with the city of Seguin and just being here almost 15 years. I’ve seen the city grow and there’s not many dining options and as the city grows, you need more dining options and we just were really tied into the community and we thought it would be a great place to launch in Seguin,” said Hakim.
Currently there are 13 other Applebee’s|IHOP combo restaurants open in Canada, Latin America and the Middle East. Hakim says although he and his partners plan to open up a few more, this one in Seguin will always historically be special.
“This is going to be good for Seguin. We are going to have a lot of national media coverage, and this is going to be the first to have all the IHOP media platform and all Applebee’s media platform. This is really going to elevate the city of Seguin. It will hopefully incline more people to come visit the city of Seguin,” said Hakim.
Menu items for the hybrid eatery are now available online. A To-Go window will also be available for those on the run.
A grand opening celebration will get underway with a ribbon cutting at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday. Doors will officially open for business at 9 a.m. The KWED Morning Show, with Darren Dunn and Chris Austin, will be broadcasting live from Applebee’s|IHOP from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The new Applebee’s|IHOP restaurant is located at 2777 N. State Highway 123 Bypass near Interstate 10.
They are still hiring new employees for the restaurant. You can apply online.