Almost all of Applebee’s Kansas City area locations close abruptly. Here’s why
Eight Applebee’s locations have closed suddenly in the Kansas City area, leaving just two left in the metro.
Only the locations at 1100 NW Highway 7 in Blue Springs and 6069 NE Antioch Road in the Northland remain open, according to the company.
The other eight area locations are:
- 3404 Rainbow Blvd. in Kansas City, Kansas
- 6800 Johnson Drive in Mission
- 11000 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park
- 1700 Village West Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas
- 9330 East 350 Highway in Raytown
- 16110 W. 135th St. in Olathe
- 1501 NE Douglas St. in Lee’s Summit
- 2912 S. 4th St. in Leavenworth
Signs on the doors of the other locations read: “This location has been permanently closed. Thank you for being our neighbor. We’ve enjoyed serving you.”
Tony Moralejo, president of Applebee’s, said in a statement that the decision to close the restaurant was made by the franchisee, not the brand. Applebee’s restaurants are independently owned and operated.
Moralejo added that the closures appear to be made because of “financial circumstances.”
“This situation is unfortunate, and we continue to believe the Kansas City area is a great neighborhood for Applebee’s restaurants,” he said. “We are exploring options about the future of these restaurants.”
Applebee’s was formerly headquartered in Kansas City. In 2015, it relocated to California, where its parent company, Dine Brands, is based. American Franchise Capital LLC took over the Kansas City area restaurants that year, forming Apple Central LLC and Apple Central KC LLC.
But the KC franchise has since gotten in hot water with the company and the public.
In 2018, Applebee’s sued the franchise after it closed seven area restaurants. The franchise shut down the Independence spot temporarily, then permanently, after a racial profiling incident in which two women were accused by staff of not paying their bill the previous night.
But Applebee’s claimed in the lawsuit that it did not approve the closures, which “left a trail of vacant buildings throughout the Kansas City area that the general public previously recognized as bustling and active Applebee’s restaurants.”
In 2022, mid-level franchise executive Wayne Pankratz with American Franchise Capital was criticized after sending an email to other company officials claiming they could pay potential workers less because most live “paycheck to paycheck.”
“Any increase in gas prices cuts into their disposable income. As inflation continues to climb and gas prices go up, that means more hours employees will need to maintain their current level of living,” the email read.
Managers at a Lawrence location quit in protest after seeing the email, which was widely circulated on the internet.
As of 2022, William J. Georgas is the principal shareholder of Apple Central KC LLC and Apple Central LLC, which is based in Connecticut.
Last year, Applebee’s locations in Lenexa at 12242 W. 95th St. (near Oak Park Mall) and Shawnee at 11500 W. 63rd St. closed.
