Is Club Applebee's America's Hip New Place to Drink?

Watch out, bars of America: Applebee's is coming for you. Not only is late-night boozing becoming a bigger part of the chain's marketing strategy, but there are actual locations that have re-dubbed themselves Club Applebee's with their own scenester web domain and all. According to Ad Age, Club Applebee's attempts to "lure customers in with half-price appetizers, drink specials and the promise of dance music or karaoke." Oh, and families are still totally welcome, especially all those mommy bloggers desperately in need of a drink that the chain has been increasingly targeting. Per senior VP Brian Masilionis:

Families are a huge part of the business, even for the franchisees that have a strong bar business... Staying open later allows us to have more fun things later at night when kids are in bed. Historically, we may have had more confusion with guests when we closed earlier.

OK sure. Anyway, there are only about 100 Club Applebee's locations — about half of which are in central Florida — but regrettably no plans to go national with the concept. Yet.

· The Hottest New Joint in Town Is Club Applebee's [Ad Age]
· All Applebee's Coverage on Eater [-E-]