Applebee’s Hours Today | Opening, Closing & Holiday Schedule 2026
Applebee’s doesn’t run on one national clock. That’s the part most “hours” pages skip. Every restaurant is either company-owned or run by a franchise group, and each one sets its own opening time, closing time, and holiday schedule based on local demand, staffing, and state rules. So when you search “Applebee’s hours today,” the honest answer is: it depends on which Applebee’s you mean.
That said, there’s a strong pattern most locations follow, and once you know it, you can get a reliable answer in under a minute. This guide walks through typical opening and closing times, what changes on weekends and holidays, how takeout and curbside hours compare to dine-in, and the fastest way to confirm the exact schedule for your neighborhood location before you head out.
What Time Does Applebee’s Open?
Most Applebee’s locations open their doors at 11:00 AM, seven days a week. This isn’t a legal requirement or a corporate mandate carved in stone it’s simply the time that works for a casual dining chain built around lunch and dinner service rather than breakfast.
That’s also why Applebee’s doesn’t serve a traditional breakfast menu. The kitchen opens straight into lunch prep, and the first orders taken are usually sandwiches, burgers, and the chain’s well-known lunch combos rather than eggs and pancakes.
If you’re craving an early morning meal, Applebee’s generally isn’t the spot a nearby diner or a dual-branded location (some markets pair Applebee’s with another chain under one roof) would be a better bet.
A small number of locations, particularly in dense urban areas or near highway exits, may open earlier to catch commuter and lunch traffic. But 11:00 AM is the baseline you should expect almost everywhere in the U.S.
What Time Does Applebee’s Close?
Closing time is where locations actually start to differ, and it usually comes down to two
things: the day of the week and how busy that particular restaurant tends to get at night.
Weeknight and Sunday Closing (Sunday–Thursday)
On a typical Sunday through Thursday, most Applebee’s restaurants close somewhere
between 11:00 PM and midnight. Smaller-market and suburban locations tend to land on
the earlier end of that window, while busier locations in larger cities often stay open until
midnight even on a Tuesday.
Weekend Closing (Friday–Saturday)
Friday and Saturday nights bring longer hours at most locations, with many staying open
until 1:00 AM, and some urban or entertainment-district restaurants pushing closer to 2:00 AM. This is largely driven by bar and late-night appetizer traffic rather than dinner crowds.
The One Rule That Actually Holds Everywhere
Whatever time your local Applebee’s closes, don’t plan to walk in right at that hour. Kitchens generally stop taking new orders 10 to 15 minutes before close, even if the doors are technically still unlocked. If you’re aiming for a late-night visit, arriving at least 20 to 30 minutes before the posted closing time gives you a real shot at getting seated and fed.
Applebee’s Hours by Day
| Day | Typical Opening | Typical Closing |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 11:00 AM | 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
| Tuesday | 11:00 AM | 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
| Wednesday | 11:00 AM | 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
| Thursday | 11:00 AM | 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
| Friday | 11:00 AM | 1:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Saturday | 11:00 AM | 1:00 AM – 2:00 AM |
| Sunday | 11:00 AM | 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
These figures represent common patterns reported across many Applebee’s locations, not a guarantee for your specific restaurant. Treat this table as a starting point, not the final word.
Why Applebee’s Hours Aren’t the Same Everywhere
It’s worth understanding why there’s no single universal answer, because it changes how you should search for it.
- Franchise ownership. A large share of Applebee’s restaurants are independently owned and operated under franchise agreements. Each owner sets hours around what makes sense for their market a location near a college campus behaves very differently from one in a quiet suburb.
- Local staffing. Like most of the restaurant industry, staffing levels directly affect how late a location can realistically stay open on a given night, especially midweek.
- State and local regulations. Some cities and counties have rules around late-night alcohol service or noise ordinances that shape when a restaurant’s bar area can stay active, which in turn affects closing time.
- Seasonal demand. Locations near tourist areas, stadiums, or seasonal attractions sometimes extend hours during peak months and pull back during slower stretches.
None of this means Applebee’s hours are unpredictable it means they’re local, and the fastest way to get an accurate answer is to check the specific restaurant rather than relying on a single nationwide number.
Applebee’s Holiday Hours
Holiday scheduling is the area where “typical hours” matter least, because individual locations make their own calls each year. A few patterns show up consistently across most restaurants:
- Thanksgiving Day: Many locations operate on reduced hours rather than staying fully closed, often wrapping up service earlier in the evening than a normal day.
- Christmas Day: This is the one holiday where the majority of Applebee’s locations close entirely. Christmas Eve, by contrast, is often business-as-usual or only slightly shortened.
- New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day: Hours vary the most here some locations run their normal weekend schedule and lean into late-night New Year’s Eve traffic, while others close earlier so staff can head home before midnight.
- Major federal holidays (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day): Most locations stay open on regular or close-to-regular hours, since these tend to be strong dine-out days rather than closures.
Because holiday decisions are made restaurant by restaurant, don’t assume your local Applebee’s will match a national pattern a quick call or app check the day before saves you a wasted trip.
Applebee’s Takeout, Curbside & Online Order Hours
If you’re not planning to dine in, the good news is that takeout and off-premise ordering generally follow the same hours as the dining room, with a few important nuances.
Carside To Go (Curbside Pickup)
Applebee’s curbside pickup service, branded as Carside To Go, typically runs on the same schedule as dine-in service. You place your order online or by phone, pull into a designated parking spot, and a team member brings the order out. Because the kitchen is producing the same food for both dine-in and to-go orders, the cutoff time is usually identical expect the kitchen to stop taking new to-go orders around the same 10-to-15-minute window before closing.
Online and App Ordering
Ordering through the Applebee’s website or app is generally available during the same hours as the restaurant itself. The ordering system is usually tied directly to each location’s live hours, so if a restaurant is closed or approaching its cutoff, online ordering will typically reflect that automatically rather than letting you place an order that can’t be fulfilled.
Third-Party Delivery
Delivery through services like DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub depends on both the restaurant’s hours and the delivery platform’s own cutoff windows in your area, which can end slightly earlier than the restaurant’s actual closing time. If you’re ordering late in the evening, checking the delivery app directly is more reliable than assuming it matches the restaurant’s posted hours.
Practical Tip for Takeout Orders
Large or complex takeout orders think family-sized combo meals or catering-style requests are more likely to be turned down close to closing time, even if the kitchen is technically still open. If you know you’re placing a bigger order, doing it earlier in the evening gives the kitchen room to prepare it properly.
How to Find the Exact Hours for Your Local Applebee’s
General patterns are useful for planning, but if you actually want to know whether your Applebee’s is open right now, a few sources are more reliable than any hours guide:
- The Applebee’s app or website. Entering your ZIP code pulls up the specific location’s, current hours, along with today’s status.
- Google Maps. Search “Applebee’s” and your city — Maps typically shows a live “Open” or “Closed” status along with the day’s hours, pulled from data the restaurant itself maintains.
- A direct phone call. For holidays, weather closures, or late-night visits, calling ahead is still the most dependable option, especially if you’re planning to arrive close to closing.
Conclusion
Applebee’s keeps a fairly predictable rhythm doors open around 11:00 AM, weeknights wind down between 11:00 PM and midnight, and weekends stretch later into the night. But because hours are set location by location, the only way to know for certain what your nearest Applebee’s is doing today is to check that specific restaurant, whether through the app, Google Maps, or a quick phone call. Use the patterns in this guide to plan your visit, then confirm before you go.