See you today!
The fifth Applebee’s in the borough – with its familiar “See You Tomorrow” motto – is now open in Parkchester in a move that should give the community the dinning options it craves, its owner promises.
The restaurant, at 75 Metropolitan Oval, was officially dedicated with a ribbon cutting on Friday, Nov. 9.
It is the fifth location in the borough to be opened by Apple-Metro, a chain of Applebee’s in New York City, Westchester and Rockland.
Joining in the ribbon cutting were Apple-Metro CEO Zane Tankel, Apple-Metro president Roy Raeburn, Councilwoman Annabel Palma, and Bronx Chamber of Commerce CEO Lenny Caro.
“I think this is a perfect location to have a restaurant like Applebee’s,” said Palma. “I’ve traveled outside of the community to personally visit Applebee’s. To have it here is going to be exciting, and it is emotional to see the workers inside from the community and the commitment Applebee’s has made to the community.”
The Parkchester restaurant should employee as many as 200 workers engaged in everything from serving customers to preparing food to managing inventory, said Tankel, adding that the employes are people who live in the local community.
“We try to go into under-served communities,” said Tankel. “When I drove around and saw that there was not much choice for Parkchester, I began looking for locations.”
Negotiating the lease for the location proved to go beyond the more common 60 to 90 days, and the building required extensive renovations to host one of the premier American restaurant franchises.
“We put several million dollars into rehabbing this location,” said Tankel.
Apple-Metro was founded in 1993 and with this opening it now owns and operates 34 Applebee’s restaurants.
The other Bronx locations are in Co-op City, near Fordham Road, at the Bronx Terminal Market, and outside Riverdale at W. 225th Street, said Tankel.
Applebee’s Parkchester regular business hours will be from Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight. To-go service will be available for Applebee’s signature favorites. The restaurant promises to feature great service and an affordable place to eat.
According to Tankel, Apple-Metro is always looking for new locations for expansion.
Patrick Rocchio can be reach via e-mail at procchio@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3393
