America has a new favorite grill and bar chain.For the first time, Chili's overtook Applebee's in terms of U.S. systemwide sales in 2024, according to Technomic.Data from the restaurant tracking firm shows that from 2021 to 2024, Chili's grew U.S. sales from about $3.6 billion to $4.6 billion, while Applebee's $4.1 billion U.S. sales were about flat over that same time period.In their most recently reported fiscal quarters, Chili's saw its same-store sales spike 31%, while Applebee's domestic same-store sal ...

Core Insights - Dine Brands (DIN) reported revenue of $214.78 million for Q1 2025, a year-over-year increase of 4.1%, but fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate by -0.24% [1] - The EPS for the quarter was $1.03, down from $1.33 a year ago, representing a surprise of -12.71% against the consensus estimate of $1.18 [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Dine Brands' shares returned +6.4% over the past month, underperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +10.6% [3] - IHOP's domestic same-restaurant sales decreased by -2.7%, worse than the average estimate of -1.8% [4] - The total number of IHOP restaurants was 1,814, slightly below the estimated 1,822 [4] - Applebee's restaurants totaled 1,594, compared to the average estimate of 1,606 [4] - Applebee's domestic same-restaurant sales decreased by -2.2%, better than the estimated -3% [4] Revenue Breakdown - Franchise revenues were reported at $166.21 million, below the average estimate of $168.51 million, reflecting a year-over-year decline of -5.5% [4] - Rental revenues were $26.66 million, compared to the average estimate of $28.88 million, marking a -9.8% year-over-year change [4] - Financing revenues were $0.34 million, lower than the estimated $0.45 million, representing a significant -36.8% decline year-over-year [4] - Company restaurant sales reached $21.57 million, exceeding the average estimate of $17.47 million, with a remarkable year-over-year increase of +7773.4% [4] - Advertising revenue from franchise revenues was $70.49 million, slightly below the average estimate of $71.55 million, indicating a -6.3% year-over-year change [4] - Royalties, franchise fees, and other revenues totaled $95.72 million, compared to the average estimate of $97.51 million, reflecting a -4.9% year-over-year decline [4]