As Americans are struggling to pay for groceries, Applebee’s is leaning into an affordable meal deal.
The restaurant chain is bringing back its “All You Can Eat” menu for $15.99 a plate, it announced in a press release Monday. Customers can choose between three unlimited meals that all come with bottomless fries.
Applebee’s is offering endless boneless wings, pork riblets and its “Double Crunch Shrimp” to go along with the bottomless fries for a limited time. But there’s a catch — customers have to be eating inside the restaurant to order off the “All You Can Eat” menu.
The push for cheaper dining options comes as the cost of living rises.
The Consumer Price Index, which the government uses to track the cost of goods and services over time, saw a 0.6 percent increase in April, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3.8 percent.
Looking specifically at food prices, the cost of groceries increased 0.7 percent and the cost of restaurant food was just up 0.2 percent in April.
Applebee’s isn’t the only chain restaurant to roll out a meal deal, incentivizing customers strapped for cash to dine with them.
Red Lobster recently brought back its endless shrimp deal, despite the promotion driving the chain restaurant into bankruptcy in 2024.
“We’re excited to bring it back, for a limited time, in a way that works for our business today and honors what made it special from the beginning,” Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun said in a statement announcing the deal’s revival last month. “Because when our fans talk, we listen.”
Chili’s also announced a change to its “3 For Me” meal deal last month. The chain restaurant added its “Big Crispy” and “Spicy Big Crispy” to its $10.99 meal deal that includes a side of fries, endless chips and salsa and unlimited sodas.
"Over the past few years, we've exposed the fast food shrinkflation by serving our massive burgers in the industry-leading $10.99 3 For Me meal for a value that can't be found in the drive-thru," George Felix, Chili's Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement at the time. "Now, we're setting our sights on fast food chicken sandwiches.”
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