Middleburg Heights Applebee's Will Remain Open, Amidst National Closures

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, OH — Anywhere between 105 and 135 Applebee's restaurants and between 20 and 25 IHOP locations will be closing this year, the restaurants' parent company, dineEquity, said in a statement. The closures are part of a transitional year, the dineEquity CEO said in a statement. However, the Middleburg Heights location will remain open.

dineEquity said it had previously planned on closing between 40 to 60 restaurants, making the numbers announced last week a significant increase from previous projections. The company did not say which restaurants are on the chopping block but that expected closures will be based on several criteria, including franchisee profitability, operational results and meeting brand quality standards.

"We are investing in the empowerment of our brands by improving overall franchisee financial health, closing underperforming restaurants and enhancing the supply chain. We are focusing on operations and elevating the guest experience, whether in our restaurants or off-premise. We believe 2017 will be a transitional year for Applebee's and we are making the necessary investments for overall long-term brand health and expect to see improvement over the next year," Richard J. Dahl, chairman and interim CEO of dineEquity, Inc. said in the statement.

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However, 36 Applebee's locations in Northeast Ohio are operated by the Flynn Restaurant Group, which says the closures will not impact their franchises. The Middleburg Heights Applebee's, 6871 Pearl Road, is operated by Flynn and will remain open, the company announced Friday.

"Our Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar locations are 100 percent open for business and we look forward to continuing to deliver an excellent dining experience that our guests have grown to love," said Greg Flynn, chairman and CEO of Flynn Restaurant Group.

For Northeast Ohioans who enjoy the Neighborhood Bar and Grille, here are the locations that are operated by Flynn Restaurant Group and will remain open:

• 5658 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst
• 5010 Great Northern Plaza, North, North Olmsted
• 20705 Center Ridge Road, Fairview Park
• 4981 Dressler Road, North Canton
• 508 Howe Road, Cuyahoga Falls
• 6871 Pearl Road, Middleburg Heights
• 3989 Burbank Road, Wooster
• 9174 Mentor Avenue, Mentor
• 1023 North Lexington-Springmill Road, Mansfield
• 7159 Macedonia Commons Blvd., Macedonia
• 4800 Ridge Road – RPS, Brooklyn
• 5503 Milan Road, Sandusky
• 1540 West River Road, North, Elyria
• 4115 Pearl Road, Medina
• 233 Graff Road, SE, New Philadelphia
• 17771 SouthPark Center, Strongsville
• 4296 Kent Road, Stow
• 3938 Medina Road, Akron
• 1020 High Street, Wadsworth
• 2600 West State Street, Alliance
• 2250 Claremont Avenue, Ashland
• 2897 South Arlington Road, Akron
• 32 Massillon Marketplace Drive, SW, Massillon
• 3241 North Ridge Road, East, Ashtabula
• 1200 State Route 303, Streetsboro
• 4191 Rockside Road, Independence
• 14020 Cedar Road, University Heights
• 1421 Town Center Blvd. #B-10, Brunswick
• 3528 Hudson Drive, Stow
• 35916 Detroit Road, Avon
• 220 Tallmadge Road, Kent
• 145 Stander Avenue, Mansfield
• 4320 Leavitt Road, Lorain
• 3401 Steelyard Drive, Cleveland
• 9225 Vista Way, Garfield Heights
• 35055 Maplegrove Rd, Willoughby

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Feroze Dhanoa, Patch, contributed to this report