---
title: "After 69-Store Buyout, Applebee's is No Longer Fully Franchised"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ab44acf1-0888-42f9-8ad4-3abcfb9dbae9
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/after-69-store-buyout-applebees-is-no-longer-fully-franchised-2708694
category: "Casual dining"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Casual dining"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2018-12-17T15:10:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:08:27.310Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/9ebc44d9c8aa909cdb11df6f54d824263518.jpg
---

# After 69-Store Buyout, Applebee's is No Longer Fully Franchised

**TL;DR:** Applebee's has bought back nearly 70 of its franchised locations, marking the first time the company has owned any locations since 2015. The brand has also settled a dispute with franchisee group RMH Franchise Holdings Inc.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-12-17. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/after-69-store-buyout-applebees-is-no-longer-fully-franchised-2708694).*

## Story

Applebee's has officially bought back nearly 70 of its franchised locations. According to a recent article in Nation's Restaurant News, the brand’s COO Kevin Carroll will be in charge of the operation of these restaurants, which are located across North and South Carolina. This is the first time the company has owned any locations since 2015.

The brand has also been in the process of settling a dispute with franchisee group, RMH Franchise Holdings Inc. A point of contention in this case is Applebee’s calling for RMH to pay back all past due royalty and advertising fees. A settlement has been reached, including a $12.5 million payment and the agreement that RMH will retain ownership of 135 locations.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- north carolina (location)
- south carolina (location)
- Applebee's (company)
- franchise dispute (topic)
- settlement (topic)
- unit buyback (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/after-69-store-buyout-applebees-is-no-longer-fully-franchised-2708694). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ab44acf1-0888-42f9-8ad4-3abcfb9dbae9).