Applebee's Closing as Many as 80 Restaurants

``The casual dining chain's parent company Dine Brands Global said on Tuesday it would close as many as 80 Applebee's restaurants this year on top of the nearly 100 it shuttered last year... In 2017, U.S. comparable same-restaurant sales fell 5.3% at Applebee's, and also slipped at sister chain, the pancake-focused IHOP, where they declined 1.9% last year. The company also announced on Tuesday it was changing its corporate name from Dine Equity.''