Doherty-Owned Applebee’s® Restaurants Donate Supplies and Raise More Than $30K for Local Schools in Annual “Stuff The Bus” Drives in Florida, New Jersey, and New York

Doherty-owned Applebee’s restaurants in Florida, New Jersey, and Long Island, N.Y. announced today that together with the support of guests in various local communities, they raised more than $30K through their annual Stuff The Bus school supply drives to benefit local neighborhood classrooms.

Each year, participating Doherty-owned Applebee’s locations in Florida, New Jersey and New York park a school bus outside of their restaurants and collect as many school supplies from guests and community members as possible for one week. In addition to much needed classroom supplies, these restaurants donate proceeds from Flapjack Breakfast fundraisers hosted by participating partner organizations like the Salvation Army and United Way.

All funds and donated items were sent directly to area schools or partner organizations that support those classrooms.

The following 11 Doherty-owned Applebee’s restaurants participated in the summer fundraiser:

• Vero Beach, Fla. for Indian River County Schools
• Margate, Fla. for The Kappa Foundation of Pompano
• Venice, Fla. for All Faiths Food Bank’s School Backpack Program

• Garfield, N.J. for Garfield Middle School
• Rockaway, N.J. for the Dover Board of Education
• Linden, N.J. for the Linden School District
• Woodbridge, N.J. for Woodbridge TWP Schools
• Manahawkin, N.J. for the Stafford School District

• Baldwin, N.Y.  for Baldwin and Freeport School
• East Islip, N.Y. for Fiercely Leading Youth, Inc.
• Miller Place, N.Y. for the Comsewogue School District

“We want to thank all our guests, team members, and partners for being so generous with their time and donations for this year’s Stuff the Bus drive,” said Tim Doherty, President of Doherty Enterprises, and owner of the participating Applebee’s restaurants. “Part of our mission at Doherty Enterprises is to support the communities we serve, and each year our Stuff the Bus Drives help local schools equip the students of today to be the bold leaders of tomorrow.”

About Applebee’s®

As one of the world’s largest casual dining brands, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar serves as America’s kitchen table, offering guests a lively dining experience that combines simple, craveable American fare with classic drinks and local drafts. Applebee’s makes it easy for family and friends to connect with one another, whether it’s in a dining room or in the comfort of a living room, Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood™ is a familiar and affordable escape from the everyday. Applebee’s restaurants are owned and operated by entrepreneurs dedicated to more than serving great food, but also building up the communities that we call home. From raising money for local charities to hosting community fundraisers, Applebee’s is always Doin’ Good in the Neighborhood®. Applebee’s franchise and company-operated operations consisted of 1,673 Applebee’s restaurants in the United States, two U.S. territories and 11 countries outside the United States as of August 9, 2022. This number does not include two domestic Applebee’s ghost kitchens (small kitchens with no store-front presence, used to fill off-premise orders) and eight Applebee’s international ghost kitchens. Applebee’s is franchised by subsidiaries of Dine Brands Global Inc. [NYSE: DIN], which is one of the world’s largest full-service restaurant companies.

About Doherty Enterprises, Inc.

Established in 1985, Doherty Enterprises owns and operates more than 160 restaurants in New Jersey, New York, Florida and Georgia, including five restaurant concepts: Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, Panera Bread, Chevys Fresh Mex and its own concepts, The Shannon Rose Irish Pub and Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas. In addition, Doherty Enterprises is also a franchisee of Sola Salon Studios with 13 locations in Staten Island and New Jersey.

Doherty Enterprises is ranked 25th in Top 200 Franchisees in the United States by Restaurant Finance Monitor, is recognized as the 77th largest Foodservice revenue company in the United States by Nation’s Restaurant News, the 73rd largest privately held business in the New York Metro area by Crain’s Business, and 34th largest privately held company in New Jersey by NJBIZ.

The Doherty vision is to be the “Best Food Service Company in the Communities We Serve” and its mission is to “Wow Every Guest Every Time, Wow our People, Wow Our Communities and Wow Our Suppliers.” Doherty Enterprises has also been lending a helping hand to team members and their immediate families when financially burdened through the WOW a Friend Foundation. To date, the foundation has assisted more than 4,00 people and donated over $5.3 million directly back to those in need. (www.DohertyInc.com).