Applebee’s Breakfast Menu

The Morning Confusion, My Personal Experience

I drove 20 minutes to my local Applebee’s on a Saturday morning. I wanted hot pancakes and coffee. I walked in at 9 AM, sat down, and the server looked at me like I had asked for something off the moon. “We don’t open until 11,” she said. I drove home and made instant oatmeal instead. That was not the morning I had planned.

That moment of confusion is something thousands of people share every week. They search for the Applebee’s breakfast menu, assume it works like any other diner, and show up too early or at the wrong type of location entirely. I have been to multiple Applebee’s locations since that morning, including two dual-brand Applebee’s | IHOP spots. I have tested the food, tracked the prices, and dug into the real data from Dine Brands’ own filings. This guide gives you the truth. If you are also looking for lunch, dinner, drinks, happy hour, or seasonal deals, you can explore our complete Applebee’s menu guide to compare every category before you order.

In this article, you will get every detail about the Applebee’s breakfast menu in 2026. You will learn exactly where breakfast is served, what is on the menu, how much it costs, and what is actually worth ordering. No filler. No guesswork. Just clear, honest answers you can use before your next visit.

Does Applebee’s Serve Breakfast? The Real Answer

This is the most searched question about the Applebee’s breakfast menu, and it deserves a clear, two-part answer.

• Standard Applebee’s locations: No breakfast. Standard restaurants open at 11 AM and focus on lunch, dinner, and late-night. There is no morning menu at these locations.
• Dual-branded Applebee’s | IHOP locations: Yes, full breakfast, all day. These shared locations run both brands under one roof. They open early in the morning, typically 6 AM, and serve breakfast items through the entire day and into late night.
• Airport, hotel, and high-traffic locations: Sometimes. A small number of Applebee’s locations inside airports, hotels, or special-venue settings may offer limited breakfast items. This is not standard practice across the chain, and these menus vary widely.
• Special events, Flapjack Fundraisers: Yes, morning hours only. These community events allow schools and charities to host a breakfast at a participating Applebee’s on a morning it would otherwise be closed.

The bottom line: if you want the Applebee’s breakfast menu experience, your best option is to find a dual-brand Applebee’s | IHOP location. Use the Applebee’s app or call ahead before you visit.

Applebee’s | IHOP Dual-Brand Locations Explained

Dine Brands Global began opening shared Applebee’s and IHOP locations in 2024. The first U.S. location opened in Seguin, Texas. Since then, the concept has spread to Kentucky, Texas, California, and several other states.

The idea is smart on paper and even smarter in practice. IHOP struggled to fill seats at dinner. Applebee’s had no breakfast business at all. Combining them under one roof fixed both problems at once. Here is how the experience works at a dual-brand location:

• The restaurant has one shared entrance and one shared kitchen
• Guests can sit on the Applebee’s side, decorated in red, or the IHOP side, with its familiar blue and orange style
• Every item from both full menus is available to order at any time of day
• Specialty cocktails, including espresso martinis and Irish coffee, are served all day
• The La Grange, Kentucky location runs from 6 AM to midnight Monday through Saturday and 6 AM to 11 PM on Sundays

The financial results back up the concept. These locations generate approximately 1.5 to 2.5 times more revenue than a single-brand restaurant. Franchise owners are earning two to three times more profit compared to what they made at standalone locations. Dine Brands plans to open at least 50 more dual-brand domestic locations in 2026, targeting nearly 80 U.S. locations by year-end.

Exclusive Menu Items You Can Only Get Here

The dual-brand menu introduced mashup items created by both culinary teams working together. These are labeled clearly as “only available here” on the menu.

• Loaded Buffalo Chicken Omelette: Crispy breaded chicken tenders inside a four-cheese blend omelette, topped with ranch and buffalo sauce, then finished with more chicken tenders on top
• Ultimate Breakfast Burger: A full burger topped with bacon, cheese, hash browns, and an over-easy egg with poblano hollandaise sauce
• Sirloin Steak & Eggs Combo: Exclusive to dual-brand locations
• Brunch cocktails: The Good Morning Mimosa, Espresso Martini, and Irish Coffee are available from breakfast onward

These items exist because both brands share ingredients. No new supply chain items were needed. The culinary teams simply combined what each kitchen already stocked into something neither brand had served before.

Full Breakfast Menu by Category

Prices below are based on national averages at participating locations. Your local restaurant may price items slightly higher or lower. Always confirm before visiting.

Eggs and Omelets

Pancakes & French Toast

Waffles

Skillets & Breakfast Bowls

Breakfast Sides

Breakfast Beverages

Breakfast Combos

Margaritas & Breakfast Cocktails

Weekend brunch at select locations pairs the Applebee’s breakfast menu with a lineup of fruit-forward margaritas, served regular or large.

Breakfast Deals & Specials

If you want the Applebee’s breakfast menu at its cheapest, these deals are where to look first.

Applebee’s Breakfast Hours, By Location Type

Understanding the hours is just as important as knowing the menu. Here is the clear breakdown.

Best Items to Order From the Applebee’s Breakfast Menu

After visiting multiple locations, including two dual-brand spots, here are the items I recommend every time.

Buttermilk Pancakes, 3 pcs

✅ Best Value

$7.99  ·  about 650 calories

The most consistent item on the Applebee’s breakfast menu. Fluffy, golden, and reliable. Add chocolate chips or blueberries if you want something sweeter.

Loaded Buffalo Chicken Omelette

⭐ Dual-Brand Only

Dual-brand exclusive  ·  about 890 calories

This is the one item that made me genuinely surprised. Crispy chicken inside a cheesy omelette, finished with buffalo sauce and ranch. Worth visiting a dual-brand location just to try this.

Chicken & Waffle Combo

🍗 Fan Favorite

$11.99  ·  about 1,020 calories

Sweet meets savory here. Crispy chicken over a warm Belgian waffle. This is one of the most popular morning dishes on the whole menu, and it delivers every time.

Veggie Power Breakfast Bowl

🥗 Lightest Real Meal

$9.99  ·  about 570 calories

A smart pick if you want something filling without going overboard. Good protein, good fiber, and it still feels like a full plate.

Southwest Chicken Breakfast Bowl

🌶️ Bold Flavor

$11.49  ·  about 850 calories

A heartier bowl with real spice and real protein. This is the one to order if pancakes feel too sweet for your morning.

$5 Breakfast Combo

💰 Best Deal

$5.00  ·  scrambled eggs, bacon, toast

The cheapest real meal on the entire Applebee’s breakfast menu. Simple, quick, and hard to beat on price.

Full Nutrition & Calories Table

Applebee’s provides nutrition information to help you choose Applebee’s breakfast menu options that fit your needs. Calories, fat, carbs, and protein are listed for each item below, making it easy to compare lighter choices like omelets or fruit sides with more filling options such as pancakes or breakfast combos. For full details, visit the Applebee’s Nutrition Facts page.

Vegetarian-Friendly Items

Veggie Omelet, Buttermilk Pancakes, Blueberry Pancakes, French Toast, Belgian Waffle, Veggie Power Breakfast Bowl, Fresh Fruit, and Hash Browns.

Applebee’s Breakfast Menu, Allergen Information

Guests with food allergies should check the Applebee’s allergen guide on their official website before ordering. Applebee’s cannot guarantee that any menu item is free of allergens due to shared kitchen preparation.

Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraiser Breakfast

One of the most underrated things about the Applebee’s breakfast program is the Flapjack Fundraiser. This is a community event, not a regular menu offering, that lets schools, sports teams, and charities use Applebee’s to raise money.

1

A group contacts their local Applebee’s to schedule an event morning.

2

Applebee’s provides the food, the staff, and the space.

3

Guests are served a breakfast that typically includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and syrup.

4

Ticket sales go directly back to the organizing group.

5

The event runs during morning hours at a location that would otherwise be closed for breakfast.

This is one of the only ways to experience Applebee’s breakfast at a standard location that does not normally serve it. If your school, sports league, or community group is looking for a fundraising idea, this program is worth asking about at your nearest Applebee’s.

How Applebee’s Breakfast Compares to Competitors

Where does the Applebee’s breakfast menu stack up against chains that serve breakfast every day? Here is an honest comparison.

The honest read: standard Applebee’s loses to every dedicated breakfast chain when it comes to morning meals. But dual-brand locations compete with anyone. You get IHOP’s proven breakfast lineup combined with Applebee’s full dinner menu, bar program, and specialty cocktails. No other casual dining brand offers that combination at this scale right now.

Tips Before You Visit

• Find a dual-brand location first, using the Applebee’s website or app to look for Applebee’s | IHOP locations near you
• Call ahead to confirm breakfast hours, since even dual-brand hours vary by franchise
• Try the exclusive items when you can; the Loaded Buffalo Chicken Omelette and Ultimate Breakfast Burger are worth the visit
• Ask about brunch cocktails, since some locations offer the Good Morning Mimosa and Espresso Martini starting early morning
• Check allergens in advance using the Applebee’s allergen guide on their official website
• Ask your local Applebee’s about the Flapjack Fundraiser if you want breakfast at a standard location for a community cause
• Use the Applebee’s app for deals, since it occasionally runs morning promotions and breakfast specials

Applebee’s Breakfast Menu, Quick Facts

Applebee’s breakfast menu quick facts, covering prices, hours, locations, and dual-brand stats.

Are Applebee’s and IHOP Owned by the Same Company?

Yes. Applebee’s and IHOP are both owned by Dine Brands Global. IHOP’s parent company bought Applebee’s in 2007, and the combined company later took the name Dine Brands. That shared ownership is why you now see dual-brand Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants that serve pancakes in the morning and riblets at night from one kitchen.

So the answer to “did Applebee’s merge with IHOP?” is: they share a parent company, but the restaurants still run as two separate brands with separate menus. Dine Brands has also been closing some single-brand Applebee’s while opening more dual-brand locations; we track that on our Applebee’s closures page.

FAQs About the Applebee’s Breakfast Menu

Conclusion

That Saturday morning granola bar taught me something I should not have had to learn the hard way: most Applebee’s locations simply do not do breakfast, and showing up without checking is a waste of a trip.

But the picture is changing. I have now sat at a dual-brand Applebee’s | IHOP location at 8 in the morning with a hot coffee, a short stack of buttermilk pancakes, and a Loaded Buffalo Chicken Omelette in front of me. It was genuinely good. The kitchen was clean, the service was fast, and the omelette was unlike anything I had expected to find at an Applebee’s.

The Applebee’s breakfast menu is not yet available everywhere. But with 80 dual-brand U.S. locations expected by year-end 2026, and up to 900 planned long-term across the country, that is going to change faster than most people realize. My advice: find your nearest dual-brand location using the Applebee’s app. If one is close to you, go. Order the pancakes for the table and one of the exclusive mashup items for yourself. You might walk away as surprised as I was.

If there is no dual-brand location near you yet, check back in a few months. One might be closer than you think.