Doherty Enterprises acquires 38 Applebee's unitsDoherty Enterprises acquires 38 Applebee's units

Doherty Enterprises Inc. has acquired 38 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants in Georgia and Florida.

The acquisition from Duluth, Ga.-based Gator Apple LLC is the largest ever for Doherty Enterprises, which now owns 140 restaurants in four states, 100 of which are Applebee’s locations.

Thirty-five of the 38 newly acquired units are in Florida, and three of them are in Georgia.

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“We’ve been on the lookout for any potential acquisitions of our existing brands for some time,” said Ed Choe, president at Allendale, N.J.-based Doherty Enterprises.

Choe declined to discuss the financial details of the acquisition.

All 38 units will be remodeled with a more contemporary interior and exterior look, complete with a brighter color palette and new furniture, said Choe. “I think that, by and large, if you have a more inviting environment, you can expect to see sales uptick,” he said of the decision to redesign.

The remodels will likely take place over the next year-and-a-half to two years, Choe said.

“These achievements will help us to reach close to a half of a billion dollars in sales, making Doherty Enterprises a formidable name in the restaurant industry,” Choe said in a statement.

In addition to the acquisition news, Doherty Enterprises said Wednesday that it has opened its first Noodles & Company location at Westbury Plaza on Long Island, New York. The company has the rights to develop 23 Noodles & Company locations in Long Island, Choe said.

Doherty Enterprises’ portfolio is composed of Noodles & Company, Applebee’s, Panera Bread, Chevys Fresh Mex, Quaker Steak & Lube, The Shannon Rose Irish Pub and Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas.

Contact Erin Dostal at [email protected].
Follow her on Twitter: @erindostal