Dine Brands Global Inc
NYSE:DIN
Dine Brands Global Inc
Dine Brands Global, Inc. owns and franchises casual and family dining restaurants. The company is headquartered in Glendale, California and currently employs 3,521 full-time employees. The firm also owns and franchises the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) concept in the family dining category of the restaurant industry. Its segments include franchise operations, company-operated restaurant operations, rental operations, and financing operations. The franchise operations segment consisted of approximately 1,611 restaurants operated by Applebee’s franchisees in the United States, and 1,751 restaurants operated by IHOP franchisees and area licensees in the United States. Its company-operated restaurant operations segment consists of approximately 69 Applebee's restaurants. Its Rental operations segments consists of lease or sublease agreements covering 598 IHOP franchised restaurants and two Applebee’s franchised restaurants.
Dine Brands Global, Inc. owns and franchises casual and family dining restaurants. The company is headquartered in Glendale, California and currently employs 3,521 full-time employees. The firm also owns and franchises the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) concept in the family dining category of the restaurant industry. Its segments include franchise operations, company-operated restaurant operations, rental operations, and financing operations. The franchise operations segment consisted of approximately 1,611 restaurants operated by Applebee’s franchisees in the United States, and 1,751 restaurants operated by IHOP franchisees and area licensees in the United States. Its company-operated restaurant operations segment consists of approximately 69 Applebee's restaurants. Its Rental operations segments consists of lease or sublease agreements covering 598 IHOP franchised restaurants and two Applebee’s franchised restaurants.
Revenue Growth: Dine Brands' total revenue increased 6.2% in Q4 to $217.6 million, with full-year revenue up 8.2% to $879.3 million.
Mixed Comp Sales: Applebee's returned to positive full-year comp sales at 1.3%, while IHOP improved but stayed slightly negative for the year (-1.5%), with Q4 turning positive at 0.3%.
EBITDA Fluctuation: Adjusted EBITDA rose in Q4 to $59.8 million but declined for the year to $219.8 million, impacted by company-owned restaurant investments.
Share Buybacks: The company repurchased $92 million in shares in 2025 (about 15% of shares), with plans to continue buybacks given perceived undervaluation.
2026 Guidance: The company expects flat to 2% domestic comp sales growth for both brands, EBITDA of $220–230 million, and around 50 new dual-brand openings.
Margin & Cost Headwinds: Commodity inflation remains, especially in IHOP, led by higher egg and beef costs; supply chain initiatives are mitigating some impact.
Dual-Brand Momentum: Dual-brand restaurants are outperforming single-brand locations, delivering 1.5–2.5x higher revenue, and are central to net unit growth strategy.
