First Dual Applebee’s and IHOP by Doherty Opens in Hawthorne March 18

Doherty Enterprises, Inc. will open its first dual‑brand Applebee’s | IHOP restaurant at 18 Saw Mill River Road in Hawthorne, Westchester County, with a ribbon‑cutting set for March 18, 2026 at 9:00 a.m., the franchisee said in a press release. Doherty leadership will be joined by local officials and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce at the ceremony.

The Hawthorne location will operate both brands under one roof and offer full menus from IHOP and Applebee’s, the company headline put it bluntly: “Guests will be Able to Order IHOP Pancakes and Applebee’s Favorites from One Menu, All Day, Under One Roof.” Coverage of the opening highlights that customers will be able to mix and match IHOP pancakes and breakfast classics with Applebee’s burgers, boneless wings, appetizers, and late‑night bites across morning, noon, and night. As one local writeup put it, “Whether you’re craving a stack of pancakes at 7 a.m. or boneless wings at 9 p.m., you won’t have to choose between the two.”

Renovations at the existing Applebee’s building have been underway to add IHOP identity inside and to the exterior, according to reporting in Westfair. The site will present two distinct dining atmospheres side‑by‑side: what coverage describes as Applebee’s “cozy, neighborhood feel” alongside IHOP’s “bright, energetic atmosphere,” with redesigned seating and signage reflecting both brands.

The Hawthorne opening comes as part of a broader Dine Brands rollout of dual‑brand Applebee’s/IHOP locations. Dine Brands has opened 13 dual‑branded restaurants internationally to date, and Westfair reports the company plans to have 14 U.S. locations open by the end of 2026. Dine Brands CEO John Peyton framed the concept as a way to extend dayparts and run a more efficient footprint: “With our dual‑branded restaurant, we are combining the strengths of both brands to create a unique and innovative dining experience that offers choice, variety, and value to guests.” Investors have been told similar performance metrics, with dual sites reported to produce on average approximately 1.5 to 2 times the revenue of a single‑branded restaurant.

Other franchisees have described the guest benefit in simple terms. Danny Hakim, vice president of R. Hakim Corp, said of a Seguin, Texas location tied to the rollout, “Guests can enjoy the best of both brands any time of the day within one great restaurant experience.” Westfair and other reporting identify Seguin as the inaugural U.S. dual‑brand site, citing a Feb. 18 opening there.

Doherty Enterprises traces its franchise footprint back to 1985 and currently operates 158 restaurants across New Jersey and New York, spanning seven concepts that include Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, Panera Bread, Wendy’s, Jinya Ramen Bar, Chevys Fresh Mex, The Shannon Rose Irish Pub, and Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, plus 12 Sola Salon Studios locations in Staten Island and New Jersey. The Hawthorne conversion will be the company’s first announced combined Applebee’s/IHOP.

The press release describes renovations as complete and the March 18 ribbon‑cutting as the public milestone; corporate details such as hours of operation, point‑of‑sale integration, and whether both full menus will be available immediately were not specified. Dine Brands continues to pursue dual‑brand expansion, and the Hawthorne restaurant will be one early test of how the format plays in suburban Westchester.