A Popular U.S. Eatery Is Offering a Year-Long Pass for Affordable Dining — As Low As $4 Per Visit: 'Might Be the Greatest Restaurant Deal You'll Ever See' For just $200, you could snag yourself a year's worth of weekly date nights.
By Amanda Breen
Key Takeaways
- Applebee’s is launching a special subscription pass for couples, starting at $200, for roughly a year’s worth of weekly date nights.
- The date night pass is capped at $30 per visit on food and non-alcoholic drinks, excluding alcoholic beverages like the previously viral DOLLARITA.
- The pass is available starting January 22 in limited in quantity and cannot be used at 16 specific locations or through third-party delivery services.
For some couples, date night might feel more expensive than ever, so one casual restaurant chain wants to make it easier on your wallet.
Beginning this Monday, Applebee's diners can snap up a "Date Night Pass" for $200, a subscription plan that entitles couples (and regular diners) to 52 weeks of date nights at Applebee's.
Applebee's announced in a press release that the year-long pass will be active from February 1 — right in time for Valentine's Day — and valid until January 31, 2025. Each pass offers up to $30 towards the cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages per weekly visit.
Diners can indulge in twice the romance and half the cost with menu options such as all-you-can-eat boneless wings, riblets and shrimp, though they should be prepared to pay out of pocket for alcoholic indulgences like margaritas.
All in, singles are spending more than $117 billion a year on their dating lives, which comes out to an average of $1,560 per year, or $130 per month, according to Match's 2022 Singles in America study.
Applebee's "Date Night Pass" seems to align with the chain's strategy of positioning itself as an economical dining venue. Following a relaunch of crowd-favorites including boneless wings, the company also captured attention last fall with its "DOLLARITA'S BACK" campaign, although that $1 margarita promotion has since concluded.
And social media is already buzzing about the deal. One TikTok user said the pass "might be the greatest restaurant deal you'll ever see," explaining that if you stick to the $30 budget, each visit to Applebee's will cost just $3.85.
@snackolator The new Applebee's Date Night Pass might be the greatest deal you'll see for a restaurant pass and I'm bummed there are no longer any @Applebee's Grill + Bar close enough or I would be trying to get this pass on Monday! Are you trying for it? #applebees #applebeesbarandgrill #applebeesonadatenight #fooddeals #datenight #cheapfood #restaurant #cheapeats #cheapmeals #applebeeschallenge ♬ original sound - snackolator
Applebee's is releasing an unspecified "limited number" of passes on Monday, January 22 at 12 p.m. EST on its website.
It's important to note that the pass is not universally accepted — certain locations are exempt from the program including two in New Jersey, one in New York, one in Maryland, and several others across Florida, Ohio, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas.
Additionally, for at-home date nights, the pass is accepted for online orders placed on Applebee's website but can't be used for orders placed through third-party delivery platforms such as DoorDash and Postmates.
