Applebee’s is offering a subscription pass for your date nights

By CNN Newsource

Published January 19, 2024 2:16 PM

By Ramishah Maruf, CNN

New York (CNN) — Applebee’s will offer a subscription date night pass for $200, beginning on Monday.

The pass will cover roughly a year of weekly date nights, according to the company. Starting February 1 — about two weeks before Valentine’s Day — and ending on January 31, 2025, the pass is valid 52 times.

However, the pass only covers up to $30 of food and non-alcoholic beverages per use. That can cover two servings of all-you-can-eat boneless wings, riblets and shrimp – but the cost of margaritas will have to come out of your own pocket.

Spending on dates is up 40% from the past decade, according to a 2022 survey by Match — the owner of dating apps Tinder, Hinge and Plenty of Fish. Some singles are forgoing first dinner dates for cheaper options like a walk in the park or a coffee.

With the price of dining out rising, the chain has seemingly leaned into its reputation as an affordable destination to eat out.

It brought back its all-you-can-eat boneless wings (and riblets and double crunch shrimp) in the new year. Separately, the company announced “DOLLARITA’S BACK” in a two-word statement last October. Astute readers will notice that the phrase “it’s back” is in bold. That promotion, for $1 margaritas, has since concluded. TikTok users had posted viral videos throughout the season of the boozy deal.

The chain’s date-night pass will be available for purchase on Monday, January 22, at 12 pm EST on its website. Applebee’s said it will sell only a limited number of passes.

Sixteen Applebee’s locations are exempt from the pass — two in New Jersey, one in New York, one in Maryland, two in Florida, two in Ohio, one in South Dakota, five in Pennsylvania, one in Virginia and one in Texas.

The pass can be used for online orders, but cannot be used through third-party delivery orders — such as Doordash and Postmates.

– CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this story.