DeKalb Applebee's abruptly closes its doors

DeKALB – Applebee’s Grill and Bar, 2411 Sycamore Road, is the latest in a list of restaurants on Sycamore Road, including Ruby Tuesday and White Castle, that have closed their doors over the past couple of years.

In a Facebook post for the franchise location made public Wednesday, the company thanked the community and encouraged customers to visit the nearest restaurant at 125 S. Randall Road in Elgin.

Jo Ellen Charlton, DeKalb community development director, said the city had not received any advance notice of the restaurant’s planned closure, but is hoping the site can be reused by another franchise, much like the way Chili’s was able to convert the former Ruby Tuesday building at 2370 Sycamore Road. Chili’s opened in October 2017 at the location.

“We’re trying to reach out to the property owner and find out what conditions the property is owned under and if it’s available to another entity,” Charlton said. “If it is, we’ll work hard to try and match somebody up with it.”

Earlier this year, Applebee’s announced plans to close up to 80 restaurants, after shutting down about 100 last year.