Eatin’ good in Costa Rica? 3 new Applebee’s planned for country

Posted: Tuesday, June 07, 2011 - By Tico Times

Costa Rica’s second Applebee’s will be welcomed to the neighborhood of Sabanilla, in east San José, by the end of the year.

The U.S. franchise Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill will be opening the location in late October or November, according to a report in the daily La Nación. A $1.2 million investment will fund the restaurant, which began construction Monday. It will bring 75 jobs to the location.

The country’s first Applebee’s is in Lindora, Santa Ana, southwest of San José. The new location was chosen after the franchise conducted market studies. Plans are under way for a third and fourth Applebee’s – one in Heredia, near the Real Cariari shopping center, in October 2013, and another in Alajuela, northwest of the capital, or in the northwestern province of Guanacaste in 2014.

The Applebee’s in Sabanilla will be built adjacent to the La Bandera rotunda, an area that continues to grow. Last year, the 8,500-square-meter Antares multiplaza opened up in the area (TT, July 2, 2010). The multimillion-dollar complex hosts approximately two dozen businesses including a sushi restaurant, a coffee shop, a Peruvian diner and a huge Mexican-style bar.

At this time last year, the country’s second Hooters opened in the same La Bandera area.

A new shopping center called Plaza Carolina also is under construction near the Applebee’s, the daily La Nación reported.