Applebee’s Holiday Hours 2026: Full Schedule & Detail Guide

Planning a meal out around the holidays gets easier when you know the hours ahead of time. Applebee’s Holiday Hours shift depending on the day, and the chain doesn’t treat every holiday the same way. Some days you’ll find the doors open till late. Other days, you’ll pull up to a dark parking lot.

Here’s the short version. Applebee’s stays open on most holidays with trimmed hours, and Christmas Day is the one day you can count on most locations being closed. Below you’ll find the full 2026 schedule, plus the fastest way to check your own neighborhood spot.

Applebee’s holiday hours at a glance

Here’s a quick look at what to expect on each major holiday in 2026. These are typical times across most US locations. Your local restaurant may run a little different.

Applebee’s christmas hours: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Christmas is where the schedule splits in two. Applebee’s christmas hours look very different on the 24th versus the 25th.

On Christmas Eve, most locations stay open but wrap up early. Plenty of restaurants close somewhere between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM so staff can get home for the evening. A few busier spots hang on until 9:00 or 10:00 PM. If you want a Christmas Eve dinner out, go earlier in the day to be safe.

Christmas Day is the big closure. Most Applebee’s locations shut down completely on December 25. A handful of travel-based restaurants, like airport or highway stops, might open with limited service, but that’s uncommon. For most people, applebee’s christmas hours on the 25th mean the doors stay locked. Plan for a home-cooked meal or a backup restaurant.

The day after Christmas, December 26, most locations return to their regular schedule. So if you’re craving those riblets on the 26th, you’re good.

Applebee’s thanksgiving hours

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest food days of the year, and plenty of families would rather eat out than spend the day at the stove. Good news: most Applebee’s locations open on Thanksgiving.

The catch is shorter hours. Applebee’s thanksgiving hours usually run reduced, with many restaurants open from around 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Some stay open later, closer to 10:00 PM, depending on local demand and staffing. A small number of locations close for the day entirely.

Menus can shrink too. Some kitchens run a limited selection on Thanksgiving, so your go-to dish might not be on the board that day. If you’re placing a To-Go order, do it before 3:00 PM. The dinner rush between 5:00 and 7:00 PM gets packed, and wait times climb fast.

Worth knowing: Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays where a handful of owners choose to close entirely and give the whole team the day off. That decision is local, so two Applebee’s in the same metro can land on opposite answers. The 2 for $25 and Endless Apps deals sometimes carry over into the holiday weekend, which is another reason to check the app before you go.

Because applebee’s thanksgiving hours vary so much by location, a two-minute phone call the day before saves you the drive.

Applebee’s Easter hours

Easter Sunday 2026 falls on April 5. Most Applebee’s locations open on Easter, and unlike Christmas, it isn’t a standard closure day for the chain.

At locations that open, hours often follow the regular Sunday schedule, roughly 11:00 AM to midnight, though many close earlier in the evening, somewhere between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM. Since every franchise makes its own call, Easter hours swing more than most days.

Easter afternoon also draws a post-church lunch crowd, so the window between noon and 2:00 PM can fill up. If you’re bringing the whole family, aim for an early seating or a late one to skip the crush. A quick check before you leave settles the hours question either way.

New Year’s and other holidays

New Year’s Eve tends to run long. Some Applebee’s locations, especially in nightlife-heavy areas, stay open late for drinks and a bar crowd on December 31. Others close at their usual time. New Year’s Day is usually a regular business day, though a few spots open a bit later than normal.

For holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, Applebee’s generally sticks to regular or near-regular hours. Those days rarely cause the confusion that Christmas and Thanksgiving do.

Why hours change from one location to the next

Applebee’s runs on a franchise model. Corporate sets broad guidelines, but individual owners make the final call on holiday hours. That’s why one Applebee’s might stay open until 10:00 PM on Christmas Eve while another across town closes at 6:00 PM or skips the day.

A few things push these differences:

• Franchise ownership. Each owner decides based on local demand and staffing.
• Location type. Restaurants inside malls or airports follow the building’s schedule.
• Staffing. Fewer workers on a holiday often means shorter hours.
• City and region. Urban spots near shopping centers usually keep longer holiday hours than small-town locations.

The takeaway: even if your Applebee’s was open last Christmas Eve, don’t assume the same this year. Hours can shift year to year.

How to Check Applebee’s Holiday Hours Near You

Confirming your local hours takes under two minutes. Here are the three most reliable ways to do it.

Google search. Type “Applebee’s near me.” Google’s info panel shows today’s hours and flags most holiday adjustments, often updated by the location itself.

Google Maps. Search Applebee’s, pick your nearest spot, and check the live open or closed status. Holiday notes sometimes show up here too, posted by the restaurant or spotted in reviews.

Call the restaurant. This is the surest method for Applebee’s Holiday Hours. Ask straight out what time they open and close on the holiday you care about. Someone at the actual location knows better than any app.

A couple of extra tips. Use the Applebee’s app to spot holiday specials before you go, since limited-time deals don’t always get advertised at the door. And if you’re bringing a group of six or more, call the day before so staff know you’re coming.

Final thoughts

Applebee’s Holiday Hours come down to one simple pattern: open most days with shorter hours, closed at nearly every location on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving both run reduced schedules, Easter usually follows a trimmed Sunday, and New Year’s Eve can go late.

The safest move is always a quick check before you leave. A two-minute call or a glance at Google saves you a wasted trip and a hangry car ride home. Confirm your local applebee’s christmas hours and applebee’s thanksgiving hours ahead of the day, and you’ll walk in without a hitch.

Also Read: Starbucks Holiday Hours

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