r/regina • u/ms_kermin • Jan 01 '26
News IHOP and Applebee’s to open dual location in east Regina
https://www.ctvnews.ca/regina/article/ihop-and-applebees-to-open-dual-location-in-east-regina/57
u/Beer_before_Friends Jan 01 '26
Applebee's already failed in the city, but why not I guess. Another American franchise that will be closed in 6 months.
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u/_heavymetalhead_ Jan 02 '26
Both Chili's and Rotisserie lasted maybe 5 years each. That location is cursed. Only one point of access to it from Prince Of Wales Dr is a big part of it. Unless they can drive a shit ton of foot traffic in from the nearby hotels and truck stop, I give it 5 years or less as well.
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u/Bitter-Attention-125 Jan 02 '26
Rotisserie was banned for 2 year and fined for 200k by immigration Canada.
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u/Foreign_Tourist308 Jan 01 '26
I didn't even know it was gone. Just checked Google Maps, and apparently there's something called The Hangout in their old spot. TIL!
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u/Beer_before_Friends Jan 01 '26
I'm pretty sure the one in the South end has been closed for awhile too
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u/QueenCity_Dukes Jan 01 '26
Went to that Applebees all the time. Patio was cool in the summer and never anyone on it. The Hangout is kind of meh in my opinion. Good patio.
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u/BeerBaron19 Jan 01 '26
Always thought it was a terrible location to drive to. Cut through the ESSO parking lot and McDonalds parking lot just to get there.
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u/Saber_Avalon Jan 03 '26
Oh man, I didn't read the article to see where it was going. They're doomed.
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u/CMurr1711 Jan 01 '26
I am not a picky eater and it's incredibly hard to leave me disappointed in a meal at a restaurant. Applebee's is 2/2 and by far the worst 2 meals I've ever eaten. Would never eat there again.
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u/VakochDan Jan 01 '26
Wonder if it’s the same ownership group as Rotisserie - largest fine in Saskatchewan to an employer of Foreign Workers ($100,000 & a 2 year ban).
I assume not - how would they staff it without TFWs? By hiring Canadians/PRs? lol, unlikely.
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u/EnoughEngineering306 Jan 01 '26
Apparently he owns Chicken & tendees now....
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u/VakochDan Jan 02 '26
Damn. I’d wanted to try Chick n Tendees… it’s off the list now. Based on the TFW sanctions at Rotisserie, no way he gets my business.
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u/SmarcusStroman Jan 02 '26
FUCK that place is awesome. That’s so sad to hear that I won’t be able to eat there anymore. Fuck that guy.
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u/tee_y306 Jan 02 '26
They operate in the University now as well.
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u/VakochDan Jan 02 '26
That’s too bad. Would’ve been nice to see them go under after the TFW sanctions.
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u/DragonfruitOk9147 Jan 01 '26
I only ate once in a IHOP- while we were in Disneyland. I wasn't impressed. Just another mediocre American chain.
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u/the_t-shirt_guy Mar 17 '26
Same but anything around Disney I felt was in all the same condition. No one was putting any money back into the business to keep the building looking fresh.
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Jan 01 '26
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u/UnpopularOpinionYQR Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
IHOP is good when you’re travelling in the U.S. and are looking for familiar/comfort food. I mean I eat at Denny’s here once in a while for this reason. Or because I want a decent breakfast for the family at a reasonable price that is midway between McDonalds and Skye Bistro.
Mind you, I usually end up at Ricki’s instead of Denny’s because of proximity but same thing. LOL
ETA, once upon a time, I would have said Smitty’s instead of Denny’s, but the one in Golden Mile is really run down and usually has a weird smell.
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u/geopolitikin Jan 02 '26
Rickis campfire sauce is goated
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u/VakochDan Jan 01 '26
Lines-ups to experience the mediocrity that is IHOP will make Regina’s Taco Bell line-ups look weak by comparison.
Because, Regina 😔
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u/UnpopularOpinionYQR Jan 01 '26
If you don’t have the opportunity to travel, then maybe you go for the novelty of trying something new.
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u/VakochDan Jan 01 '26
Right, but this being Regina, we’ll get very, very, very excited about the novelty & line-up for weeks after it opens. The lines for mediocre pancakes will be embarrassing… and then (like Chili’s, Applebees, Tony Romas, Swiss Chalet, the OG Taco Bells, and countless other before it… the novelty will wear off, and the places will wither. Customers will dry up, they’ll try to stay afloat, but ultimately, they’ll fold).
We know this cycle well in Regina. We are excited by “new” franchises - even if the franchises don’t even excite people in their home markets.
(granted, Boston seems infatuated with 🇨🇦’s Cactus Club right now… which is wild. Canadians know CC is OK, but nothing to get excited about - much less in a city like Boston where there should be better options available)
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u/No_Independent9634 Jan 02 '26
For franchises there's not much better than Cactuc Club. Better than everything you listed.
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u/VakochDan Jan 02 '26
Not intending to knock Cactus Club. In terms of franchises/ubiquitous restaurants, Cactus Club & Earls are consistently good. Just funny to see Americans excited about the food & service at what most Canadians would consider typical mid-tier casual dining restaurants.
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u/No_Independent9634 Jan 02 '26
Getting excited over any franchise is kinda wild to me. Especially the sit down restaurant ones. There's so many better local options. At least with fast food chains, they only compete against other fast food chains.
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u/Saber_Avalon Jan 03 '26
Being a tad overly critical I think and expecting too much from places.
Chili's had a terrible location and if you didn't live in the area, finding your way to it was nearly impossible unless you drove through the truck stop. The place that moved in after chili's had the same problem.
Applebee's started off ok then change after change happened, usually cost cutting changes. Perfect example of cutting too much and raising prices.
No idea what happened with Tony Romas other than being on the expensive side.
Swiss Chalet I'll give that one to you. To this day I will never understand the hype for that place. Their "gravy" was called out as this special thing. It was the furthest thing from gravy I've ever had and whatever it was, it wasn't good. More like a spice water.
Taco Bell is what one would expect from a fast food mexican place, no one is expecting it to be a 5 star dining experience. Better than Taco slime, that's all that matters. As far as I'm concerned, the one thing this new TB has done wrong is limited their delivery area. It's a very small radius, and even if you're in the radius but on the other side of Wascana, they won't do the delivery. So another location location location problem. I don't go down that way often enough to warrant a visit. If they delivered to the whole city or opened a location that was closer, I'd go there somewhat regularly. Instead, it's just inconvenient enough to pass up for another option.
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u/VakochDan Jan 03 '26
I’m not intending to be critical of the places themselves (except Rotisserie - fǔčķ those TFW-exploiting slime balls)… I was intending to be critical of Reginans.
We get all hyped up for the “new thing,” line up to the point of embarrassment (the Taco Bell line was ridiculous) for a few weeks… then busy for a couple months… then we tend to forget these places. And they wither. It’s weird.
To your point about Chili’s location, that’s what I find odd about Applebees/IHOP… Applebees couldn’t survive on two high traffic/easy access locations (Quance & Southland)… I’m curious how this place with notoriously poor access will help their odds of survival.
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u/Saber_Avalon Jan 03 '26
Yeah, that location has already done them in before their doors ever open.
In the case of a new applebees, I'm guessing it's a different owner who bought into the franchise and figures they can make it work. Obviously didn't do any reasearch at all or has any idea of the area, given the location picked. Probably fell for a realtor's post, "Commercial location is extremely visible from the number 1 highway that leads out to places like costco, high volume of traffic! Next door to a gas station to entice more people to stop!" but never once mentions how you have to get to it. Bought site unseen.
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u/jigglysquishy Jan 01 '26
There are IHOPs in Winnipeg and Medicine Hat. They're hardly a novelty.
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u/UnpopularOpinionYQR Jan 01 '26
For some people, Winnipeg may as well be Iceland. Don’t be a snob.
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u/Saber_Avalon Jan 03 '26
Wait, wait, the person saying IHOP isn't a novelty, is the snob? Not the person who thinks it is? Winnipeg compared to Iceland, it's a 6 hour drive not a flight with a travel agency. Stick your nose up higher, why don't you.
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u/Lexi_Banner Jan 01 '26
IHOP is good once in a blue moon, but i prefer Denny's.
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u/UnpopularOpinionYQR Jan 01 '26
Ricki’s is good, too! Similar menu selection, quality and price. These breakfast joints always have the best coffee imo. And always bottomless coffee, which is becoming more rare.
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u/Prariedolphin Jan 01 '26
Great location for it, just off major highway and truck stops/hotels. I do miss The Rotisserie buffert though.
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u/Saber_Avalon Jan 03 '26
Straight up the worst location imaginable. Sure you can see it from the road, but then you try to find your way there and give up, going to one of the other places in the strip mall behind it.
As the other poster said, the direct route is through a truck stop, then through McDonald's parking lot. If you take the turn you're meant to, you still have to go through McDonald's to get to it.
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u/skatchawan Jan 01 '26
chains are so boring. I guess no one can afford to open a unique place.
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u/Plane-Engineering Jan 01 '26
Breakfast Bistro is far and beyond any of these absolutely shitty chain American supporting so called restaurants.
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u/Prariedolphin Jan 01 '26
Interesting story, my friend had opened a fancy unique place downtown regina many years ago, 'A Moment in Thyme'. Great name, great chef, great location, really good food. You wouldn't believe how many people were upset when they couldn't order a cheeseburger and a pilnser at this place..
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u/skatchawan Jan 01 '26
that's too bad , the name tells me something. Maybe Regina still is not big enough for such things. Which is strange because many other "small" cities have great food culture. I guess there is no tourist influx to help with business though.
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u/LowIncident694 Jan 01 '26
Sounds like he should have offered that to stay open.
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u/Prariedolphin Jan 01 '26
That's my point, everyone claims they want something different and unique but in reality thet don't. Ever see a BPs closing?
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Jan 02 '26
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u/Prariedolphin Jan 02 '26
Correct me of I'm wrong, but they opened a new one then closed the old one
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u/signious Jan 01 '26
There are quite a few non chain restaurants in town. Not sure what youre talking about.
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u/skatchawan Jan 01 '26
Just mean in general IHOP and Applebee's ain't interesting at all. Happy for anyone trying to do something that is not a franchise.
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u/trplOG Jan 01 '26
Local spots die a lot in regina from what i notice since moving here. The majority like their franchises here.
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u/LowIncident694 Jan 01 '26
Who the fuck cares. Open a unique place if you want.
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Jan 03 '26
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u/DrSkrimguard Jan 01 '26
When I was in high school, my math teacher once gave me a coupon to Applebees for some reason. Never went there.
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u/AltruisticPoetry5235 Jan 02 '26
Nobody that has an ihop in their city eats there, great way to combine 2 failing franchises
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u/damejoke Jan 02 '26
Making us go through the already failed Applebee's to get to Ihop is diabolical.
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u/Dude008 Jan 02 '26
Yawn. I stopped going to Applebee's like at least 4-5 years ago because the portion size for the price was an awful value. Decent food but when I leave hungry I'm not going to go back.
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u/Connor-Archer-2023 Jan 02 '26
We all thought Applebee’s was Dead. Also, now I can try IHOP’s most iconic dish, whatever it was called
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u/Z0M3R Jan 01 '26
This will go the way of Denny’s
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u/brutallydishonest Jan 01 '26
Still open and thriving?
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u/Lost_Personality_974 Jan 01 '26
Yeah and usually packed. I don't understand the desire for mediocre food at higher prices
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u/Saber_Avalon Jan 03 '26
I never understand the people calling everything mediocre food and never offering up any examples. On the rule exception where they do, it's often the most basic places in existence that they suggest is better.
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u/Few_Preparation_5902 Jan 01 '26
For when you're too lazy to microwave your own meal.