Doherty Enterprises Wins Fourth Applebee's Franchisee of the Year Award

Applebee's has named Doherty Enterprises its 2026 Abe Gustin Franchisee of the Year — the fourth time the company has won the brand's highest franchisee honor in 33 years. The company runs more than 70 Applebee's locations in New Jersey and New York out of a 160-restaurant portfolio with over 7,000 employees.

The award cited business performance, operations, contributions to the franchise system, and culture. One of the franchisee's general managers, John Chesebrough, also earned the 2026 Golden Apple Award for his work at the Lindenhurst, Long Island, store.

What drives the operator's economics?

Founder, CEO, and chairman Ed Doherty credits a simple standard. "We have a mission of 'wow.' It's 'wow' every guest every time and 'wow' our people. And 'OK' is not a wow," he said. "So that's been established for the last 33 years, and it resonates with our people, and they deliver."

The mission is paired with hard portfolio discipline. Ed ranked restaurants by earnings during the pandemic and used lease exits to shed losing locations. He says every current Applebee's in the portfolio is now profitable. The logic is blunt: a losing restaurant drains profits from the rest of the system.

"If it's not profitable, why do you want to invest the money? You're not getting return, and any losing restaurant hurts the whole portfolio of the company because it takes away from the profits that the other ones are generating," he said.

New construction is another filter. Ed says construction costs rose during COVID and have not fallen, which makes finding sites with an acceptable return harder. Father and son personally handle real estate across the portfolio, concentrated in the New York metropolitan area. An Applebee's is under construction in Brooklyn.

How has off-premises changed operations?

Off-premises orders represented roughly 8 percent of Doherty's Applebee's business before COVID. The figure now sits at approximately 25 percent. That shift puts order accuracy, food quality, and temperature at the center of operations, because those guests may never meet an employee. Ed concedes third-party delivery limits control over the final leg. The kitchens respond by sending out food that travels well.

Inside the dining room, the company targets groups with shared interests, from book clubs to softball teams. Employees who recognize regulars make those visits personal. "We don't want it to be transactional in nature. We want to meet the guests where they are and 'wow' them," said Tim Doherty, president and COO.

How does a 160-unit operator manage three brands?

Doherty Enterprises also franchises Wendy's and Panera Bread. Each demands a different playbook. Speed governs quick service; bakery display appearance matters at Panera. Tim says each brand has its own leader, with the goal of carrying Doherty's culture across the portfolio without erasing what guests expect from each concept.

"We want to be the best Wendy's franchisee. We want to be the best Applebee's franchisee. We want to be the best Panera Bread franchisee, and so we want to deliver upon the strategy that the franchisor lays out in the best possible way," he said.

Doherty employees also sit on Applebee's committees covering operations, marketing, and technology. Tim values the franchisor's willingness to listen. "There is no pride of ownership, and there is a recognition, understanding that we are all passionate about the Applebee's brand, and we are all working hard to ultimately come up with the best version of Applebee's that we can," he said.

What sustains the culture claim?

A program founded in 2007 backs the rhetoric with cash. The Wow a Friend Foundation accepts voluntary employee contributions, matched by Ed and his wife, and gives money — not loans — to employees in sudden financial crisis. Recipients qualify whether or not they contributed. Ed says the foundation has raised $7 million and distributed nearly $6.5 million to more than 5,000 employees and their families, including 1,200 people during COVID. Tim says 87 percent of employees contribute voluntarily.

Succession planning is also in place. Ed required his children to work outside the family business for at least four years, then brought in an industry veteran to mentor Tim for nine years before Tim took the president and COO roles. The company gives no unit-level sales figures, and neither do the awards, so the "performance" behind the honor stays unverifiable. With Brooklyn under construction and the portfolio fully profitable, the operator's next test is whether disciplined site selection can keep clearing today's construction-cost hurdle.