Vice President, Field Operations, Applebee's

Dine Brands Global, Inc., headquartered in Pasadena, California, is a leading full-service restaurant company that franchises a broad portfolio of popular brands including Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar, IHOP, and Fuzzy's Taco Shop. With over 3,500 restaurants operating in 18 countries and a network of 354 franchisees as of the end of 2023, Dine Brands has cemented its status as one of the largest and most successful restaurant franchisers in the world. The company prides itself on delivering exceptional dining experiences to diverse communities while supporting franchise partners with operational excellence, strategic resources, and comprehensive brand management. Dine Brands is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DIN and maintains a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in its workforce and franchise operations.

The Vice President of Field Operations at Applebee's plays a pivotal role in steering the company towards its growth and operational excellence objectives. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this results-driven and data-centric executive leader is responsible for strengthening relationships with franchisees, implementing operational strategies based on empirical data, and ensuring consistent execution of brand standards across more than 1,400 franchised Applebee's restaurants. The position commands a targeted base salary in the range of $230,000 to $250,000, depending on experience, reflective of the senior leadership level and high degree of responsibility.

The Vice President leads a dedicated team that includes Regional Business Directors, Franchise Business Consultants, and Franchise Operations Consultants. This leadership role requires close collaboration with franchise groups to meet and exceed measurable targets related to sales growth, traffic, profitability, and guest satisfaction. Key responsibilities include fostering strong, trust-based partnerships with franchise principals through transparent communication and collaboration, partnering effectively with multi-unit franchisees to align operational tactics with franchisee goals, and driving performance enhancement for underperforming franchise units. The role also involves providing sound business advice, advocating for franchisee interests within senior leadership discussions, and acting as a trusted advisor to balance accountability with supportive franchise engagement to achieve sustainable improvements.

In addition to direct franchise partnership duties, the Vice President oversees the motivation and development of the franchise support team to deliver consistent system-wide services. They lead operational committees, coordinate with corporate departments such as Training, Operations Services, Finance, Marketing, and Supply Chain to ensure timely and effective franchisee support, and collaborate on real estate, construction, and market analysis efforts for optimized site selection and performance. A significant focus is given to maintaining and refining Applebee’s operational standards and compliance protocols, periodically reviewing franchise manuals for clarity and efficacy.

This leadership role requires skillful influence without direct authority, leveraging relationship-building, credibility, and data insights to promote adoption of best practices throughout the franchise system. The Vice President also spearheads growth initiatives including new restaurant development and franchise expansion within existing territories, while managing annual operational targets and designing incentive programs that align compensation with key performance results. The ideal candidate brings extensive experience in casual dining franchise operations, a proven track record of elevating franchise performance, and a strategic mindset oriented towards guest satisfaction and operational rigor. The role demands frequent travel, up to 75% of the time, and calls for strong communication, resilience, integrity, and collaborative leadership qualities to successfully lead the multi-unit franchise network and drive Applebee's continued success.