Florida Applebee’s® Say ‘Thank You’ to Veterans and Troops with a Free Meal on Veterans Day

In what has become a neighborhood tradition, Applebee’s in Nassau and Suffolk counties, will once again honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces. Our nation’s veterans and troops are invited to their local Applebee’s for a free meal on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, in gratitude for their actions to preserve our freedom.

For a fifth year, Applebee’s will salute our nation’s military, hoping to top the 1,024,000 free meals served last year from coast-to-coast. In 2012, Applebee’s served more than 10,000 meals to deserving men and women veterans and members of the active duty military at its restaurants throughout Long Island.

“It’s our distinct pleasure to honor our veterans and those actively serving in the U.S. military with a complimentary meal at Applebee’s,” said Marc Prince, Director of Operations for Doherty Enterprises, franchisee for the Florida Applebee’s. “For our staff, it’s one of their favorite days. They enjoy serving the men and women of all ages who have served our country and love hearing their shared stories and seeing them reunite with long-time friends.”

In Florida, Applebee’s will be offering veterans a special menu including some of its signature and favorite items:

• 7 oz. House Sirloin
• Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger
• Three-Cheese Chicken & Sun Dried Tomato Penne
• Chicken Tenders Platter
• Oriental Chicken Salad
• Fiesta Lime Chicken®
• Double Crunch Shrimp

The Florida Applebee’s will open for lunch starting at 11 a.m. and serve dinner until closing at midnight or later. The honored guests will need to provide proof of service, which includes: U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement, Veterans Organization Card, photograph in uniform or wearing uniform, DD214, Citation or Commendation.

Offer is valid for Dine-in only. Traditional sides are included with the free entrees; appetizers, upgraded side items or extras, beverages, desserts and gratuity are not included.

To learn more, guests can call their local Applebee’s or visit www.applebees.com.

Gratitude from Neighbors across the Country

In addition to free meals for veterans on November 11, Applebee’s created its Thank You Movement in 2011 as a way for Americans to express their personal thanks to our more 24 million veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces. To date, more than 4.5 million thank you messages have been sent through www.thankyoumovement.com.

This year, Applebee’s has a treat in store for veterans of the country’s most grateful neighborhood. Each thank you entered on www.thankyoumovement.com will be tallied by town and the Applebee’s neighborhood with the most thank you messages will receive a free concert in their town for veterans this Veterans Day. Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw, who lends his song “Soldier” to the company’s national ad campaign in support of the Thank You Movement, will gratefully perform in their honor November 11.