Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

'What a Complete Joke': Applebee's Fans Furious After Date Night Pass Sells Out in Less Than a Minute The pass debuted on Monday for a literal hot minute.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Applebee's attempt to spice up date night with a subscription pass may have been too "affordable."

On Monday, the restaurant opened up sales for a Date Night Pass, a $200 subscription that allows for up to $30 of food and non-alcoholic beverages during 52 visits through January 31, 2025 — if used in full that would be worth $1560 of Applebee's for the year.

Naturally, news of the offer and demand for the pass soared, and according to the chain, sold out in less than one minute.

Related: A Popular U.S. Eatery Is Offering a Year-Long Pass for Affordable Dining — As Low As $4 Per Visit: 'Might Be the Greatest Restaurant Deal You'll Ever See'

"Just prior to sale time there were nearly 100,000 guests waiting to try and snag a Date Night Pass," Applebee's told TODAY in a statement. "We apologize to our guests who were disappointed that the limited number of passes sold out so quickly. We're always looking for ways to make date night special for our guests and look forward to sharing future offers."

Date Night Pass hopefuls-turned-scorned shoppers took to X to share their woes, with some even comparing the demand to trying to get Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" tickets.

Applebee's said that customers across 41 states were able to get their hands on the coveted pass but did not specify which states those were or how many passes were sold.

Dine Brands Global, Applebee's Parent company, was down just shy of 40% year over year as of Wednesday afternoon.

Related: Man Rescues Baby in Runaway Stroller After Job Interview at Applebee's: Video

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue

Other staff members were fired for the same reason, per a new report.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Does a Better Job Than His Rivals at Explaining AI — And It's Helping Meta Outperform Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft

Meta has been using AI for content recommendations, keeping users' attention for longer periods of time.

Business News

She Sent a Cold Email to Meta Judging Its Ray-Bans. Now She Runs the Wearables Division.

Li-Chen Miller is now the face of Meta's AI glasses — here's how she got there.

Leadership

Her Company Makes an Iconic 75-Year-Old Candy Popular for Halloween. Ignoring This 'Bad' Leadership Advice She Received Helps Drive Its Success.

Liz Dee, co-president of New Jersey-based candy company Smarties, shares some important lessons in leadership.