Applebee’s, a restaurant chain that once defined casual dining, has found an unexpected resurgence, and it might just be thanks to a catchy country tune. Walker Hayes’s “Fancy Like,” a song that affectionately name-drops Applebee’s menu items, has become more than just a chart-topping hit; it’s a cultural phenomenon that’s injecting new life into the brand.
In June, Walker Hayes released “Fancy Like,” and it quickly climbed to the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. But this wasn’t just another country hit. The lyrics, celebrating a simple date night at Applebee’s, resonated with audiences in a big way. “We fancy like Applebee’s on a date night, got that Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake,” the chorus goes, painting a picture of relatable, down-to-earth fun. This catchy reference to Applebee’s menu items would prove to be a marketing goldmine, entirely unintentional as it may have been.
The song’s real power emerged on TikTok. Users embraced “Fancy Like,” creating dance videos in front of their local Applebee’s, turning it into a viral trend. The sound associated with these videos exploded, amassing over 360,000 videos and millions of views. This user-generated content provided invaluable, organic promotion for Applebee’s, reaching demographics, particularly younger audiences, that the brand may have been struggling to connect with.
@keepingitroeFancy Like with SHAQ!!! #fancylike #shaquilleoneal #applebees #fypシ
Applebee’s president John Cywinski acknowledged the song’s significant impact. “This song lyrically is all about date night at Applebee’s, and it’s gone viral in a big way on social media — TikTok, Instagram and YouTube — providing great buzz for the Applebee’s brand,” Cywinski stated in an investor call. He highlighted the unexpected marketing boost the “Applebees Song” provided.
Even Applebee’s themselves joined in on the fun, with one location creating their own TikTok video embracing the “Fancy Like” dance trend. This further amplified the song’s reach and showed the brand’s willingness to engage with viral trends and connect with its audience on social media.
@applebeesThat’s how we do, how we do, #FancyLike @walkerhayesofficial (via: @dianalubov)
The numbers speak for themselves. Applebee’s reported a remarkable 102% sales increase last quarter compared to the previous year. More impressively, sales surpassed pre-pandemic levels from 2019 by approximately 10%, marking the best quarterly sales performance in over a decade. While factors like increased vaccination rates and a desire for dining out certainly played a role, the viral “applebees song” undoubtedly contributed to this resurgence, injecting a fresh and contemporary vibe into the Applebee’s brand and driving customer traffic. As John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands Global, Applebee’s parent company, noted, Applebee’s delivered its “best quarterly sales performance in over a decade,” a success story partly written by a viral country anthem.
