Applebee's Brings Back The Deal That Broke The Internet

The Applebee's promotion that was gone in 60 seconds is coming back, but this time around the chain has learned a valuable lesson: Do not piss off your fans. According to an email announcement, Applebee's Date Night Pass will once again be available for purchase until February 9.

Applebee's Date Night Pass, first dropped in January, is a one-time subscription purchase of $200 that entitles the cardholder to $30 worth of free food and non-alcoholic beverages each time it's used. The pass can be used once a week for an entire year, which adds up to a maximum possible 52 uses and $1,560 in food and drinks. In other words, it's a great deal if you use it right.

When Applebee's launched the pass on its website on January 22 at 12 p.m. ET, the card sold out within one minute and left many customers angry that they weren't able to get their hands on the pass, calling out the website's load capacity. Applebee's confirmed to The Takeout that nearly 100,000 people were in line to get the pass when it dropped, and only some people across 41 states were actually able to snag one. (The company did not specify the exact number of people.)

"Absolute TERRIBLE handling of @Applebees new roll out of the Date Night Pass card," wrote one X user of the debacle. "It seems no one was able to get on and even get a chance to buy it because the website kept crashing." Although a representative for Applebee's confirmed the website didn't crash and actually just sold out incredibly fast, people still ripped Applebee's apart on the internet.

This time around, Applebee's will be making 1,000 additional Date Night Passes available, but via a random drawing instead of an online queue. Those seeking the coveted pass must register for a chance to buy it by going to Applebees.com/DateNightPass. The 1,000 people chosen in the drawing will be notified with details on how to purchase the pass this Valentine's Day, February 14.

Here's some of the fine print on the deal: the weekly allotted $30 does not roll over if you happen to skip your weekly Applebee's visit or end up only spending $25. However, the pass can be used on both dine-in and to-go orders, which makes it more versatile if you don't always want to sit down in the restaurant. The pass can also be used on Applebee's 2 for $25 deal, which includes an appetizer and two entrees, making for a pretty frugal date night.

The Date Night Pass is so named because it's being marketed as a couple's promotion. But Applebee's confirmed to The Takeout that the pass can also be used on catering menu items—so, when used with the right strategy, a single person could meal prep for an entire week using just the Applebee's Date Night Pass. No wonder so many people wanted this thing.

Let's be honest: Even Applebee's probably didn't see this fervor coming. But considering the effects of inflation and the fact that even fast food prices are on the rise, there's just no reason to pass on this deal. And thanks to people jumping on these passes like they're a pair of tickets to see Taylor Swift, it all comes down to luck of the draw from here.