DineEquity Inc., the parent company of IHOP and Applebee’s, has been expanding into markets like Panama, Kuwait and the Philippines. Overseeing the overseas push has been a team of 11 in-house lawyers led by general counsel Bryan Adel. The legal work has been challenging, they say, involving complex negotiations and more than a few 4 a.m. conference calls. But the efforts are paying off.
While Applebee’s has been a global brand for years, DineEquity upped its expansion efforts in a big way in 2012, particularly for IHOP, which has since opened locations in the Philippines and Panama. And through international franchise agreements dating back to 2011, it has committed to opening more than 40 IHOP stores in the Middle East.
