Calexico Applebee’s set to close

The Applebee’s Grill and Bar chain restaurant in Calexico has announced that they will be closing down their entire facility on June 23.

The announcement came as a shock to community members that have grown close to the restaurant throughout the 15 years it has been in business.

“It’s extremely shocking because if Applebee’s closes, that will only leave one major restaurant in the city of Calexico, which is Denny’s,” said Ben Horton, Economic Development and Financial Advisory Commissioner.

The Calexico City Council received a letter from Applexico Inc. and Apple Core Enterprises stating the restaurant would be closing permanently.

Apple Core Enterprises’ decision to close came after the landlord of the building refused to lower the rent for the restaurant.

According to an email sent to the city council, Apple Core Enterprises has been trying for 18 months to negotiate a rent reduction, but the landlord denied the request.

Horton said the success rate for restaurants in Calexico is very small.

“We lost our Carrows, we’re now losing our Applebee’s, and we lost our Hometown Buffet,” said Horton.

Horton added that other major retailers in Calexico like Forever 21 and Toys R Us have also closed down recently, which he said is a major loss in sales tax for the city.

“We cannot afford to lose these establishments that bring revenue to the city of Calexico.”

Horton said to prevent buisnesses closing down in the future, the city needs to be more proactive in reaching out to businesses to addresses and solve issues.