IHOP Applebee’s San Marcos plans would bring pancakes, burgers and two familiar restaurant identities to a former Hooters along Interstate 35. A new state registration outlines a $500,000 renovation of 6,012 square feet at 310 S. Interstate 35 Frontage Road.
The proposal combines breakfast-oriented IHOP with Applebee’s lunch, dinner and evening dining business. It follows a Texas rollout that began in Seguin and offers a new use for an existing restaurant building.
IHOP Applebee’s San Marcos Plans Reuse Former Hooters
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation registration describes a tenant finish-out of existing lease space. Filed October 16, the project lists LSL San Marcos Ltd., LLC as owner, R. Hakim Corp as tenant and Fusion-AE as the design firm.
The registered construction estimate is $500,000, which does not necessarily represent the entire restaurant investment. The filing projects work from November 2, 2026, through January 11, 2027.
RESOLUT RE’s commercial listing identifies the property as a former Hooters with existing kitchen infrastructure. Earlier leasing materials advertised 6,007 square feet, compared with the state’s 6,012-square-foot renovation area. The records do not explain that five-square-foot difference.
The project joins other proposed reuse efforts in the city, including Crunch Fitness plans for former IKEA space in San Marcos. That separate project illustrates another approach to adapting an existing commercial building.
IHOP Applebee’s San Marcos Mixed-Beverage Review
San Marcos’ Planning and Zoning Commission considered conditional use permit case CUP-26-55 on October 13, 2026. The legislative record marks the item “Passed” and identifies the request as on-premises mixed-beverage consumption for IHOP/Applebee’s.
The record identifies the former tenant as Hooters. Staff recommended a one-year permit ending October 13, 2027, subject to conditions covering property maintenance, fire-code occupancy limits and permit posting. That municipal action does not establish that the restaurant has obtained every required state alcohol license.
An address discrepancy remains: the city case lists 310 N. IH 35, while the state registration and commercial records use 310 S. Interstate 35. This article follows the state construction address; the directional conflict has not been independently resolved.
Why Two Restaurant Brands Share One Roof
The relationship between the brands predates the combined dining rooms. IHOP’s parent acquired Applebee’s in 2007, bringing the businesses under common ownership. Dine Brands’ history traces IHOP to 1958 and Applebee’s to 1980.
Their dining patterns help explain the pairing. IHOP brings a strong breakfast identity, while Applebee’s adds lunch, dinner and evening occasions. The combined format aims to give customers more reasons to visit throughout the day.
Dine Brands describes a model with one kitchen, shared common spaces and coordinated back-of-house operations. Sharing facilities can reduce duplication and make fuller use of a restaurant building. The brands retain their separate identities within that format.
The illustration shows how dining, kitchen and bar areas can fit within one building. It does not establish the final layout, patio arrangement or amenities for the IHOP Applebee’s San Marcos project.
Seguin Introduced the Standalone U.S. Concept
Dine Brands opened its first standalone U.S. dual-brand restaurant in Seguin on February 18, 2025, with franchisee Ramzi Hakim Group. International combined restaurants preceded that U.S. opening.
The Seguin restaurant offered distinct IHOP and Applebee’s dining environments supported by a shared kitchen, host stand and restrooms. Guests could choose items from both brands during one visit.
For San Marcos, the construction filing names R. Hakim Corp. Dine Brands separately identifies the Hakim Group in its Texas rollout. The precise legal relationship between those names has not been independently established.
Early results help explain the company’s enthusiasm. Restaurant Dive reported in May 2025 that Dine Brands CEO John Peyton described Seguin sales at roughly three times its previous standalone IHOP level. That was a company-reported early result, not a forecast for San Marcos.
The Menu Concept Behind IHOP Applebee’s San Marcos
For customers, the appeal is a wider range of choices at one table. IHOP’s established menu includes pancakes, omelettes, French toast, breakfast combinations, burgers and sandwiches.
Applebee’s menu contributes familiar lunch and dinner choices, including burgers and appetizers. Dine Brands has also highlighted crossover dishes such as the Ultimate Breakfast Burger and Loaded Buffalo Chicken Omelette at dual-brand restaurants.
Those examples describe the existing concept. The final IHOP Applebee’s San Marcos menu, prices, operating hours and alcohol-service arrangements remain unconfirmed. Diners should not assume every item available elsewhere will appear locally.
TCM has also covered a separate IHOP project in Alamo, part of the brand’s broader Texas development activity.
A Growing Texas Rollout
In its second-quarter 2026 report, Dine Brands counted 44 domestic dual-brand locations as of June 28.
A September 15 announcement said the company was approaching 50 nationwide and targeting approximately 80 by year-end. The release celebrated a Hakim Group location in San Antonio, described as the eighth in that metropolitan market.
Those figures are dated company milestones and a stated target, not a verified current count or proof the year-end goal has been achieved. The San Marcos proposal would extend the concept’s presence along the Interstate 35 corridor.
What’s Next for IHOP Applebee’s San Marcos?
The state record remains at “Project Registered.” Its November 2026–January 2027 schedule is preliminary, and no confirmed construction start or official restaurant opening date has been established.
January 11, 2027, is the estimated construction completion date. For now, the documented plan is a conversion of existing restaurant space into a combined dining concept, with the address discrepancy and final local details still requiring clarification.