http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/05/applebees-finds-first-san-francisco.html

Renée Frojo, Reporter- San Francisco Business Times

Applebee’s king Greg Flynn has finally found a home for the chain in San Francisco, also his hometown.

In the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf, this Applebee’s will be San Francisco’s first — and likely only — location. With 12,000-square-feet of dining space fitting up to 400 seats, it’ll also be one of the chain’s largest locations yet.Flynn said he’s spending $3 million to renovate the space, which sits on the third floor of 2770 Taylor Street and has been vacant for years. Taking care to preserve the historic building’s floor to ceiling arched windows, Flynn promised that it will be “the most unusual and best Applebee’s ever built.” Applebee’s will also be upgrading the exterior of the building with a new paint job, new lighting, and a drinks terrace.

While Flynn said the chain will be catering mostly to tourists, he hopes local families will stop in for birthdays and surrounding businesses will use it for events or meetings.

With a whopping 438 of the casual dining restaurants under his belt, Flynn is the largest franchise holder within the Applebee’s system. A San Francisco native, Flynn said he has been searching for a San Francisco location for the chain for 14 years. Because of that, Flynn said he’s focused on making this particular restaurant extra special. “This is my hometown and I will undoubtedly spend more time here than the rest of them,” he said. “So I really want to make sure this restaurant is particularly unique and fabulous.” Opening date is slated for July 4^th weekend.