The eco-friendly restaurant, located in the East River Plaza at 117th Street, will mark the chain’s 35th Applebee’s location.
“We are focusing on green practices and are on a regular schedule of renovating and remodeling our existing restaurants to ensure that Applebee’s in New York City is becoming more environmentally-friendly,” said Zane Tankel, founder and CEO of Apple-Metro, Inc.
“As we began construction on the 117th Street location, it became apparent that this needed to be New York City’s first USGBC LEED Gold Certified restaurant. We felt it would pave the way for all other restaurants to move towards making environmentally-conscious upgrades. It’s about being a good neighbor, both locally and globally.”
The casual dining restaurant which will seat around 350 diners, has over 40 environmentally-friendly upgrades including rainwater and daylight harvesting, waterless urinals, LED light fixtures, Energy Star equipment, living walls, and reclaimed wood.
At the front of the restaurant there will be a Green Education Touch Screen which will inform customers about the features that make the restaurant environmentally-friendly and the benefits of living in a green environment.
Free Wi-Fi service and Personal Viewing Systems, enabling guests to hear what they are watching on Applebee’s Flat Screen TVs are also available for the guest’s convenience.
Apple-Metro recently opened locations in the Bronx and Parkchester that are expected to create more than 300 local jobs.
It plans to open additional restaurants throughout 2013.
