Julia Stewart

They told her: fix Applebee’s, and the CEO job is yours. She did. They changed their mind. So she bought the company and fired the guy in her seat.

In the late ‘90s, Julia Stewart was serving as President of Applebee’s after a long career in the restaurant industry.

Starting as a waitress at IHOP, working her way up through Carl’s Jr., Burger King, Stuart Anderson’s, and eventually VP of franchising at Taco Bell.

At Applebee’s, she was hired to fix a struggling business.

The deal was clear: “When you and the team turn this company around, we’ll make you CEO.”

She revamped the menu.

She strengthened franchisee relationships.

She doubled the stock.

System-wide sales hit $2.35B.

Earnings per share jumped 20%.

Applebee’s reclaimed its spot as America’s casual dining leader.

So she walked back into her boss’s office and said: “I think it’s about time to be CEO.”

He paused. Then said: “No. Not ever.”

Julia walked away.

In 2001, she accepted the CEO role at IHOP.

The brand was fading. She turned it around.

She focused on operational discipline.

Moved to a franchise-heavy model.

Boosted margins.

18 consecutive quarters of growth.

And then?

She made her move.

In 2007, under her leadership, IHOP acquired Applebee’s.

Applebee’s was dinner. IHOP was breakfast.

Together, they could offer round-the-clock revenue.

The result: DineEquity (later renamed Dine Brands Global), the world’s largest sit-down restaurant group.

And she didn’t forget how they’d treated her.

After the deal closed, she called Applebee’s then-CEO: “We don’t need two of us, so I’m gonna have to let you go.”

Her formula?

Connect deeply with franchisees.

Treat restaurant workers as strategic assets, not costs.

Teach leadership by example.

And keep moving forward, even sideways, if that’s what it takes.

In 2017, after nearly two decades leading IHOP and Dine Brands, she stepped down.

But she wasn’t done.

In 2020, she launched Alurx, a premium health and wellness brand built around personalized, proactive habits.

The platform offers expert-backed sleep, stress, and nutrition programs, all accessible through an app.

Think of it as the self-care playbook she wishes she’d had during her high-stakes career.