- Applebee's said its $200 Date Night Pass that gives couples 52 meals over a year sold out within a minute.
- The pass gets couples $1,500 of food and drinks. The website was down as people flooded the site.
Applebee's said its $200 yearlong Date Night Pass sold out within a minute on Monday.
The pass gets couples up to $30 of food and non-alcoholic drinks on 52 occasions over the year, totaling more than $1,500.
Sales started at 12 p.m. ET on Monday. The pass, which was valid for both takeout and dine-in at almost every Applebee's restaurant, was only available online, and sold out rapidly.
"Within the span of probably 30 seconds the Applebees date night pass was in my cart available and then sold out," one user posted on X.
An Applebee's spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch that the passes sold out in just one minute. Screenshots on social media show that some customers who tried to check out at 12:01 p.m. were told that the pass was sold out.
Some users said they couldn't even add the pass to their cart and just got error screens.
"The Applebee's site is down for the date night pass like it's the Eras tour ticket fiasco of casual dining chains," one user wrote on X. Checkout was done via a third-party site, people said online.
Social-media users complained that they didn't manage to get the pass, saying that Applebee's sold it as a publicity stunt. A couple even said that they'd set alarms to make sure they were ready for when the sales started but still missed out.
Many people speculated about how many passes must have actually been available to buy, with some joking that there were only five. Business Insider has approached Applebee's for comment on how many passes were available.
Applebee's told USA Today that before the sale began, "there were tens of thousands of hungry guests waiting to try and snag a pass" and that demand "surpassed our expectations."
You can use the pass 52 times for dine-in meals or takeout
People can use the pass when they dine in at all but 16 of Applebee's US restaurants or when ordering via its website or app, though not when ordering through third-party delivery providers.
The pass is designed to be used once a week for a year, but the terms and conditions note that it can be used once every 24 hours on up to 52 occasions, meaning that you could just go every day for nearly two months if you'd rather.
If you use the pass all 52 times, it works out at just under $4 a meal for two people.
The passes are valid from February 1. If you spend less than $30 in one purchase, the value doesn't roll over, and it can't be used in conjunction with any other offers.