(Long Island, NY) – Long Island Applebee’s new Stacked Stuffed & Topped Steaks and Pastas take the neighborhood’s tried and true favorites – sirloin, chicken, pasta and salad – and pair them with unexpected flavors like mozzarella scoops, fresh roasted vegetables and bruschetta.

“Steaks and pastas are our best-selling core items so we know guests love them,” said Marc Prince, Director of Operations for Applebee’s on Long Island. “We are taking these tried and true favorites and literally stacking, stuffing and topping with them with new flavors.

Today’s guests want to try new foods but are skeptical at spending their hard-earned money on something they might not like. In fact, 66 percent of consumers report they enjoy trying new flavors from time to time while 20 percent said they prefer to stick to tried and true options according to Technomic’s Flavor Consumer Trend Report.

Applebee’s national culinary team experimented with dozens of concepts before choosing the following Stacked Stuffed & Topped dishes, all of which scored well among focus groups:

· Florentine Topped House Sirloin – Applebee’s classic 7 oz. signature sirloin grilled to order with roasted red peppers, sliced mushrooms, onion, fresh spinach and bruschetta, topped with garlic and herbs and served over fried red potatoes; a 9 oz. signature sirloin is available as well.

· Chicken Parmesan Stack – Country-fried chicken stuffed with Italian cheeses, smothered in Applebee’s spicy marinara and served atop a bed of fettuccini with roasted garlic Alfredo, onions and peppers, topped with parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese and served with toasted garlic bread.

· Bruschetta Topped Chicken Salad – Grilled chicken breast and warm fried mozzarella scoops served on a bed of crisp romaine tossed with champagne vinaigrette and topped with juicy tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, basil and garlic, sprinkled with Asiago cheese and finished with a balsalmic glaze.

And this isn’t the first time Applebee’s has stuffed a popular item with greater flavor. The new items join Applebee’s Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs with Fettucini on the menu. Applebee’s is also having some fun with those Stuffed Meatballs, this time in an appetizer. Applebee’s Stuffed Meatballs & Mozzarella Scoops features two meatballs paired up with crispy scoops of golden fried mozzarella, topped with zesty marinara, parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Guests are encouraged to contact their neighborhood Applebee’s for additional details or to visit www.applebees.com.