Walker Hayes’ song, “Fancy Like,” quickly became the hit heard around the world, after a dance Walker and his daughter, Lela, did to the song on TikTok, which mentions Applebee’s, went viral. Walker and his wife, Laney, even filmed a commercial for the restaurant chain, but Walker doesn’t need to get paid to profess his love of Appleee’s.
“We grew up in Mobile, Alabama, a Southern town,” Walker tells Ad Age. “And as a family, we didn’t eat at home a lot. I was usually getting out of basketball or track or some sport and we would go to dinner as a family and Applebee’s is one of the regular ones. On most nights we would go to a cheap Mexican restaurant or a cheap Chinese buffet, but on a fancier night, it was Applebee’s.”
Walker’s love of Applebee’s even carried through to his dating relationship with his now-wife, when the restaurant became a popular date-night destination.
“If we went to prom or something like that, Applebee’s was definitely on the list of ‘where are we going to go grab a bite?'” Walker says. “That’s what people like me did, and we still do. I guess it’s a testament to how simple we are, but we just love chain restaurants.”
Now, thanks to Applebee’s generosity, Walker and Laney and their six children get to visit the restaurant as well — and often.
“Applebee’s has hooked my family with some sick gift cards, so we’ve been putting those to use. I mean, why would I go anywhere else?”
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