The Notorious $1 Dollarita is Back at Applebee’s

Gather a handful of quarters and head to Applebee's ASAP.

A legend returns this October. And no, we’re not thinking of Friday night football or some pumpkin-spiced treat.

Today, the famed “Dollarita” rejoins Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar menus for the first time in three years. For a single buck, you’re entitled to slurp down the chain’s most beloved margarita while indulging in salty appetizers and (likely) overhearing other patrons’ juicy gossip.

The revamped Dollarita includes well tequila, lime mix, and triple sec — the last of which actually didn’t appear in the original recipe. Each Dollarita arrives in a 12-ounce rocks glass (slightly larger than the previous 10-ounce pours) and can be found at any of the chain’s almost 2,000 locations. The brand won’t say precisely how long the Dollarita will remain on menus, but Applebee’s chief marketing officer Joel Yashinsky confirms it won’t be a permanent addition.

Yashinsky shared in a recent interview with Food & Wine that the Dollarita, which first debuted in October 2017, is among the chain’s most successful promotions.

Related: You Are Not Too Good to Eat at a Chain Restaurant

"The Dollarita really spurred a resurgence for our brand. It was coming off of a couple difficult years, and the entire category was being challenged at the time," Yashinsky says. "It helped kick off a newfound energy for the brand, which we've leveraged in the past five, six years."

The neon-green libation enjoyed a three-year seasonal run, marked by silly social media trends and an occasional eye roll, before departing in 2020. The Dollarita even faced some light controversy — including allegations that employees batched the margarita in five-gallon buckets, which the company denied. (It's worth noting that the current version is made-to-order, per an Applebee's representative.)

While the dollar drinks were later replaced by premium $5 and $6 "Mucho" drinks, they didn't disappear from the public imagination. In the years since, eager Dollarita fans have Tweeted musings about the once-lost-to-time cocktail. Citing earnest posts such as "a dollarita from Applebee's would smack rn," Yashinsky says the company was inspired by both persistent fans and a playful brand strategy.

"It was a combination of wanting to provide a nod to something that was so much fun and popular back then, but also something we wanted to celebrate for our guests," Yashinsky says. "The timing just felt right, to bring it back on its sixth anniversary."

Pinning down the reason for a product's virality is difficult, consumer behavior psychologist Michael Barbera says. That unicorn-like moment for a brand is often a reflection of the guests' tastes and how they experience the product rather than the sole efforts of a marketing team.

"If you go with friends for Dollaritas, and there's a naming convention to it and a title, it's more likely to be memorable," he says. "Therefore, if someone didn't have access to it for the past three years — or perhaps never had access — we're not only selling a naming convention and FOMO, but we're also selling nostalgia, which is another persuasive construct."

If anything's clear, it's that Dollarita's momentary homecoming will be met with open arms (and wallets).

"We want to celebrate the return of something that was special for our guests," Yashinsky says. "It's a popular offering that also brings in a lot of great sales for our restaurants."

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