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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – A national chain restaurant has closed its doors in Chelsea after more than a decade of service to the Highway 280 and Chelsea area.

The Applebee’s located on the property at 89 Chesser Plantation Lane officially shut down service on Sunday, April 20 and now sits empty.

The Applebee’s in Chelsea opened up for business on July 21, 2014, being modeled after the restaurant’s location in Fultondale during construction.

During a regularly scheduled council meeting on May 6 of that year, former Mayor Earl Niven announced the news of the Applebee’s opening up in the city. The City Council unanimously approved a $200,000 economic incentive package for the restaurant during its construction, which went towards infrastructure expenses such as sewers and road work.

Founded in 1980, the mission of Applebee’s is for its customers to be able to be provided with delicious and affordable meals and to be a go-to establishment in the neighborhood.

Guests were able to order from a substantially large menu, which included a popular assortment of burgers, wings, steaks and appetizers. Applebee’s also provided a bar for customers to sit at in the case they wanted to consume alcohol and just hang out with friends.

At the time of its closing, the Applebee’s in Chelsea was in its 11th year of operation along the Hwy 280 corridor. It was one of two located in Shelby County, with the other one being situated along Highway 119 in Pelham.

Following to the closure, the state of Alabama now holds 28 locations of the national chain, with Huntsville and Montgomery being the only cities to have multiple sites with two and three, respectively.

No indication has been given as to what the next step is for the former restaurant, or what will take its place.

More updates will be posted at Shelbycountyreporter.com.