Applebee's is ready to show off its $4 million makeover in the Austin area.

Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, with seven restaurants in the 512 area code all under the franchise partner direction of Apple Texas, is ready to debut a new experience for its guests and celebrate with "Applebee's Week In Austin."

Beginning Monday, July 28, Applebee's Week In Austin kicks off with a Free Appetizer Party, open to the public and offering free samples of Applebee's famous appetizers from 5-7 p.m. There will be additional specials for guests all week, including wine tastings, theme parties, and live entertainment on respective nights at all Austin area Applebee's restaurants.

The week concludes with a Flapjack Fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 8-10 a.m. at all seven Austin-area restaurants, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas. Tickets for the Flapjack Fundraiser, which includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, orange juice, and coffee, are $10 and available at the select Applebee's beginning Monday.

The changes in Austin are part of a nationwide effort by Applebee's and its franchise partners, such as Apple Texas, to revamp, update, and remodel all restaurants nationwide, giving all of the restaurant chain's approximately 2,000 locations a new look and feel by the end of 2014. 

Guests will notice the following changes at the Applebee's restaurants in and around Austin, which have been a staple in the area since 1995.

• Newly remodeled interior and exterior of the restaurants, with warmer color tones and a more contemporary design, which includes replacing the exterior striped awnings with oversized, contemporary ones that elongate the buildings and highlight the facade.
• The pop-culture memorabilia has been replaced with artwork specific to each Austin neighborhood, including murals that show off area school teams, local police officers, and firefighters, giving each location stronger connections to the individual neighborhoods they serve and giving each restaurant a neighborhood feel that is exclusive to Austin.
• Service improvements and new food and drink selections will provide guests with renewed experiences. Along with the new restaurant design, Applebee's has new kitchen procedures in place that will allow guests to receive hot, fresh meals faster. Each team member in Austin has been retrained to emphasize the finer culinary points in each dish and re-certified to deliver superior service.

"It's a great time for Applebee's in Austin. We have a new look [and] new feel, and we are ready to show off a little while treating our guests to an incredible fun-filled week all while giving back to the community through our partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas," says Sunil Dharod, owner of Apple Texas and 69 Applebee's restaurants in Texas, including seven in the Austin area.