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Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Mar. 31, 2018	Apr. 27, 2018
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	Dine Brands Global, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000049754
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		17,831,460

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 96,399	$ 117,010
Receivables, net	105,834	140,188
Restricted cash	32,391	31,436
Prepaid gift card costs	31,174	40,725
Prepaid income taxes	36,078	45,981
Other current assets	6,906	12,615
Total current assets	308,782	387,955
Long-term receivables, net	122,362	126,570
Other intangible assets, net	581,639	582,787
Goodwill	339,236	339,236
Property and equipment, net	198,624	199,585
Deferred rent receivable	81,720	82,971
Non-current restricted cash	14,700	14,700
Other non-current assets, net	3,983	4,135
Total assets	1,651,046	1,737,939
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt	12,965	12,965
Accounts payable	45,236	55,028
Gift card liability	117,266	164,441
Dividends payable	11,520	17,748
Current maturities of capital lease and financing obligations	12,986	14,193
Accrued employee compensation and benefits	10,098	13,547
Deferred franchise revenue (short-term)	10,851	11,001
Other accrued expenses	15,047	16,001
Total current liabilities	235,969	304,924
Long-term debt, less current maturities	1,267,468	1,269,849
Capital lease obligations, less current maturities	60,268	61,895
Financing obligations, less current maturities	38,981	39,200
Deferred income taxes, net	114,522	119,996
Deferred franchise revenue (long-term)	68,581	70,432
Deferred rent payable	62,371	69,112
Other non-current liabilities	19,772	18,071
Total liabilities	1,867,932	1,953,479
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ deficit:
Common stock, $0.01 par value, shares: 40,000,000 authorized; March 31, 2018 - 25,013,067 issued, 17,922,137 outstanding; December 31, 2017 - 25,022,312 issued, 17,993,124 outstanding	250	250
Additional paid-in-capital	264,994	276,408
Accumulated deficit	(52,867)	(69,940)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(58)	(105)
Treasury stock, at cost; shares: March 31, 2018 - 7,090,930; December 31, 2017 - 7,029,188	(429,205)	(422,153)
Total stockholders’ deficit	(216,886)	(215,540)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit	$ 1,651,046	$ 1,737,939

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parentheticals) - $ / shares	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	40,000,000	40,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	25,013,067	25,022,312
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	17,922,137	17,993,124
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	7,090,930	7,029,188

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Revenues:
Franchise revenues	$ 155,313	$ 154,725
Rental revenues	30,841	30,465
Financing revenues	2,009	2,131
Company restaurant sales	0	4,140
Total revenues	188,163	191,461
Cost of revenues:
Franchise expenses	81,872	70,167
Rental expenses	22,641	22,666
Financing expenses	150	0
Company restaurant expenses	0	4,343
Total cost of revenues	104,663	97,176
Gross profit	83,500	94,285
General and administrative expenses	41,911	50,305
Interest expense	15,199	15,363
Closure and impairment charges	2,604	217
Amortization of intangible assets	2,502	2,500
Gain on disposition of assets	(1,427)	(109)
Income before income tax provision	22,711	26,009
Income tax provision	(5,638)	(10,414)
Net income	17,073	15,595
Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:
Adjustment to unrealized loss on available-for-sale investments	50	0
Foreign currency translation adjustment	(3)	0
Net income and total comprehensive income	17,120	15,595
Net income available to common stockholders:
Net income	17,073	15,595
Less: Net income allocated to unvested participating restricted stock	(568)	(283)
Net income available to common stockholders - basic	$ 16,505	$ 15,312
Net income available to common stockholders per share:
Basic (USD per share)	$ 0.93	$ 0.87
Diluted (USD per share)	$ 0.92	$ 0.86
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	17,703	17,694
Diluted (in shares)	17,845	17,737
Dividends declared per common share (USD per share)	$ 0.63	$ 0.97
Dividends paid per common share (USD per share)	$ 0.97	$ 0.97

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 17,073	$ 15,595
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash flows provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	7,940	7,706
Closure and impairment charges	2,594	209
Non-cash interest expense	864	827
Deferred income taxes	(1,182)	(2,714)
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense	3,368	6,165
Gain on disposition of assets	(1,421)	(109)
Other	(6,199)	(2,932)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net	(8,804)	(818)
Current income tax receivables and payables	5,529	7,176
Gift card receivables and payables	(2,269)	(7,855)
Other current assets	5,709	(736)
Accounts payable	65	1,745
Accrued employee compensation and benefits	(3,448)	(2,162)
Other current liabilities	(3,351)	(2,554)
Cash flows provided by operating activities	16,468	19,543
Cash flows from investing activities:
Additions to property and equipment	(3,488)	(2,997)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	655	0
Principal receipts from notes, equipment contracts and other long-term receivables	4,930	5,002
Additions to long-term receivables	(2,325)	0
Other	(27)	(188)
Cash flows (used in) provided by investing activities	(255)	1,817
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of long-term debt	(3,250)	0
Dividends paid on common stock	(17,453)	(17,432)
Repurchase of common stock	(10,003)	(10,003)
Principal payments on capital lease and financing obligations	(4,536)	(3,608)
Tax payments for restricted stock upon vesting	(1,083)	(2,022)
Proceeds from stock options exercised	456	1,474
Cash flows used in financing activities	(35,869)	(31,591)
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(19,656)	(10,231)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period	163,146	185,491
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	143,490	175,260
Supplemental disclosures:
Interest paid in cash	16,621	16,231
Income taxes paid in cash	$ 934	$ 6,018

General	3 Months Ended
General	Mar. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
General	General The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Dine Brands Global, Inc. (the “Company” or “Dine Brands Global”) have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the twelve months ending December 31, 2018. The consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2017 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Mar. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The Company’s fiscal quarters end on the Sunday closest to the last day of each calendar quarter. For convenience, the fiscal quarters of each year are referred to as ending on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31. The first fiscal quarter of 2018 began on January 1, 2018 and ended on April 1, 2018. The first fiscal quarter of 2017 began on January 2, 2017 and ended on April 2, 2017. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries that are consolidated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make assumptions and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities, if any, at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates are made in the calculation and assessment of the following: impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets and tangible assets; income taxes; allowance for doubtful accounts and notes receivables; lease accounting estimates; contingencies; and stock-based compensation. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates based on historical experience, current conditions and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The Company adjusts such estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

Accounting Policies

Accounting Standards Adopted Effective January 1, 2018

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the guidance of Accounting Standards Codification 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). The Company adopted this change in accounting principles using the full retrospective method. Accordingly, previously reported financial information has been restated to reflect the application of ASC 606 to all comparative periods presented. The Company utilized all of the practical expedients for adoption allowed under the full retrospective method. The Company believes utilization of the practical expedients did not have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements of the periods presented herein.

Adoption of ASC 606 impacted our previously reported Consolidated Balance Sheet as follows:



	Balance at December 31, 2017, as reported			Adjustments/Reclassifications Due to ASC 606 adoption			Balance at December 31, 2017, as adjusted
	(In thousands)
Assets:
Receivables, net	$	150,174		$	(9,986	)	$	140,188
Prepaid income taxes	43,654			2,327			45,981
Long-term receivables, net	131,212			(4,642		)	126,570

Liabilities:
Deferred franchise revenue (short-term)	—			11,001			11,001
Other accrued expenses	17,780			(1,779		)	16,001
Deferred franchise revenue (long-term)	—			70,432			70,432
Other non-current liabilities	23,003			(4,932		)	18,071
Deferred income taxes, net	138,177			(18,181		)	119,996

Equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(1,098	)	$	(68,842	)	$	(69,940	)

In conjunction with its adoption of ASC 606, the Company has separated “franchise and restaurant revenues” and “franchise and restaurant expenses,” previously combined when reported in the Statement of Comprehensive Income for the three months ended March 31, 2017, into “franchise revenues/expense” and “company restaurant sales/expense” as follows:



	(in thousands)
Franchise and restaurant revenues, as reported	$	123,578

Franchise revenues, as reclassified	$	119,438
Company restaurant sales, as reclassified	4,140
	$	123,578

Franchise and restaurant expenses, as reported	$	41,007

Franchise expenses, as reclassified	36,664
Company restaurant expenses, as reclassified	4,343
	$	41,007

Adoption of ASC 606 impacted our previously reported Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as follows:



	Three Months ended March 31, 2017, as reported			Adjustments due to ASC 606 adoption			Three Months ended March 31, 2017, as adjusted
	(In thousands)
Franchise revenues (as reclassified above)	$	119,438		$	35,287		$	154,725
Franchise expenses (as reclassified above)	36,664			33,503			70,167
Income before income tax provision	24,225			1,784			26,009
Income tax provision	(9,862		)	(552		)	(10,414		)
Net income	14,363			1,232			15,595
Net income per share:
Basic	$	0.80					$	0.87
Diluted	$	0.79					$	0.86

Recognition of Applebee's advertising revenue and expense comprised $33.5 million of the revenue adjustment and all of the expense adjustment. Approximately $1.8 million of the revenue adjustment is due to the change in method of recognizing franchise and development fees. See Note 4 - Revenue Disclosures, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of these changes.

The adoption of ASC 606 had no impact on the Company's cash provided by or used in operating, investing or financing activities as previously reported in its Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Additional new accounting guidance became effective for the Company effective January 1, 2018 that the Company reviewed and concluded was either are not applicable to the Company's operations or had no material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Newly Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued new guidance on the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments. The new guidance will replace the incurred loss methodology of recognizing credit losses on financial instruments that is currently required with a methodology that estimates the expected credit loss on financial instruments and reflects the net amount expected to be collected on the financial instrument. Application of the new guidance may result in the earlier recognition of credit losses as the new methodology will require entities to consider forward-looking information in addition to historical and current information used in assessing incurred losses. The Company will be required to adopt the new guidance on a modified retrospective basis beginning with its first fiscal quarter of 2020, with early adoption permitted in its first fiscal quarter of 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures and whether early adoption will be elected.

In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance with respect to the accounting for leases. The new guidance will require lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for virtually all leases, other than leases with a term of 12 months or less, and to provide additional disclosures about leasing arrangements. Accounting by lessors is largely unchanged from existing accounting guidance. The Company will be required to adopt the new guidance on a modified retrospective basis beginning with its first fiscal quarter of 2019. Early adoption is permitted.

While the Company is still in the process of evaluating the impact of the new guidance on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures, the Company expects adoption of the new guidance will have a material impact on its Consolidated Balance Sheets due to recognition of the right-of-use asset and lease liability related to its operating leases. While the new guidance is also expected to impact the measurement and presentation of elements of expenses and cash flows related to leasing arrangements, the Company does not presently believe there will be a material impact on its Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income or Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Recognition of a lease liability related to operating leases will not impact any covenants related to the Company's long-term debt because the debt agreements specify that covenant ratios be calculated using U.S. GAAP in effect at the time the debt agreements were entered into.

The Company reviewed all other newly issued accounting pronouncements and concluded that they either are not applicable to the Company's operations or that no material effect is expected on the Company's financial statements because of future adoption.

Revenue Disclosures (Notes)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue Disclosures

Franchise revenue (which comprises the majority of the Company's revenues) and revenue from company-operated restaurants are recognized in accordance with ASC 606. Under ASC 606, revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised services or goods to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive for those services or goods. The Company's rental and financing revenues are recognized in accordance with applicable U.S. GAAP accounting standards promulgated prior to the issuance of ASC 606 which remain in effect.

Franchising Activities

The Company owns and franchises the Applebee’s and IHOP restaurant concepts. The franchise arrangement for both brands is documented in the form of a franchise agreement and, in most cases, a development agreement. The franchise arrangement between the Company as the franchisor and the franchisee as the customer requires the Company to perform various activities to support the brand that do not directly transfer goods and services to the franchisee, but instead represent a single performance obligation, which is the transfer of the franchise license. The intellectual property subject to the franchise license is symbolic intellectual property as it does not have significant standalone functionality, and substantially all of the utility is derived from its association with the Company’s past or ongoing activities. The nature of the Company’s promise in granting the franchise license is to provide the franchisee with access to the brand’s symbolic intellectual property over the term of the license. The services provided by the Company are highly interrelated with the franchise license and as such are considered to represent a single performance obligation.

The transaction price in a standard franchise arrangement for both brands primarily consists of (a) initial franchise/development fees; (b) continuing franchise fees (royalties); and (c) advertising fees. Since the Company considers the licensing of the franchising right to be a single performance obligation, no allocation of the transaction price is required. Additionally, all domestic IHOP franchise agreements require franchisees to purchase proprietary pancake and waffle dry mix from the Company.

The Company recognizes the primary components of the transaction price as follows:


•	Franchise and development fees are recognized as revenue ratably on a straight-line basis over the term of the franchise agreement commencing with the restaurant opening date. As these fees are typically received in cash at or near the beginning of the franchise term, the cash received is initially recorded as a contract liability until recognized as revenue over time;

•

The Company is entitled to royalties and advertising fees based on a percentage of the franchisee's gross sales as defined in the franchise agreement. Royalty and advertising revenue is recognized when the franchisee's reported sales occur. Depending on timing within a fiscal period, the recognition of revenue results in either what is considered a contract asset (unbilled receivable) or, once billed, accounts receivable, on the balance sheet.


•	Revenue from the sales of proprietary pancake and waffle dry mix is recognized in the period in which distributors ship the franchisee's order; recognition of revenue results in accounts receivable on the balance sheet.

In determining the amount and timing of revenue from contracts with customers, the Company exercises significant judgment with respect to collectibility of the amount; however, the timing of recognition does not require significant judgments as it is based on either the franchise term, the month of reported sales by the franchisee or the date of product shipment, none of which require estimation.

The Company does not incur a significant amount of contract acquisition costs in conducting its franchising activities and has not capitalized any such costs. The Company believes its franchising arrangements do not contain a significant financing component.

Prior to the adoption of ASC 606, the Company generally recognized the entire franchise and/or development fee as revenue at the restaurant opening date. The impact on the Company's previously reported financial statements of the change from that policy to the policy described above is presented in Note 3 - Accounting Standards Adopted and Newly Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Prior to the adoption of ASC 606, the Company did not record advertising fees received under Applebee's franchise agreements as franchise revenue. In evaluating advertising activity under the guidance of ASC 606, the Company considers itself to be primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide all of the services specified in the contract, including advertising activities, which are not considered to be distinct services in the context of providing the right to the symbolic intellectual property. Accordingly, under ASC 606, the Company will record advertising fees received under Applebee's franchise agreements as franchise revenue. The Company had previously recorded advertising fees received under IHOP franchise agreements as franchise revenue. Under previously issued accounting guidance for franchisors, advertising revenue and expense were recognized in the same amount in each period. That guidance was superceded by ASC 606 such that advertising expense may now be different than the advertising revenue recognized as described above. The impact of these changes with respect to Applebee's advertising fees and advertising expenses on the Company's previously reported financial statements is presented in Note 3 - Accounting Standards Adopted and Newly Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

The adoption of ASC 606 had no impact on the Company's recording of royalties and sales of proprietary pancake and waffle dry mix.

The following table disaggregates our franchise revenue by major type for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2018		2017
	(In thousands)
Franchise Revenue:
Royalties	$	75,097	$	77,772
Advertising fees	63,836		61,701
Pancake and waffle dry mix sales and other	13,097		12,434
Franchise and development fees	3,283		2,818
Total franchise revenue	$	155,313	$	154,725

Receivables (both unbilled and billed) from franchise revenue transactions as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were $69.8 million (net of allowance of $21.3 million) and $66.2 million (net of allowance of $22.2 million), respectively, and were included in receivables, net in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Changes in the Company's contract liability for deferred franchise and development fees during the three months ended March 31, 2018 are as follows:



	Deferred Revenue (short- and long-term)
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	81,433
Recognized as revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2018	(2,848		)
Fees received and deferred during the three months ended March 31, 2018	847
Balance at March 31, 2018	$	79,432

Company-operated Restaurants

The Company currently does not operate any restaurants but did operate restaurants in the comparative prior period. Sales by company-operated restaurants were recognized when food and beverage items were sold and were reported net of sales taxes collected from guests that are remitted to the appropriate taxing authorities. Recognition of revenue from company-operated restaurants was not impacted by the adoption of ASC 606 using the full retrospective method.

Stockholders' Equity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Deficit

Dividends

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company paid dividends on common stock of $17.5 million, representing cash dividends of $0.97 per share declared in the fourth quarter of 2017. On February 14, 2018, the Company's Board of Directors declared a first quarter 2018 cash dividend of $0.63 per share of common stock. This dividend was paid on April 6, 2018 to the Company's stockholders of record at the close of business on March 19, 2018. The Company reported dividends payable of $11.5 million at March 31, 2018.

Stock Repurchase Program

In October 2015, the Company's Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase up to $150 million of its common stock (the “2015 Repurchase Program”) on an opportunistic basis from time to time in open market transactions and in privately negotiated transactions based on business, market, applicable legal requirements and other considerations. The 2015 Repurchase Program, as approved by the Board of Directors, does not require the repurchase of a specific number of shares and can be terminated at any time. A summary of shares repurchased under the 2015 Repurchase Program, during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and cumulatively, is as follows:



2015 Repurchase Program	Shares	Cost of shares
		(In millions)
Repurchased during the three months ended March 31, 2018	138,638	$	10.0
Cumulative repurchases as of March 31, 2018	1,139,295	$	92.9
Remaining dollar value of shares that may be repurchased	n/a	$	57.1

Treasury Stock

Repurchases of the Company's common stock are included in treasury stock at the cost of shares repurchased plus any transaction costs. Treasury stock may be re-issued when stock options are exercised, when restricted stock awards are granted and when restricted stock units settle in stock upon vesting. The cost of treasury stock re-issued is determined using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company re-issued 76,896 shares of treasury stock at a total FIFO cost of $3.0 million.

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Mar. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company's effective tax rate was 24.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to 40.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The effective tax rate of 24.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was significantly lower than the rate of the prior period primarily due to the federal statutory tax rate decreasing from 35% to 21% in accordance with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017. The total gross unrecognized tax benefit as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $6.1 million and $5.9 million, respectively, excluding interest, penalties and related tax benefits. The Company estimates the unrecognized tax benefit may decrease over the upcoming 12 months by an amount up to $3.1 million related to settlements with taxing authorities and the lapse of statutes of limitations. For the remaining liability, due to the uncertainties related to these tax matters, the Company is unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate as to when cash settlement with a taxing authority will occur. As of March 31, 2018, accrued interest was $1.0 million and accrued penalties were less than $0.1 million, excluding any related income tax benefits. As of December 31, 2017, accrued interest was $1.1 million and accrued penalties were less than $0.1 million, excluding any related income tax benefits. The Company recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties as a component of its income tax provision recognized in its Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. The Company files federal income tax returns and the Company or one of its subsidiaries files income tax returns in various states and foreign jurisdictions. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to federal, state or non-United States tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2011. The Internal Revenue Service commenced examination of the Company’s U.S. federal income tax return for the tax years 2011 to 2013 in fiscal year 2016. The examination is anticipated to conclude during fiscal year 2018. The Company believes that adequate reserves have been provided relating to all matters contained in the tax periods open to examination. The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued guidance which provides for a measurement period of one year from the enactment date to finalize the accounting for effects of the Tax Act. Consistent with that guidance, the Company provisionally recorded income tax benefit of $77.5 million related to the Tax Act in the fourth quarter of 2017. As of March 31, 2018, we have not yet completed our accounting for the tax effects of the enactment of the Tax Act. The Internal Revenue Service is expected to issue additional guidance clarifying provisions of the Act. As additional guidance is issued, one or more of the provisional amounts may change.

Stock-Based Compensation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Stock-Based Compensation

The following table summarizes the components of stock-based compensation expense included in general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income:



	Three months ended March 31,
	2018			2017
	(In millions)
Total stock-based compensation expense:
Equity classified awards expense	$	3.4		$	6.2
Liability classified awards expense	0.5			0.2
Total pre-tax stock-based compensation expense	3.9			6.4
Book income tax benefit	(1.0		)	(2.4		)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of tax	$	2.9		$	4.0

As of March 31, 2018, total unrecognized compensation expense of $22.8 million related to restricted stock and restricted stock units and $5.0 million related to stock options are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.0 years for restricted stock and restricted stock units and 2.0 years for stock options.

Fair Value Assumptions

The Company granted 209,634 stock options during the three months ended March 31, 2018 for which the fair value was estimated using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. The following summarizes the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model:



Risk-free interest rate	2.6	%
Weighted average historical volatility	26.0	%
Dividend yield	3.7	%
Expected years until exercise	4.6
Weighted average fair value of options granted	$11.77

The Company granted 25,330 performance-based stock options and 26,670 performance-based restricted stock units during the three months ended March 31, 2018 for which the fair value was estimated using a Monte Carlo simulation method. The following summarizes the assumptions used in estimating the fair values:



Risk-free interest rate	2.4	%
Weighted average historical volatility	33.0	%
Dividend yield	3.7	%
Expected years until exercise	3.0
Weighted average fair value of options granted	$9.79
Weighted average fair value of restricted stock units granted	$34.53

Equity Classified Awards - Stock Options

Stock option balances at March 31, 2018, and activity for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows:



	Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in Years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in Millions)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	1,272,048		$	61.44
Granted	234,964		68.71
Exercised	(8,527	)	53.49
Outstanding at March 31, 2018	1,498,485		62.63		7.2	$	15.1
Vested at March 31, 2018 and Expected to Vest	1,295,298		64.44		6.8	$	11.9
Exercisable at March 31, 2018	632,737		$	74.90	4.2	$	3.3

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the closing stock price of the Company’s common stock on the last trading day of the first quarter of 2018 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on March 31, 2018. The aggregate intrinsic value will change based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock and the number of in-the-money options.

Equity Classified Awards - Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units

Outstanding balances as of March 31, 2018, and activity related to restricted stock and restricted stock units for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows:



	Restricted Stock		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		Restricted Stock Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	275,191		$	65.81	303,348		$	28.39
Granted	68,369		66.88		49,706		47.85
Released	(39,728	)	87.61		(10,734	)	112.74
Forfeited	(4,628	)	60.58		(71	)	53.49
Outstanding at March 31, 2018	299,204		$	63.25	342,248		$	28.25

Liability Classified Awards - Cash-settled Restricted Stock Units

The Company has granted cash-settled restricted stock units to certain employees. These instruments are recorded as liabilities at fair value as of the respective period end. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, 54,822 units were issued and 365 units were forfeited. At March 31, 2018, there were 54,457 units outstanding. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, $0.1 million was included as stock-based compensation expense related to cash-settled restricted stock units.

Liability Classified Awards - Long-Term Incentive Awards

The Company has granted cash long-term incentive awards (“LTIP awards”) to certain employees. Annual LTIP awards vest over a three-year period and are determined using a multiplier from 0% to 200% of the target award based on the total stockholder return of Dine Brands Global common stock compared to the total stockholder returns of a peer group of companies. Although LTIP awards are only paid in cash, since the multiplier is based on the price of the Company's common stock, the awards are considered stock-based compensation in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are classified as liabilities. For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, $0.4 million and $0.2 million, respectively was included in total stock-based compensation expense related to LTIP awards. At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, liabilities of $0.6 million and $0.2 million, respectively, related to LTIP awards were included as part of accrued employee compensation and benefits in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Segments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segments

The Company identifies its reporting segments based on the organizational units used by management to monitor performance and make operating decisions. The Company currently has four operating segments: Applebee's franchise operations, IHOP franchise operations, rental operations and financing operations. Prior to June 2017, the Company operated 10 IHOP restaurants and those operations were considered to be a fifth operating segment. The Company has four reportable segments: franchise operations, (an aggregation of Applebee's and IHOP franchise operations), rental operations, financing operations and company-operated restaurant operations. The Company considers these to be its reportable segments, regardless of whether any segment exceeds 10% of consolidated revenues, income before income tax provision or total assets.

As of March 31, 2018, the franchise operations segment consisted of (i) 1,912 restaurants operated by Applebee’s franchisees in the United States, two U.S. territories and 15 countries outside the United States and (ii) 1,791 restaurants operated by IHOP franchisees and area licensees in the United States, three U.S. territories and 12 countries outside the United States. Franchise operations revenue consists primarily of franchise royalty revenues, franchise advertising revenue, sales of proprietary products to franchisees (primarily pancake and waffle dry mixes for the IHOP restaurants), and franchise fees. Franchise operations expenses include advertising expenses, the cost of IHOP proprietary products, bad debt expense, franchisor contributions to marketing funds, pre-opening training expenses and other franchise-related costs.

Rental operations revenue includes revenue from operating leases and interest income from direct financing leases. Rental operations expenses are costs of operating leases and interest expense from capital leases on franchisee-operated restaurants.

Financing operations revenue primarily consists of interest income from the financing of franchise fees and equipment leases and sales of equipment associated with refranchised IHOP restaurants. Financing expenses are primarily the cost of restaurant equipment associated with refranchised IHOP restaurants.

Company restaurant sales were retail sales at company-operated restaurants. Company restaurant expenses were operating expenses at company-operated restaurants and include food, labor, utilities, rent and other restaurant operating costs. In June 2017, the Company refranchised nine of ten company-operated restaurants in the Cincinnati, Ohio market area; the one restaurant not refranchised was permanently closed. As a result, the Company no longer operates any restaurants on a permanent basis. The Company has not presented these restaurants as discontinued operations as defined by U.S. GAAP because the refranchising of nine restaurants out of a total of over 3,700 restaurants did not represent a strategic shift that had a major effect on the Company's operations.

From time to time, the Company may operate restaurants reacquired from franchisees on a temporary basis until those restaurants are refranchised. There were no restaurants under temporary operation at March 31, 2018.

Information on segments is as follows:



		Three months ended March 31,
		2018			2017 (as adjusted)
	(In millions)
Revenues from external customers:
Franchise operations		$	155.3		$	154.7
Rental operations		30.9			30.5
Company restaurants		—			4.2
Financing operations		2.0			2.1
Total		$	188.2		$	191.5

Interest expense:
Rental operations		$	2.4		$	2.7
Company restaurants		—			0.1
Corporate		15.2			15.4
Total		$	17.6		$	18.2

Depreciation and amortization:
Franchise operations		$	2.7		$	2.7
Rental operations		2.9			3.0
Company restaurants		—			0.1
Corporate		2.3			1.9
Total		$	7.9		$	7.7

Gross profit, by segment:
Franchise operations		$	73.4		$	84.6
Rental operations		8.2			7.8
Company restaurants		—			(0.2		)
Financing operations		1.9			2.1
Total gross profit		83.5			94.3
Corporate and unallocated expenses, net		(60.8		)	(68.3		)
Income before income tax provision		$	22.7		$	26.0

Net Income per Share

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Net Income per Share

The computation of the Company's basic and diluted net income per share is as follows:



	Three months ended March 31,
	2018			2017 (as adjusted)
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Numerator for basic and diluted income per common share:
Net income	$	17,073		$	15,595
Less: Net income allocated to unvested participating restricted stock	(568		)	(283		)
Net income available to common stockholders - basic	16,505			15,312
Effect of unvested participating restricted stock in two-class calculation	2			—
Net income available to common stockholders - diluted	$	16,507		$	15,312
Denominator:
Weighted average outstanding shares of common stock - basic	17,703			17,694
Dilutive effect of stock options	142			43
Weighted average outstanding shares of common stock - diluted	17,845			17,737
Net income per common share:
Basic	$	0.93		$	0.87
Diluted	$	0.92		$	0.86

Fair Value Measurements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

The Company does not have a material amount of financial assets or liabilities that are required under U.S. GAAP to be measured on a recurring basis at fair value. The Company is not a party to any derivative financial instruments. The Company does not have a material amount of non-financial assets or non-financial liabilities that are required under U.S. GAAP to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The Company has not elected to use the fair value measurement option, as permitted under U.S. GAAP, for any assets or liabilities for which fair value measurement is not presently required.

The Company believes the fair values of cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate their carrying amounts due to their short duration.

The fair values of the Company's Series 2014-1 Class A-2 Notes (the “Class A-2 Notes”) at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were as follows:



	March 31, 2018				December 31, 2017
	Carrying Amount		Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Fair Value
	(In millions)
Long-term debt, current and long-term	$	1,280.4	$	1,277.3	$	1,282.8	$	1,265.5

The fair values were determined based on Level 2 inputs, including information gathered from brokers who trade in the Company’s Class A-2 Notes and information on notes that are similar to those of the Company.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Mar. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Litigation, Claims and Disputes The Company is subject to various lawsuits, administrative proceedings, audits and claims arising in the ordinary course of business. Some of these lawsuits purport to be class actions and/or seek substantial damages. The Company is required under U.S. GAAP to record an accrual for litigation loss contingencies that are both probable and reasonably estimable. Legal fees and expenses associated with the defense of all of the Company's litigation are expensed as such fees and expenses are incurred. Management regularly assesses the Company's insurance coverage, analyzes litigation information with the Company's attorneys and evaluates the Company's loss experience in connection with pending legal proceedings. While the Company does not presently believe that any of the legal proceedings to which it is currently a party will ultimately have a material adverse impact on the Company, there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in all the proceedings the Company is party to, or that the Company will not incur material losses from them. Lease Guarantees In connection with the sale of Applebee’s restaurants or previous brands to franchisees and other parties, the Company has, in certain cases, guaranteed or has potential continuing liability for lease payments totaling $300.6 million as of March 31, 2018. This amount represents the maximum potential liability for future payments under these leases. These leases have been assigned to the buyers and expire at the end of the respective lease terms, which range from 2018 through 2048. Excluding unexercised option periods, the Company's potential liability for future payments under these leases is $50.0 million. In the event of default, the indemnity and default clauses in the sale or assignment agreements govern the Company's ability to pursue and recover damages incurred.

Restricted Cash	3 Months Ended
Restricted Cash	Mar. 31, 2018
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Restricted Cash	Restricted Cash Current restricted cash of $32.4 million at March 31, 2018 primarily consisted of $31.2 million of funds required to be held in trust in connection with the Company's securitized debt and $1.2 million of funds from Applebee's franchisees pursuant to franchise agreements, usage of which was restricted to advertising activities. Current restricted cash of $31.4 million at December 31, 2017 primarily consisted of $29.3 million of funds required to be held in trust in connection with the Company's securitized debt and $2.1 million of funds from Applebee's franchisees pursuant to franchise agreements, usage of which was restricted to advertising activities. Non-current restricted cash of $14.7 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 represents interest reserves required to be set aside for the duration of the Company's securitized debt.

Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

Fiscal Period

The Company’s fiscal quarters end on the Sunday closest to the last day of each calendar quarter. For convenience, the fiscal quarters of each year are referred to as ending on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31. The first fiscal quarter of 2018 began on January 1, 2018 and ended on April 1, 2018. The first fiscal quarter of 2017 began on January 2, 2017 and ended on April 2, 2017.

Accounting Standards Adopted in the Current Fiscal Year and Not Yet Adopted

Accounting Standards Adopted Effective January 1, 2018

Adoption of ASC 606 impacted our previously reported Consolidated Balance Sheet as follows:



	Balance at December 31, 2017, as reported			Adjustments/Reclassifications Due to ASC 606 adoption			Balance at December 31, 2017, as adjusted
	(In thousands)
Assets:
Receivables, net	$	150,174		$	(9,986	)	$	140,188
Prepaid income taxes	43,654			2,327			45,981
Long-term receivables, net	131,212			(4,642		)	126,570

Liabilities:
Deferred franchise revenue (short-term)	—			11,001			11,001
Other accrued expenses	17,780			(1,779		)	16,001
Deferred franchise revenue (long-term)	—			70,432			70,432
Other non-current liabilities	23,003			(4,932		)	18,071
Deferred income taxes, net	138,177			(18,181		)	119,996

Equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(1,098	)	$	(68,842	)	$	(69,940	)



	(in thousands)
Franchise and restaurant revenues, as reported	$	123,578

Franchise revenues, as reclassified	$	119,438
Company restaurant sales, as reclassified	4,140
	$	123,578

Franchise and restaurant expenses, as reported	$	41,007

Franchise expenses, as reclassified	36,664
Company restaurant expenses, as reclassified	4,343
	$	41,007

Adoption of ASC 606 impacted our previously reported Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as follows:



	Three Months ended March 31, 2017, as reported			Adjustments due to ASC 606 adoption			Three Months ended March 31, 2017, as adjusted
	(In thousands)
Franchise revenues (as reclassified above)	$	119,438		$	35,287		$	154,725
Franchise expenses (as reclassified above)	36,664			33,503			70,167
Income before income tax provision	24,225			1,784			26,009
Income tax provision	(9,862		)	(552		)	(10,414		)
Net income	14,363			1,232			15,595
Net income per share:
Basic	$	0.80					$	0.87
Diluted	$	0.79					$	0.86

The adoption of ASC 606 had no impact on the Company's cash provided by or used in operating, investing or financing activities as previously reported in its Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Newly Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

Accounting Policies - (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles



	(in thousands)
Franchise and restaurant revenues, as reported	$	123,578

Franchise revenues, as reclassified	$	119,438
Company restaurant sales, as reclassified	4,140
	$	123,578

Franchise and restaurant expenses, as reported	$	41,007

Franchise expenses, as reclassified	36,664
Company restaurant expenses, as reclassified	4,343
	$	41,007

Adoption of ASC 606 impacted our previously reported Consolidated Balance Sheet as follows:



	Balance at December 31, 2017, as reported			Adjustments/Reclassifications Due to ASC 606 adoption			Balance at December 31, 2017, as adjusted
	(In thousands)
Assets:
Receivables, net	$	150,174		$	(9,986	)	$	140,188
Prepaid income taxes	43,654			2,327			45,981
Long-term receivables, net	131,212			(4,642		)	126,570

Liabilities:
Deferred franchise revenue (short-term)	—			11,001			11,001
Other accrued expenses	17,780			(1,779		)	16,001
Deferred franchise revenue (long-term)	—			70,432			70,432
Other non-current liabilities	23,003			(4,932		)	18,071
Deferred income taxes, net	138,177			(18,181		)	119,996

Equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(1,098	)	$	(68,842	)	$	(69,940	)

doption of ASC 606 impacted our previously reported Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the three months ended March 31, 2017, as follows:



	Three Months ended March 31, 2017, as reported			Adjustments due to ASC 606 adoption			Three Months ended March 31, 2017, as adjusted
	(In thousands)
Franchise revenues (as reclassified above)	$	119,438		$	35,287		$	154,725
Franchise expenses (as reclassified above)	36,664			33,503			70,167
Income before income tax provision	24,225			1,784			26,009
Income tax provision	(9,862		)	(552		)	(10,414		)
Net income	14,363			1,232			15,595
Net income per share:
Basic	$	0.80					$	0.87
Diluted	$	0.79					$	0.86

Revenue Disclosures (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Schedule of Disaggregation of Revenue

The following table disaggregates our franchise revenue by major type for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2018		2017
	(In thousands)
Franchise Revenue:
Royalties	$	75,097	$	77,772
Advertising fees	63,836		61,701
Pancake and waffle dry mix sales and other	13,097		12,434
Franchise and development fees	3,283		2,818
Total franchise revenue	$	155,313	$	154,725

Schedule of Changes in Deferred Revenue

Changes in the Company's contract liability for deferred franchise and development fees during the three months ended March 31, 2018 are as follows:



	Deferred Revenue (short- and long-term)
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	81,433
Recognized as revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2018	(2,848		)
Fees received and deferred during the three months ended March 31, 2018	847
Balance at March 31, 2018	$	79,432

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Class of Treasury Stock

A summary of shares repurchased under the 2015 Repurchase Program, during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and cumulatively, is as follows:



2015 Repurchase Program	Shares	Cost of shares
		(In millions)
Repurchased during the three months ended March 31, 2018	138,638	$	10.0
Cumulative repurchases as of March 31, 2018	1,139,295	$	92.9
Remaining dollar value of shares that may be repurchased	n/a	$	57.1

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Components of the Company’s stock-based compensation expense

The following table summarizes the components of stock-based compensation expense included in general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income:



	Three months ended March 31,
	2018			2017
	(In millions)
Total stock-based compensation expense:
Equity classified awards expense	$	3.4		$	6.2
Liability classified awards expense	0.5			0.2
Total pre-tax stock-based compensation expense	3.9			6.4
Book income tax benefit	(1.0		)	(2.4		)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of tax	$	2.9		$	4.0

Schedule of stock option valuation assumptions

The following summarizes the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model:



Risk-free interest rate	2.6	%
Weighted average historical volatility	26.0	%
Dividend yield	3.7	%
Expected years until exercise	4.6
Weighted average fair value of options granted	$11.77

The following summarizes the assumptions used in estimating the fair values:



Risk-free interest rate	2.4	%
Weighted average historical volatility	33.0	%
Dividend yield	3.7	%
Expected years until exercise	3.0
Weighted average fair value of options granted	$9.79
Weighted average fair value of restricted stock units granted	$34.53

Schedule of stock option activity

Stock option balances at March 31, 2018, and activity for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows:



	Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in Years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in Millions)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	1,272,048		$	61.44
Granted	234,964		68.71
Exercised	(8,527	)	53.49
Outstanding at March 31, 2018	1,498,485		62.63		7.2	$	15.1
Vested at March 31, 2018 and Expected to Vest	1,295,298		64.44		6.8	$	11.9
Exercisable at March 31, 2018	632,737		$	74.90	4.2	$	3.3

Schedule of restricted stock unit activity

Outstanding balances as of March 31, 2018, and activity related to restricted stock and restricted stock units for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows:



	Restricted Stock		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		Restricted Stock Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	275,191		$	65.81	303,348		$	28.39
Granted	68,369		66.88		49,706		47.85
Released	(39,728	)	87.61		(10,734	)	112.74
Forfeited	(4,628	)	60.58		(71	)	53.49
Outstanding at March 31, 2018	299,204		$	63.25	342,248		$	28.25

Segments (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of segment reporting information by segment

Information on segments is as follows:



		Three months ended March 31,
		2018			2017 (as adjusted)
	(In millions)
Revenues from external customers:
Franchise operations		$	155.3		$	154.7
Rental operations		30.9			30.5
Company restaurants		—			4.2
Financing operations		2.0			2.1
Total		$	188.2		$	191.5

Interest expense:
Rental operations		$	2.4		$	2.7
Company restaurants		—			0.1
Corporate		15.2			15.4
Total		$	17.6		$	18.2

Depreciation and amortization:
Franchise operations		$	2.7		$	2.7
Rental operations		2.9			3.0
Company restaurants		—			0.1
Corporate		2.3			1.9
Total		$	7.9		$	7.7

Gross profit, by segment:
Franchise operations		$	73.4		$	84.6
Rental operations		8.2			7.8
Company restaurants		—			(0.2		)
Financing operations		1.9			2.1
Total gross profit		83.5			94.3
Corporate and unallocated expenses, net		(60.8		)	(68.3		)
Income before income tax provision		$	22.7		$	26.0

Net Income per Share (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Computation of the Company’s basic and diluted net income per share

The computation of the Company's basic and diluted net income per share is as follows:



	Three months ended March 31,
	2018			2017 (as adjusted)
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Numerator for basic and diluted income per common share:
Net income	$	17,073		$	15,595
Less: Net income allocated to unvested participating restricted stock	(568		)	(283		)
Net income available to common stockholders - basic	16,505			15,312
Effect of unvested participating restricted stock in two-class calculation	2			—
Net income available to common stockholders - diluted	$	16,507		$	15,312
Denominator:
Weighted average outstanding shares of common stock - basic	17,703			17,694
Dilutive effect of stock options	142			43
Weighted average outstanding shares of common stock - diluted	17,845			17,737
Net income per common share:
Basic	$	0.93		$	0.87
Diluted	$	0.92		$	0.86

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value of non-current financial liabilities

The fair values of the Company's Series 2014-1 Class A-2 Notes (the “Class A-2 Notes”) at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were as follows:



	March 31, 2018				December 31, 2017
	Carrying Amount		Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Fair Value
	(In millions)
Long-term debt, current and long-term	$	1,280.4	$	1,277.3	$	1,282.8	$	1,265.5

Accounting Policies - Adoption of ASC 606 on impacted Consolidated Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Assets
Receivables, net	$ 105,834	$ 140,188
Prepaid income taxes	36,078	45,981
Long-term receivables, net	122,362	126,570
Liabilities [Abstract]
Deferred franchise revenue (short-term)	10,851	11,001
Other accrued expenses	15,047	16,001
Deferred franchise revenue (long-term)	68,581	70,432
Other non-current liabilities	19,772	18,071
Deferred income taxes, net	114,522	119,996
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated deficit	$ (52,867)	(69,940)
As Reported
Assets
Receivables, net		150,174
Prepaid income taxes		43,654
Long-term receivables, net		131,212
Liabilities [Abstract]
Deferred franchise revenue (short-term)		0
Other accrued expenses		17,780
Deferred franchise revenue (long-term)		0
Other non-current liabilities		23,003
Deferred income taxes, net		138,177
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated deficit		(1,098)
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Adjustments/Reclassifications Due to ASC 606 adoption
Assets
Receivables, net		(9,986)
Prepaid income taxes		2,327
Long-term receivables, net		(4,642)
Liabilities [Abstract]
Deferred franchise revenue (short-term)		11,001
Other accrued expenses		(1,779)
Deferred franchise revenue (long-term)		70,432
Other non-current liabilities		(4,932)
Deferred income taxes, net		(18,181)
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated deficit		$ (68,842)

Accounting Policies - Reclassified franchise and restaurant revenues and expenses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Franchise revenues	$ 155,313	$ 154,725
Company restaurants	0	4,140
Franchise expenses	81,872	70,167
Company restaurant expenses	$ 0	4,343
As Reported
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Franchise and Restaurant Revenues		123,578
Franchise revenues		119,438
Franchise and Restaurant Expenses		41,007
Franchise expenses		$ 36,664

Accounting Policies - The effect of the adoption of ASC 606 on Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Franchise revenues	$ 155,313	$ 154,725
Franchise expenses	81,872	70,167
Income before income tax provision	22,711	26,009
Income tax provision	(5,638)	(10,414)
Net income	$ 17,073	$ 15,595
Net income available to common stockholders per share:
Net income per common share - basic (USD per share)	$ 0.93	$ 0.87
Net income per common share - diluted (USD per share)	$ 0.92	$ 0.86
As Reported
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Franchise revenues		$ 119,438
Franchise expenses		36,664
Income before income tax provision		24,225
Income tax provision		(9,862)
Net income		$ 14,363
Net income available to common stockholders per share:
Net income per common share - basic (USD per share)		$ 0.80
Net income per common share - diluted (USD per share)		$ 0.79
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Adjustments/Reclassifications Due to ASC 606 adoption
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Franchise revenues		$ 35,287
Franchise expenses		33,503
Income before income tax provision		1,784
Income tax provision		(552)
Net income		$ 1,232
Net income available to common stockholders per share:
Net income per common share - basic (USD per share)
Net income per common share - diluted (USD per share)
Applebee's \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Adjustments/Reclassifications Due to ASC 606 adoption
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Franchise revenues		$ 33,500
Applebee's \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Change In Method Of Recognizing Franchise And Development Fees \| Adjustments/Reclassifications Due to ASC 606 adoption
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Franchise revenues		$ 1,800

Revenue Disclosures - Disaggregation of Franchise Revenue by Major Type (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total franchise revenue	$ 155,313	$ 154,725
Royalties
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total franchise revenue	75,097	77,772
Advertising
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total franchise revenue	63,836	61,701
Pancake and waffle dry mix sales and other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total franchise revenue	13,097	12,434
Franchise and development fees
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total franchise revenue	$ 3,283	$ 2,818

Revenue Disclosures - Changes in the Company's contract liability for deferred franchise and development fees (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Change in Contract with Customer, Liability [Roll Forward]
Balance at December 31, 2017	$ 81,433
Recognized as revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2018	(2,848)
Fees received and deferred during the three months ended March 31, 2018	847
Balance at March 31, 2018	$ 79,432

Revenue Disclosures - (Details) - Receivables From Franchise Revenue Transactions [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Billed and unbilled receivables	$ 69.8	$ 66.2
Billed and unbilled receivables, accumulated allowance for credit loss	$ 21.3	$ 22.2

Stockholders' Equity - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended
Stockholders' Equity - Narrative (Details) - USD ($)	Feb. 14, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Oct. 31, 2015
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Payments of dividends		$ 17,453,000		$ 17,432,000
Dividends declared per common share (USD per share)	$ 0.63	$ 0.63	$ 0.97	$ 0.97
Dividends payable		$ 11,520,000	$ 17,748,000
Treasury stock reissued (shares)		76,896
Treasury stock reissued		$ 3,000,000
October 2015 Share Repurchase Program
Equity, Class of Treasury Stock [Line Items]
Stock repurchase program, authorized amount					$ 150,000,000

Stockholders' Equity Share Repurchases (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) shares
Equity [Abstract]
Stock repurchased during period (in shares) \| shares	138,638
Stock repurchased during period, value	$ 10.0
Cumulative amount of shares repurchased (in shares) \| shares	1,139,295
Cumulative payments for repurchase of common stock	$ 92.9
Remaining dollar value of shares that may be repurchased	$ 57.1

Income Taxes - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Income Taxes - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Effective income tax rate (percent)	24.80%		40.00%
Gross unrecognized tax benefit	$ 6.1	$ 5.9
Expected change in unrecognized tax benefits	3.1
Accrued interest on income taxes	1.0	1.1
Accrued penalties on income taxes, less than	$ 0.1	0.1
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, incomplete accounting, provisional income tax expense (benefit)		$ (77.5)

Stock-Based Compensation (Components of Stock-Based Compensation Expense) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Equity classified awards expense	$ 3.4	$ 6.2
Liability classified awards expense	0.5	0.2
Total pre-tax stock-based compensation expense	3.9	6.4
Book income tax benefit	(1.0)	(2.4)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of tax	$ 2.9	$ 4.0

Stock-Based Compensation - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Grants in period (in shares)	209,634
Share-based compensation expense	$ 3,900	$ 6,400
Accrued employee compensation and benefits	10,098		$ 13,547
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total compensation cost not yet recognized	$ 22,800
Total compensation cost not yet recognized, period for recognition (in years)	2 years 7 days
Restricted stock, granted (in shares)	49,705.86
Restricted stock, forfeited (in shares)	71.46
Cash-settled restricted stock units, outstanding (in shares)	342,248.4		303,348
Stock Options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total compensation cost not yet recognized	$ 5,000
Total compensation cost not yet recognized, period for recognition (in years)	1 year 11 months 26 days
Performance Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Grants in period (in shares)	25,330
Performance Based Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Restricted stock, granted (in shares)	26,670
Cash-settled Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares issued in period (in shares)	54,822
Restricted stock, forfeited (in shares)	365
Cash-settled restricted stock units, outstanding (in shares)	54,457
Share-based compensation expense	$ 100
LTIP
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period (in years)	3 years
Share-based compensation expense	$ 400	$ 200
Accrued employee compensation and benefits	$ 600		$ 200
LTIP \| Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Multiplier for target award based on total shareholder return on common stock (percent)	0.00%
LTIP \| Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Multiplier for target award based on total shareholder return on common stock (percent)	200.00%

Stock-Based Compensation (Options Value Assumptions) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 $ / shares
Performance Based Restricted Stock Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate (percent)	2.40%
Weighted average historical volatility (percent)	33.00%
Dividend yield (percent)	3.70%
Expected years until exercise (years)	3 years
Weighted average fair value of restricted stock units granted (USD per share)	$ 34.53
Performance Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted average fair value of options granted (USD per share)	$ 9.79
Stock Options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate (percent)	2.60%
Weighted average historical volatility (percent)	26.00%
Dividend yield (percent)	3.70%
Expected years until exercise (years)	4 years 7 months 6 days
Weighted average fair value of options granted (USD per share)	$ 11.77

Stock-Based Compensation (Stock Option Activity) (Details) - Stock Options $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Shares
Options, outstanding, beginning of period (in shares) \| shares	1,272,048
Options, granted (in shares) \| shares	234,964
Options, exercised (in shares) \| shares	(8,527)
Options, outstanding, end of period (in shares) \| shares	1,498,485
Options, vested and expected to vest (in shares) \| shares	1,295,298
Options, exercisable (in shares) \| shares	632,737
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Weighted average exercise price, beginning of period (per share) \| $ / shares	$ 61.44
Weighted average exercise price, granted (per share) \| $ / shares	68.71
Weighted average exercise price, exercised (per share) \| $ / shares	53.49
Weighted average exercise price, end of period (per share) \| $ / shares	62.63
Weighted average exercise price, vested and expected to vest (per share) \| $ / shares	64.44
Weighted average exercise price, exercisable (per share) \| $ / shares	$ 74.90
Weighted average remaining contractual term (in years)	7 years 2 months 2 days
Weighted average remaining contractual term, vested and expected to vest (in years)	6 years 9 months 24 days
Weighted average remaining contractual term, exercisable (in years)	4 years 2 months
Options, outstanding, intrinsic value \| $	$ 15.1
Options, vested and expected to vest, intrinsic value \| $	11.9
Options, vested and expected to vest, exercisable \| $	$ 3.3

Stock-Based Compensation (Restricted Stock) (Details)	3 Months Ended
Stock-Based Compensation (Restricted Stock) (Details)	Mar. 31, 2018 $ / shares shares
Restricted Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested [Roll Forward]
Restricted stock, beginning of period (in shares) \| shares	275,191
Restricted stock, granted (in shares) \| shares	68,369
Restricted stock, released (in shares) \| shares	(39,728)
Restricted stock, forfeited (in shares) \| shares	(4,628)
Restricted stock, end of period (in shares) \| shares	299,204
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Weighted average grant date fair value, beginning balance (per share) \| $ / shares	$ 65.81
Weighted average grant date fair value, granted (per share) \| $ / shares	66.88
Weighted average grant date fair value, released (per share) \| $ / shares	87.61
Weighted average grant date fair value, forfeited (per share) \| $ / shares	60.58
Weighted average grant date fair value, ending balance (per share) \| $ / shares	$ 63.25
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested [Roll Forward]
Restricted stock, beginning of period (in shares) \| shares	303,348
Restricted stock, granted (in shares) \| shares	49,705.86
Restricted stock, released (in shares) \| shares	(10,734)
Restricted stock, forfeited (in shares) \| shares	(71.46)
Restricted stock, end of period (in shares) \| shares	342,248.4
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Weighted average grant date fair value, beginning balance (per share) \| $ / shares	$ 28.39
Weighted average grant date fair value, granted (per share) \| $ / shares	47.85
Weighted average grant date fair value, released (per share) \| $ / shares	112.74
Weighted average grant date fair value, forfeited (per share) \| $ / shares	53.49
Weighted average grant date fair value, ending balance (per share) \| $ / shares	$ 28.25

Segments - Narrative (Details)	3 Months Ended
Segments - Narrative (Details)	Mar. 31, 2018 Restaurant Country segment Territory
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of segments (segment) \| segment	4
Number of restaurants (restaurant)	3,700
Applebee's
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of territories in which entity operates (territory) \| Territory	2
Number of countries in which entity operates (country) \| Country	15
IHOP
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of territories in which entity operates (territory) \| Territory	3
Number of countries in which entity operates (country) \| Country	12
Cincinnati, Ohio market area restaurants
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of restaurants (restaurant)	10
Number of restaurants Not refranchised (restaurants)	1
Franchised Units
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of restaurants refranchised (restaurant)	9
Franchised Units \| Applebee's
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of restaurants (restaurant)	1,912
Franchised Units \| IHOP
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of restaurants (restaurant)	1,791
Franchised Units \| Cincinnati, Ohio market area restaurants
Franchisor Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of restaurants refranchised (restaurant)	9

Segments (Schedule of Segment Reporting Information by Segment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Franchise revenues	$ 155,313	$ 154,725
Rental revenues	30,841	30,465
Company restaurants	0	4,140
Financing revenues	2,009	2,131
Total revenues	188,163	191,461
Interest expense	17,600	18,200
Depreciation and amortization	7,940	7,706
Segment profit	22,711	26,009
Operating Segments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Segment profit	83,500	94,300
Operating Segments \| Franchise operations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Franchise revenues	155,300	154,700
Depreciation and amortization	2,700	2,700
Segment profit	73,400	84,600
Operating Segments \| Rental operations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Rental revenues	30,900	30,500
Interest expense	2,400	2,700
Depreciation and amortization	2,900	3,000
Segment profit	8,200	7,800
Operating Segments \| Company restaurants
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Company restaurants	0	4,200
Interest expense	0	100
Depreciation and amortization	0	100
Segment profit	0	(200)
Operating Segments \| Financing operations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Financing revenues	2,000	2,100
Segment profit	1,900	2,100
Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Interest expense	15,200	15,400
Depreciation and amortization	2,300	1,900
Segment profit	$ (60,800)	$ (68,300)

Net Income per Share - Computation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income	$ 17,073	$ 15,595
Less: Net income allocated to unvested participating restricted stock	(568)	(283)
Net income available to common stockholders - basic	16,505	15,312
Effect of unvested participating restricted stock in two-class calculation	2	0
Net income available to common stockholders - diluted	$ 16,507	$ 15,312
Weighted average outstanding shares of common stock - basic (in shares)	17,703	17,694
Dilutive effect of stock options (in shares)	142	43
Weighted average outstanding shares of common stock - diluted (in shares)	17,845	17,737
Net income per common share - basic (USD per share)	$ 0.93	$ 0.87
Net income per common share - diluted (USD per share)	$ 0.92	$ 0.86

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value of Non-Current Financial Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Carrying Amount
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Long-term debt, current and long-term	$ 1,280.4	$ 1,282.8
Fair Value \| Level 2
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Long-term debt, current and long-term	$ 1,277.3	$ 1,265.5

Commitments and Contingencies - Narrative (Details) - Applebee's - Property Lease Guarantee $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Potential liability for guaranteed leases	$ 300.6
Potential liability for guaranteed leases excluding unexercised option periods	$ 50.0

Restricted Cash (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Current restricted cash	$ 32,391	$ 31,436
Non-current restricted cash	14,700	14,700
Held in Trust Deposits
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Current restricted cash	31,200	29,300
Held for Advertising Activity Deposits
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Current restricted cash	$ 1,200	$ 2,100