Applebee's Names Bucks County Company Its "Franchisee Of The Year"

NEWTOWN, PA — Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar has named Newtown-based franchisee The Rose Group its 2024 “Abe Gustin Franchisee of the Year” and Rose Group Vice President Paul Rockelmann its “HR Excellence of the Year” honoree for 2024. The awards were presented at the restaurant's franchise conference held in Nashville, Tenn.

Each year Applebee’s presents its “Abe Gustin Franchisee of the Year” award to a franchisee that embodies what it means to be "Eatin’ Good and Doin’ Good in the Neighborhood."

Established in 1985 and operating 49 Applebee’s in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, The Rose Group was chosen for its "people-first culture" driving results and operational excellence as well as stewardship among the Applebee’s franchisee community in business, marketing, technology, and more.

The Rose Group celebrated its 30th anniversary as an Applebee’s franchisee at this year’s conference. They are a seven-time winner of the award and were the first recipient in 1997.

In addition, Applebee’s presented its “HR Excellence of the Year” award to The Rose Group's Vice President Paul Rockelmann of Chalfont for his contribution not only to The Rose Group, but for providing HR leadership for the brand as a member of the Franchise People Committee for more than 15 years.

Applebee’s presented its “HR Excellence of the Year” award to The Rose Group's Vice President Paul Rockelmann of Chalfont.

The Rose Group was also awarded the “Taking Care of Your People” award for their "exceptional leadership team that sets them apart from the competition. They take pride in setting their managers up for success. The team’s leadership skills and decades of experience are what make The Rose Group a leader in their field," they said.

Also at the conference, three exceptional general managers from The Rose Group were crowned Golden Apple winners. The award goes to the top one percent of all Applebee’s general managers in the country. The winners were Melissa Oliver from the Scranton and Summer Breese from Ridley.

Summer was also honored for being a top 3 finalist for the 2024 General Manager of the Year. Jackie Mokychic (reigning GM of the Year from 2023) from Newtown was also in attendance to pass the baton.

In addition, The Rose Group’s President and CEO, Jeff Warden of New Hope, was awarded the "President’s Partnership” award for his leadership and partnership within the Applebee’s system. Jeff provides brand leadership on multiple councils including the Franchise Business Council, Franchise Operations, People and Marketing Committees and is the head of the Test & Learn Committee for ongoing testing and innovation.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the team this year," said Harry Rose, Chairman and founder of The Rose Group. “With every passing year they amaze me with the incredible work that they do not only for the Applebee’s system but for every neighborhood that we occupy. We are blessed to have exceptional talent in every restaurant that we operate and in our support center. Every person on our team contributes to making us great.”