GLENDALE, CA–(EMWNews – July 21, 2008) – DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), franchisor and

operator of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP Restaurants, today

announced the appointment of Desmond Hague as president of IHOP

Restaurants, effective immediately. In this position, Hague is accountable

for leading the overall strategic direction for all functional areas of

IHOP’s predominantly franchised business. He is primarily responsible for

providing leadership and vision for the business with regard to brand

building, operational excellence and franchise restaurant growth.

“We are pleased to welcome Des to the IHOP family. He is a seasoned

veteran of the food retailing and restaurant industries and possesses a

strong skill set for delivering both top and bottom line results within

franchise organizations,” said Julia A. Stewart, DineEquity’s chairman and

chief executive officer. “Over the past six years, IHOP has become number

one in family dining through our dedication to energizing the brand,

improving operations and maximizing franchise development. With Des’s

leadership, we plan to build upon IHOP’s success and take our growth

strategies to the next level. Des will report directly to me and,

together, we will remain focused on delighting guests, adding value for our

franchisees and driving the IHOP brand forward.”

“I am excited about joining the IHOP team and look forward to working

closely and collaboratively with the management team, employees and

franchisees to extend IHOP’s leadership position and optimize the

performance of each franchise restaurant,” Hague commented.

Hague most recently served as president of corporate perishables for

Safeway Inc., one of North America’s largest food retailers. Leading a

growth engine of the Safeway business, Hague was responsible for the

company’s multi-billion dollar perishable operations, which included the

areas of produce, floral, meat, seafood, food service, deli, bakery and the

1,000-store Starbucks licensed operation. During his tenure, Hague

introduced initiatives that successfully drove incremental sales in home

meal replacement offerings, meaningfully improved transaction volume, and

led a reorganization of the perishables division that resulted in a

significantly reduced corporate overhead structure.

Previously, Hague was chairman and chief executive officer of Hot Stuff

Foods (formerly Orion Food Systems), a leading provider of turnkey

foodservice solutions to convenience stores. In this position, he was

responsible for driving meaningful sales growth and dramatically improving

the financial performance of the business through an operational

realignment and increased focus on execution. Additionally, he was

responsible for the development of new brand concepts, new product

innovation and improved merchandising practices. In February 2006, Hague

led the management buyout of the company. Previously, he was vice

president of food retail for 7-Eleven, Inc. where he was responsible for

the chain’s foodservice program across more than 24,000 franchise

locations. Prior to that, Hague served as group vice president of

strategic marketing for Maytag Inc. where he developed a comprehensive

merchandising, innovation and retail branding strategy for the commercial

business. Earlier in his career, he held various marketing and management

positions at PepsiCo’s Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurant divisions in

Europe, and at Whitbread PLC, a retail, foodservice and lodging operator in

the United Kingdom. Hague holds an MBA magna cum laude from the American

College in London, England.

Stewart said, “With today’s appointment of Des Hague as president of IHOP

and the previously announced appointment of Mike Archer as president of

Applebee’s, we have positioned both brands for success with leaders of the

highest caliber. I will continue to play an integral role in shaping the

strategic direction of the businesses, with a particular focus on executing

the successful turnaround of the Applebee’s brand and transforming its

business model by franchising the majority of company-operated Applebee’s

restaurants.”

About DineEquity, Inc.

Based in Glendale, California, DineEquity, Inc. franchises and operates

restaurants under the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP brands.

With more than 3,300 restaurants combined, DineEquity is the largest

full-service restaurant company in the world. For more information on

DineEquity, visit the Company’s Web site located at www.dineequity.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

There are forward-looking statements contained in this news release. They

use such words as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “plan,” or other

similar terminology, and include statements regarding the strategic and

financial benefits of the acquisition of Applebee’s International, Inc.,

expectations regarding integration and cost savings, and other financial

guidance. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties

and other factors, which may cause the actual results to be materially

different than those expressed or implied in such statements. These factors

include, but are not limited to: the implementation of the Company’s

strategic growth plan; the availability of suitable locations and terms for

the sites designated for development; the ability of franchise developers

to fulfill their commitments to build new restaurants in the numbers and

time frames covered by their development agreements; legislation and

government regulation including the ability to obtain satisfactory

regulatory approvals; risks associated with executing the Company’s

strategic plan for Applebee’s; risks associated with the Company’s

incurrence of significant indebtedness to finance the acquisition of

Applebee’s; the failure to realize the synergies and other perceived

advantages resulting from the acquisition; costs and potential litigation

associated with the acquisition; the ability to retain key personnel after

the acquisition; conditions beyond the Company’s control such as weather,

natural disasters, disease outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics impacting the

Company’s customers or food supplies; or acts of war or terrorism;

availability and cost of materials and labor; cost and availability of

capital; competition; continuing acceptance of the IHOP, International

House of Pancakes and Applebee’s brands and concepts by guests and

franchisees; the Company’s overall marketing, operational and financial

performance; economic and political conditions; adoption of new, or changes

in, accounting policies and practices; and other factors discussed from

time to time in the Company’s news releases, public statements and/or

filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially the “Risk

Factors” sections of Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.

Forward-looking information is provided by the Company pursuant to the safe

harbor established under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of

1995 and should be evaluated in the context of these factors. In addition,

the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these

forward-looking statements.