Applebee's Kraft Mac and Cheese Menu Price and Availability
Applebee's lists its Kraft Mac and Cheese as a regular menu entree in the United States, with a national average price around $10 to $13 depending on location and market. The dish is part of the chain's broader strategy to offer familiar, lower-cost comfort foods alongside higher-priced specialty meals. Applebee's parent company, Inspire Brands, operates more than 3,600 restaurants across the U.S. as of 2024, with Applebee's representing a significant share of that footprint. The item is widely available for dine-in, carryout, and delivery through third-party platforms such as DoorDash and Uber Eats, with delivery pricing typically higher than in-restaurant menu price due to service fees and markups. For broader context on restaurant industry pricing and digital delivery trends, see this Forbes overview of restaurant tech and pricing strategies read more.
Inspire Brands acquired Applebee's as part of its larger portfolio that also includes Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Sonic. The company's financial disclosures show that Applebee's remains a core brand for driving traffic in the casual dining segment. Kraft Heinz, the supplier of the mac and cheese product, is a separate publicly traded company with its own SEC filings and quarterly reports detailing branded food sales. The partnership between Applebee's and Kraft Heinz is an example of how restaurant chains use established consumer packaged goods brands to standardize menu items and reduce kitchen complexity. For Kraft Heinz's latest financial results and brand performance data, see the company's official SEC filing page read more.
Ingredients, Nutritional Content, and Allergen Information
The Applebee's Kraft Mac and Cheese is prepared using Kraft's classic elbow pasta and cheese sauce, with the full ingredient list typically including enriched wheat flour, milk, cheese cultures, salt, and butter. Nutritional data for the dish shows a single serving contains approximately 500 to 700 calories, 20 to 30 grams of fat, and 800 to 1,200 milligrams of sodium, though exact values vary by location and preparation. The product contains milk and wheat allergens, and the chain's standard allergen guide notes that cross-contamination is possible in shared kitchen environments. Applebee's publishes an online nutrition and allergen guide that allows customers to filter menu items by dietary need, including gluten-containing and dairy-containing dishes. For a deeper look at how restaurant chains manage allergen labeling and nutrition transparency, see this SEC-related analysis of food service disclosure requirements read more.
Kraft Heinz has faced multiple class-action lawsuits and regulatory inquiries over labeling claims related to its cheese products, including disputes about the use of the term "pasteurized" and the presence of additives such as sodium phosphate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets standards of identity for cheese products, and Kraft's prepared sauce used in Applebee's falls under processed cheese regulations that allow certain stabilizers and emulsifiers. Applebee's menu does not currently label the dish as organic, gluten-free, or vegetarian in a way that meets USDA organic certification standards, though some ingredients may align with those categories. For Kraft Heinz's official product ingredient statements and allergen disclosures, visit