The bright, colorful plastic play structures found at fast food restaurants like McDonalds have come under heavy scrutiny. Mother and developmental psychologist Erin Carr-Jordan has taken samples from over 50 structures that shows a lack of cleaning and dangerous levels of bacteria growth and food accumulation. She says that companies like Chick-fil-A do a better job than competitors.
A large franchisee of Applebee’s restaurants, the Apple Gold Group, has purchased 13 existing locations in South Carolina. The restaurants are located in large cities like Charleston and Myrtle Beach. This brings the company’s total to 86 Applebee’s restaurants and makes it one of the four largest franchisees of the brand.