Celebrity-chef restaurants and Applebee's are using the same playbook

Celebrity-chef restaurants and Applebee's have more in common than you might think.

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Stepping inside Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen in Atlantic City felt like entering a TV set, with mood lighting, marble floors, and screens playing his most iconic moments.

Diners sipped $18 cocktails and scanned the menu for the dishes they knew would be there — Ramsay staples like beef Wellington and pub-style burgers, or the Caesar salad they'd already previewed online.