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VidaliaBee’s
! The$Grilled'Vidalia'Onion'Sirloin,$a$tender$7$oz.$sirloin,$grilled$to$order$and$placed$ beside$garlicky$spinach$and$smashed,$crispy$red9skinned$potatoes,$topped$with$a$ grilled$and$caramelized$sweet$Vidalia$onion$slice,$and$resting$in$a$warm,$sweet$and$ spicy$Hawaiian$BBQ$sauce,$is$available$at$Applebee’s$May$5$9$August$17.$$ $ The$world’s$largest$casual$dining$restaurant$brand$will$source$all$of$its$onions$for$this$ one9of9a9kind$dish$from$a$209county$area$in$southeast$Georgia.$Known$for$its$ sweetness$and$flavor,$the$Vidalia$onion$is$planted$and$harvested$exclusively$in$the$ unique$soil$and$climate$of$southeast$Georgia.$$ $ A$unique$field9to9table$story,$Applebee’s$restaurants$nationwide$are$estimated$to:$$ • Use'as'many'as'23,000'pounds'of'Vidalia'onions$per$week$at$peak$times$this$ summer.$Around$5$million$409pound$boxes$of$Vidalia$onions$are$shipped$each$ season.$ • Sell'approximately$14,000'Grilled'Vidalia'Onion'Sirloins'per'day,'all'topped$ with$hand9planted$and$hand9harvested$$onions,$grown$by$100$registered$ Vidalia$onion$growers$from$12,000$acres$of$fields$in$southeast$Georgia$$ • Serve'more'than'one'million'people'per'day'in'approximately'1,800'locations'$
From!Farm!to!Applebee’s!Table!–!The!Trail!of!the!Vidalia!Onion!! Each!year,!80,000!Vidalia! onion!seedlings!are!hand! planted!in!September.!
The!delicate!nature!of!Vidalia!onions!means!they!must! be!predominately!harvested!by!hand!in!the!spring.! The!onions!undergo!a!nineAstep!process!before!leaving! the!farm.! !
During!transplanting,!which!happens!in!stages!from! November!to!January,!seedlings!are!inserted!by!hand!into! the!soil!where!they!are!nurtured!by!rainfall!or,!when!Mother! Nature!fails!to!oblige,!sophisticated!irrigation!systems.! !
May!through!August,!Applebee’s!prepares!the! Grilled!Vidalia!Onion!Sirloin!with!minimal! changes!to!the!ingredients,!in!order!to!let!the! flavors!shine!through.!Every!element!in!this! dish!was!specifically!chosen!to!make!the!best! use!of!fresh,!seasonal!ingredients,!like!the! Vidalia!onion.!!!! !
At!the!end!of!April,!after!the!harvest!the! onions!are!driven!to!Applebee’s!distribution! centers.!Trucks!then!deliver!the!onions!to! each!local!Applebee’s!restaurant.!! ! Sources:!VidaliaOnion.org!