Boss told Applebee’s employee she would never make CEO. So she pulled the 'UNO Reverse' of the century

Everyone has heard the words "you’ll never make it" at some point in their life. For most, it stings and fades, but for Julia Stewart, it became the spark for one of the most satisfying full-circle moments in corporate America. In the late ’90s, Stewart was already a rising force in the restaurant business, having built her career at Taco Bell before stepping into the role of president at Applebee’s in 1998. The company was in trouble, and the chair and CEO told her that if she and her team could turn things around, the top job would be hers. Stewart recalled how the offer lit a fire under her on The Matthews Mentality Podcast on YouTube, a clip of which was also shared on his TikTok @kylematthewsceo, gaining over 356,000 views and around 60,000 likes.

"I said, 'That’s perfect, that’s just perfect for me,'" she recalled. And she delivered — over the next three years, Applebee’s roared back to life. In 1999 alone, system-wide sales increased 14 percent from the previous year to $2.35 billion, while earnings per share rose 20 percent. Stewart said the stock doubled during her tenure, and Applebee’s regained its position in the casual dining sector. With results like that, she expected the promised promotion to be a done deal, but instead, she was blindsided. "Everything is going very well. And I said, 'So, I’m thinking, it’s about time to be CEO.' And he’s very reflective. He stops for a minute, and he said, 'No, not ever,'" Stewart recalled.

It was a jarring answer after years of meeting every target she had been given, and so she decided it was time to leave. Julia told her boss, "I think you’re holding me accountable for everything, but you’re not giving me the title. So I’m gonna go ahead and leave." That decision set up one of the most dramatic reversals in the industry. Stewart soon became chair and CEO of IHOP, Applebee’s biggest rival. Less than a decade later, she put together IHOP’s acquisition of Applebee’s for between $2.1 and $2.3 billion. When the deal was done in 2007, Stewart called her old boss.

"I said, 'Just wanted to say hi.' And he said, 'I was expecting this call.' "And I said, 'As you know, this morning, we announced that we have purchased, for 2.3 billion, the company, and we don’t need two of us, so I’m gonna have to let you go,'" she recalled. Now 70, Stewart looks back on that moment as the day she turned rejection into victory. Stewart’s journey reflects what researchers have found about women in leadership that rejection often becomes the push that sparks a bigger leap forward. A 2019 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology followed over 700 mid-career women and found that those who faced explicit setbacks in promotions were 43% more likely to pivot into leadership roles elsewhere, often landing in higher-paying and more influential positions.

Her story was celebrated by many viewers as one of the boldest UNO Reverse pulls in business. @teamdarline wrote, "I didn’t know eating at IHOP was supporting this kind of behavior, and I’m gonna go so much more now." @jimvanover commented, "CEO: 'No, not ever.' Narrator: 'Little did he realize that was the day he was finished.'" @cb_land02 added, "CEO aura farming in today’s environment is so impressive. You go, girl!" @ritataylor01 noted, "That’s what happens when people promise you stuff that they know they’re not gonna make good on! You go above and beyond and put them in their place! And their place…is out of a job!!!"

You can follow Kyle Matthews (@kylematthewsceo) on TikTok for more business content.

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