# Damned Applebees **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029 "2005-07-04T16:28:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/21 "2005-07-05T00:07:52Z")
An applebee is an apple cooperative. Does Applebee’s offer apple related meals? 😕😕😛 ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/22 "2005-07-05T00:32:25Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > [Franchise](http://www.franchiseadvantage.com/handbook/Applebees.ihtml) Hawaii is the only state in which they currently allow new franchises; all of the newer restuarants are owned by Applebee’s. Their food is standard chain food (Chili’s, On the Border, 54th Street, etc…), but it isn’t horrible. The company is based out of the Kansas City metro area, and they’re owned by the same corporation that owns Houlihan’s. Houlihan’s is a nicer, big-brother face to Applebee’s with slightly better food and definitely better surroundings. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/23 "2005-07-05T00:33:00Z")
> [@Podkayne](#): > > The key to eating at Applebees is to ask for the unseasoned steamed vegetables. They put this goo of margarine and salt and the Applebees-standard seasoning mix they put on E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. (And I do mean everything. They prepare the steak with it, put it in the rice pilaf and mashed potatoes . . . EVERYTHING.) I despise the stuff, so I always asked for the vegetables without “butter” or seasonings. The server will often claim that it’s impossible, but this is not true because they have plain steamed vegetables for the low-calorie entrées, so be firm. (Sometimes they will offer plain broccoli, too.) > > My hubby likes eating there. I find it tolerable, if I can get plain vegetables. I like to get the “take two” with steak and salmon, and get two meals out of it. I had one of their steaks (sirloin I think) once as part of a cheap full course deal…app and desert included. The steak was undercooked and tough (I like mine well done) and those steamed veggies literally tasted like they had been glazed and tossed in toilet water! Don’t know what the hell they did to them or if it was their secret seasoning, but it was about the most disgusting dining experience I’ve ever had with its definite overtone of sewage! Maybe it was some bad yellow squash? In all fairness I do love their riblets and chicken wings and am absolutely addicted to their spinach artichoke dip. I’ve only had bad food there once (the toilet veggies) as well as bad service only once and that was because they were slammed into the weeds. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/24 "2005-07-05T00:39:21Z")
We have two Applebees in this county. The one near my work is awful, both service and food. More than once they appear to have run short on the ingredients for one dish and substituted non-compatible ingredients from another dish. And how the heck did they not know that fettucini alfredo is a cream based sauce, that means no tomatoes. Not tomatoes mixed into the alfredo, it was _marinara_ sauce, and they didn’t understand why we were saying it wasn’t what we’d ordered. Then there was the waitress who didn’t understand seperate checks, never brought half the appetizers, and wouldn’t take one person’s order at all, charged us for things we didn’t order, and everything took forever. And she wasn’t new, we checked; she’d been there since the place opened last year. They’re the only clean place for after work drinks, so we keep going back. I think this is why the place has any customers at all, because nobody ever says ‘yay, let’s go to Applebees.’ ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/25 "2005-07-05T00:43:59Z")
We avoid Applebee’s on general principle. We just had too many lousy meals with poor service to compensate for the occasional adequate meal/service combo. And this takes into account going to at least 5 or 6 different restaurants in a few different states. Life’s too short to go where the best you can hope for is a meal that’s “ok”. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/26 "2005-07-05T01:12:41Z")
Dang, I musta gotten lucky on my one trip. It sits in a group of really bad chain outfits like Anderson’s, Lone Star, Outback, TGIFridays, none of which I will ever return to. Perhaps I got the lone good meal in the joint, but they were very busy, as are all those shit pits. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/27 "2005-07-05T01:37:01Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Hey, bearbait! Good to see another Alaskan on the board. Or are you a Coastie? Either way. hehehe!!! I am a transplanted Seattleite, came up on the Tusty in '89 and lived in a village on the west side for five years. (Ya wanna talk about bears? lol!!!) I live in town now, and as my husband is a commercial fisherman I am thankful for the Coasties, but I am worse than a brown sow with cubs when those young men begin eyeing my daughters!!! And hey! Don’t diss the Lonestar! I do not recommend the lobster, (eww!) but I have eaten some good steaks and pastas there, and their specialty mixed drink menu is wonderful! 😃 Although I may be out of the loop, considering the “fine cuisine” found in Kodiak! :eek: When I began posting I was made aware of your location, so cama’i, fellow Alaskan! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/28 "2005-07-05T01:39:16Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Dang, I musta gotten lucky on my one trip. It sits in a group of really bad chain outfits like Anderson’s, Lone Star, Outback, TGIFridays, none of which I will ever return to. Perhaps I got the lone good meal in the joint, but they were very busy, as are all those shit pits. Hey, if your Applebee’s works for you, go for it! ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/29 "2005-07-05T02:03:42Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > We avoid Applebee’s on general principle. We just had too many lousy meals with poor service to compensate for the occasional adequate meal/service combo. And this takes into account going to at least 5 or 6 different restaurants in a few different states. Life’s too short to go where the best you can hope for is a meal that’s “ok”. I’m the same way: my experiences have led me to belive that there is an inverse relation between food quality and quality of service. If the food quality is good, the quality of service goes down and vice versa. Then, since occasionally someone like **Chefguy** will report a decent overall experience at Applebee’s, this points to a chain-wide relation where for every person who has had a decent to good experience at Applebee’s there must be at least 10 people (or so) who will have a not-quite decent to horrible experience. That’s the only explanation I can think of, at least, since it seems almost universally the people I talk to don’t particular care for Applebee’s and will go elsewhere given the chance. * * * \<\< I want to move to theory. Everything works in theory. \>\> ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/30 "2005-07-05T02:09:27Z")
> [@kaiwik](#): > > And hey! Don’t diss the Lonestar! I do not recommend the lobster, (eww!) but I have eaten some good steaks and pastas there, and their specialty mixed drink menu is wonderful! 😃 Although I may be out of the loop, considering the “fine cuisine” found in Kodiak! :eek: You poor deprived Island Trash (TM courtesy Ben Stevens). Those outfits serve some of the worst beef in the US. Oh, and quayana! ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/31 "2005-07-05T02:15:44Z")
I have always found Applebee’s mediocre but acceptable. The chain restaurant I’ve had to apologize to was Olive Garden. As long as you stay away from anything with red sauce the food’s fine. The free refills on soup, drinks, salad and bread sticks are a nice bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/32 "2005-07-05T02:54:41Z")
What **Finagle** said. Applebee’s: yucky worm in my salad, then the manager offered to comp my dessert (uh, no thanks). Chili’s: Great service, no worms. Better food. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/33 "2005-07-05T03:14:20Z")
Applebee’s is okay, if Chili’s is too packed. But at both places, I try to stay away from whatever “for a limited time only” specials, they’re having. I guess the cooks aren’t as familiar with those item’s, and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/34 "2005-07-05T04:39:43Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You poor deprived Island Trash (TM courtesy Ben Stevens). Those outfits serve some of the worst beef in the US. > > Oh, and quayana! Well, apparently when one is accustomed to eating an endless suppy of salmon, venison, duck, ptarmigan, clams, crab (dungies, tanners, and king) halibut, cod, rockfish, in addition to the more exotic sea urchin, chiton, snail, octopus, seal, sea lion, etc. one loses one’s appreciation for good beef! 😃 Are you referring to PFD raiding Ben Stevens? Island Trash indeed! See if I ever bring you any king crab or smoked salmon! So, where can a girl come to the Big City and have a fine dining experience, must be wheelchair friendly? Oh, and you’re welcome! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/35 "2005-07-05T04:40:13Z")
Odd, I’ve never once had good food at a Chili’s. Applebee’s, almost always. Service has nothing to do with the company that owns the restaurant, and everything to do with managment. That should be blatantly obvious. I know several people employed at Applebee’s corporate, just in the interest of full disclosure. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/36 "2005-07-05T14:36:06Z")
> [@kaiwik](#): > > Well, apparently when one is accustomed to eating an endless suppy of salmon, venison, duck, ptarmigan, clams, crab (dungies, tanners, and king) halibut, cod, rockfish, in addition to the more exotic sea urchin, chiton, snail, octopus, seal, sea lion, etc. one loses one’s appreciation for good beef! 😃 > > Are you referring to PFD raiding Ben Stevens? > > Island Trash indeed! See if I ever bring you any king crab or smoked salmon! > > So, where can a girl come to the Big City and have a fine dining experience, must be wheelchair friendly? > > Oh, and you’re welcome! 😃 Mmmm…king crab at less than $20/lb…mmmmm. For steak, try Club Paris or Sullivan’s. For generally good food, try Orso or Kincaid Grill. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/37 "2005-07-06T01:01:52Z")
Me, I wanna own the franchise that sells all of the faux olde arte to Chili’s, TGI Friday’s, Applebee’s, Pizza Uno’s, Houlihan’s, Ruby Tuesday’s, Bennigan’s, and all of the other ilk…of that…ilk. Applebee’s? Lousy lunch IIRC. It’s close by, too. Now that we have a TGI Friday’s close by, I can indulge my cravings for Jack Daniel’s Ribs from TGI Friday’s which are in fact very very very very very exceedingly tasty and fresh and excellent. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029/38 "2005-07-06T01:57:29Z")
Appleby’s food is all right, the service is awful. Will never go back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damned-applebees/311029.md?page=1)