# What is it with Applebees? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 16, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299 "2003-06-16T21:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![blanx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f04885/32.png) [@blanx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blanx)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/61 "2003-06-18T13:22:41Z")
Please tell me that the Olive Garden in Colorado Springs is still run by the lesbian vampires. _makes cross country travel plans_ Is anyone else subjected to Logan’s Steakhouse? Food’s not bad for the price, but the crap country music blaring over the loudspeaker is enough to put me off my feed. These chain restaurants are the giant problem with the vast middle of the country- they kill the local places, and make every place look the same as everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/62 "2003-06-18T14:00:37Z")
Dang. I kinda LIKE Applebees! and their wings…num-mee! Matter of fact - I think I’ll head over there after work TODAY! ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/63 "2003-06-18T14:19:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avarie537 \* > \*\*Wow - we must have the best Applebee’s in the world here in Indianapolis!! There’s one five minutes away from me, and I have never had a problem like the ones you guys have mentioned. In fact, we were just there on Friday night. There was a little mixup - supposed to be no potatoes, add a salad - but they fixed it immediately and with a smile. > \*\* Heh, you’re kidding, right? I’ve gotten absolutely horrible service and average food every time I’ve had the misfortune to eat at an Applebee’s in this town. The way I see it, there’s no reason to go to these places unless you’re travelling or new to a town. If you live here, you should know the good places to eat without having to bother with Applebee’s and the like. The times I’ve been have usually been a case of meeting up with some people or a work-related lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/64 "2003-06-18T14:29:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Indygrrl \* > \*\*Heh, you’re kidding, right? I’ve gotten absolutely horrible service and average food every time I’ve had the misfortune to eat at an Applebee’s in this town. > > The way I see it, there’s no reason to go to these places unless you’re travelling or new to a town. If you live here, you should know the good places to eat without having to bother with Applebee’s and the like. The times I’ve been have usually been a case of meeting up with some people or a work-related lunch. \*\* I’m not a fan of Applebee’s at all - I can never find food I like - but a guy here at work gave the administrative staff gift certificates for AA Day this year, so the boyfriend and I decided to use it when I was visiting him in Ohio. I was actually pleasantly surprised - the food was good and we had great service. Maybe it was this particular Applebee’s, but I’d be willing to try it again. I’m not a big fan of the chain restaurants (except for Red Robin - we don’t have one here, we only go there when I’m at the boyfriend’s because i love their portabello burger), and I prefer the smaller independent restaurants. It’s probably some of my NYC snobbery rubbing off - I had such a choice of anything when I lived there and rarely ate at the chain restaurants, and it’s very different here. Ava ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/65 "2003-06-18T17:16:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*There was once an Applebees west of Scranton, hidden away in the woods, run entirely by an Amish family of 16 - imagine, 5 generations of one family serving you. It had the redeeming value that all of its “flair” and crap on the walls was hand-crafted. And Jakob, the owner, ran the store with an attitude of grim stoicism that eliminated any and all giggling at the menu. Of course, they served no beer and couldn’t take credit cards, but hey… \*\* Aw, come on **Anthracite**. I mean, “Conseula the exquisite caress of the orchid” I can believe, the Olive Garden run by lesbian vampires I can believe at a stretch (is that what happened to UVLAN? You all bought an Olive Garden?) but a five-generation Amish family with only 16 members??? ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/66 "2003-06-18T17:36:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Jesus! What ghetto were you working in?! Check my location. I won’t even go into my experiences at Spaghetti Warehouse. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/67 "2003-06-19T00:01:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biggirl \* > \*\*It seems to me that it is a style of restaurant service engineered, researched and developed and honed by profit and loss statements. All the chain restaurants seem to use it. Serve GIGANTIC PORTIONS with as few waitstaff as possible. It’ll take each customer x amount of time to wade through that 14 ounce stake and y amount of waitstaff is the minimum amount of people needed to shovel t amount of platters. > > If this equation is spoiled by missing ketchup or a extra fast beer drinker then you are shit outta luck. \*\* Ah. Bistromathics. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/68 "2003-06-19T02:25:36Z")
There are days when I wonder if the good state of New Jersey is slipping some in its home-of-all-jerks status. You see, we eat at most of these restaurants mentioned on a regular basis and have no problems. There are two Applebee’s near our home and we get treated quite well in both. We eat that type of food about once a week, and in the past 10 years I can recall perhaps four incidents where I was displeased greatly. Each of these incidents was due to someone who either was letting their bad day affect their performance or who should have never been allowed to do the work in the first place. One important point: I **never** say a negative word to them. Keep in mind, these folks are handling food that I will consume. If I come back next week, I don’t want them hawking up goobers into my blackened chicken salad. If they are just having a bad day, they deserve to not have me hassle them; if they are truly jerks, they won’t be around long. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/69 "2003-06-19T02:42:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*Oh, wow. I had no idea those were not local. Damn, it’s like finding out a local murderer is really a tri-State serial killer… \*\* Heh! I thought the same thing! ---
**Author:** ![hyperjes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@hyperjes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyperjes)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/70 "2003-06-19T03:01:38Z")
**d\_redguy** and I used to go to Appleby’s all the time. It was the closest place to meet a bunch of people that we used to hang out with. Nobody ever actually liked the food or service. We don’t go there anymore. [hijack]On the bright side, there is a waiter/bartender at the one we frequented whose antics I really enjoyed. I never knew his name, but I’ve always called him “Fuckface.” He, in turn, calls me “Bitch.” Really. To each of our respective faces. I don’t know how it got started, but this continued for a couple of years. Everyone else got shitty service, but he was always stellar where I was concerned. I saw him at the mall once- with his girlfriend. I called out “Hey, Fuckface! What’s up?” He yelled back “How are ya, Bitch?” His girlfriend looked confused. Then she looked pissed- and still confused. I laughed all the way out to the parking lot. He’s the only thing I miss about that place. 😃 [end hijack] ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/71 "2003-06-19T03:06:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by racinchikki \* > \*\*Heh! I thought the same thing! \*\* It gets even scarier when you discover that lots of chains are all owned by the same company. Surprised that Macaroni Grill was not local? Then you will be shocked to learn that they are part of the same company as Chili’s. And Maggiano’s. And On the Border. [And more](http://www.brinker.com/). Oh, and Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Smokey Bones are all the [same company too](http://www.darden.com/darden.asp). (But not the same one as Chili’s et al.) ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/72 "2003-06-19T12:45:32Z")
Boss bought us Applebee’s for lunch yesterday. I think it’s the Applebee’s by my office that I hate. The food was horrible again - I’ve never had good food from this Applebee’s. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/73 "2003-06-19T13:21:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*Oh, wow. I had no idea those were not local. Damn, it’s like finding out a local murderer is really a tri-State serial killer… \*\* I thought they were a local place when one of those Macaroni Grills popped up in Plano, Texas. The worse thing about MG is that they’re all so loud you can’t have a normal conversation while inside. Marc ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/74 "2003-06-19T13:36:27Z")
Add me to the list of people shocked that Macaroni Grill is a chain. I’m surprised no one’s mentioned Tripps. I ate there about once every two months in college (Greensboro, NC) and grad school (Durham, NC), and my mom goes to the one in Myrtle Beach once a year. Chicken quesidilla to die for. This New Orleans chicken and shrimp dish with orange sauce and black beans… ::froths:: Erm, but all the food is straight from the freezer, and the service fluxuates wildly. I’ve gotten free meals there, and free meals for my guests, beause the waiter messed up on orders. I’ve had a bad reaction at least once. I’ve also had great waiters (I went there on my 21st birthday). In Durham, I went with regulars, and we ate at the bar (because the waiter service was so bad), and the managers and 'tenders knew us by name and were friendly. The half-the- drinks-are-free- so-tip-$20 type of arrangement. All-around, just another TGI McScratchy’s. Now that I’ve moved to the big city, there’s a Japanese dive down the street where I eat sushi, gyoza, and cheesecake every other week, and I don’t miss Tripps a bit. Anyone else been there? I avoid Applebees like the plague, after my friends in high school who were waiters there bragged about how much of their spit they got into the food. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/75 "2003-06-19T13:57:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Indygrrl \* > \*\*Heh, you’re kidding, right? I’ve gotten absolutely horrible service and average food every time I’ve had the misfortune to eat at an Applebee’s in this town. \ > \*\* Well, I’ve lived in the same place for a couple of years, and the Applebee’s in Broad Ripple has consistently good service and consistently correct food. We stay away from peak eating times and never seem to have any problems, other than a few minor things. Yes, we go to Mezzaluna and Midtown Grille sometimes, but usually I’m not in the mood to spend twice as much for my dinner, especially when it’s just because we don’t feel like cooking. And like I said, I LOVE the Smothered Grilled Chicken (no mushrooms). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/76 "2003-06-19T15:03:09Z")
I’ve been to one Applebees, and only once. I went with my mother and we also experienced the interminable and neverending wait for everything. But in our case, it so happened that the diners seated around us (who all happened to be of a different racial persuasion, not that it necessarily meant anything, but who knows…) were all served and waited on in a timely fashion by waitrons who all seemed to become hearing-impaired when they stepped away from other tables – insofar as they certainly never heard our calls. “Excuse me?!” “Waiter?!” “Miss?!” “Somebody, anybody, help!” When we finally got someone’s attention, it’d been 45 minutes since our orders were taken and we hadn’t even gotten beverages. We asked for a manager. We waited another 25 minutes for a manager and though we finally got glasses of iced tea, we still hadn’t gotten food OR had a manager bother to show. At that point we gave up and left, and figured that we’d at least get to talk to someone if they wanted to chase us down for walking out without paying for the friggin’ tea. No one did. Never Applebee’s. Never, ever, ever. Or any other national chain restaurants. Most restaurants go out of business within the first year despite having good food and good service. Yet these crappy chains live on and perpetuate their illogical brand of cheap food and dreadful service at a premium price on the sheeple. I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/77 "2003-06-19T15:48:56Z")
Of course you don’t get it. You are obviously not a part of the community. If you were, you would know that Applebee’s is a neighborhood institution. I mean, they put an old picture of Coach up on the wall, for cryin’ out loud! Doesn’t get any more community than that! ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/78 "2003-06-19T17:19:07Z")
Reading over this thread, I can only say that I must have the lowest standards for restaurant dining in the universe. I don’t eat at Applebee’s much, but I have never noticed a single problem there. The best franchise restaurant I’ve ever eaten at was The Roadhouse Grill. HUGE bowl of salad, GIGANTIC servings, excellent steak, free peanuts, good service. ---
**Author:** ![deball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@deball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deball)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/79 "2003-06-19T17:24:41Z")
I always wondered how those prefabricated-neighborhoodesque joints prepared their food. Are the entrees packaged in bags like MREs? Just heat and eat? Once I took a drive from Washington DC to Florida down I-95 and saw three **Cracker Barrels** in three different states with lights-a-flashin ambulances in front of them. I don’t think it was something I was supposed to see… Remember this if you never hear from me again. I also went from sitting down to vomitting in twenty minutes at a **Chi-Chi’s** once. I can’t specifically pin that on the food, but you won’t see me eating there again. All in all, not a fan of any chain eatery. My parents can’t get enough of them. But, they are big fans of canned hams too. Well, I do like **Red-Hot and Blue** once in a great while. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299/80 "2003-06-19T17:53:37Z")
Derogatory Terms List Cracker Barrel == Crackhead Barrel Red Lobster == Dead Lobster Applebees == Assholebees [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-applebees/182299.md?page=5)