35 Responses

1. Aurash

   26|Apr|2005 1

   You need to put chicken on top of steak to make it good.

2. Gabor

   26|Apr|2005 2

   Give it a few days and this page will come up as the first result when you google for “applebees sucks”. I agree. That place just sucks. The food is less than average, and the prices are high. Applebees is somewhere down at the level of Burger King. I’d pick McDonald’s over Applebees, even if Applebees was cheaper.

3. Missy

   24|May|2005 3

   WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!!!! I actually have the pleasure of working at applebees, and im here to tell you-it sucks worse than any restraunt out there. The food stinks, the managers are HORRIBLE and stupid for the most part. They hire a bunch of idiots they think they can underpay and then treat them like crap. I am only a daytime hostess (and Ive already put in my two weeks notice) but during my very short time with applebees, i managed to get sexually harrassed, TWICE by these two idiots (both with several witnessess!!! and NOTHING was done to they guy except a warning!!!) and this stupid woman working in the back as a kitchen prep dumped boiling hot linguine all over my hands, i had to be rushed to the ER and my hands were wrapped like a mummy, skinless and raw for two months!!!!! Imissed work for three months and they ACTED like they werent going to give me my workers comp, until I took matters into my own hands and threatend to sue. I even had a lawyer and everything!!!!!!! Nothing was done to the lady who burned me, she was not hald accountable, no one was, they tried to say it was my fault for walking to the back of the kitchen!!!! which my lawyer laughed at. They are idiots,a their food sucks because they are an UNSTABLE company.

4. Gabor

   15|Jun|2005 4

   This is the beauty of blogs. We can share our experience about how much a company such as Applebees sucks. Applebees thinks they can treat a customer and employee anyway they want to because what can one person do against them… well… quite a bit. Just go to google and type “applebees sucks”, and this page will be the first result

5. rimmerboy

   21|Jul|2005 5

   I have only eaten there if I had to. I was driving through Illinios once and it was either that or a gas station sandwich….should have gone to Texaco.

6. Negative Nancy

   20|Aug|2005 6

   This place is a shithole. Despite recieving gift cards there, I will never be eating there again. I sat next to a literally toothless, (ok 1 tooth) man who would not stop ranting about his baby’s momma who popped out a kid that wasn’t his, and gave him crap for going out to bars after work. Hmm…maybe you should have been at home with her instead of tossing back a brewsky at the crappy Applebee’s bar…idiot.

7. Andy

   28|Aug|2005 7

   Eatin’ Good In The Neighborhood

   gg grammar

   lets burn every goddamn applebees to the ground.

8. Scotty Franchise

   07|Sep|2005 8

   Gee whiz, I thought Applebees was a family-friendly, egaltarian, compassionate company, your “neighboorhood” bar and grill! In the TV commerical the local football team loses the “big game” and the bus rolls into Applebees just as the “Closed” sign is being turned around. The long, hangdog faces of this busload of famished adolescent manhood so overcomes the white-aproned, jolly Applebees owner, he asks the crew of white dudes and gals that man the Applebees: “Mind staying up a little late?” The crew then whips up a tasty Applebees treat for the team and voila!- its like a fucking Norman Rockwell painting insie this Applebees, with the football gang and Mr. Applebee and cooks who were all thrilled to stay up late dishing slop to a bunch of adolescent football losers. I hope the coming gasloine crisis wipes out suburbia and its mouth-breathing Applebees eaters forever. If we all hope to shit gold bricks, let’s start by eating the rich!

9. RH

   20|Sep|2005 9

   I had the ’steak with mushrooms’ in Applebee’s last week and it was not good. I couldn’t eat it. I can’t even describe it. What kind of beef do they serve? Anybody know? I’m pretty certain it is not the type of beef you would find in a reputable restaurant.

10. Douglas

    29|Sep|2005 10

    Just got back from an Applebee’s in Virginia. Never again. The food just sucks. I agree with the above poster who said he’d rather eat at McDonald’s. I had the chicken and mashed potatos. The potatos were okay but the chicken was awful! Mushy, processed crap you would expect to find in the lunch line at elementary school, not in a $10 entree. Plus they used way too much butter on the chicken and veggies to the overall taste of the food was way too greasy. Plus, instead of cooking the chicken properly, it tasted like they used “liquid smoke” brand flavoring in an attempt to make it palatable. I could not eat it, it was simply garbage. Wendy’s has better chicken in thier chicken sandwiches. I’m dead serious.

    So, never again Applebee’s! You can take your liquid smoke and shove it.

11. aaron

    25|Oct|2005 11

    I work at Applebees. I’m a server. I’ve worked there for a year and my manager, actually all the managers are stupid. I get horrible shifts, stuck with working in the mornings…I am treated like crap by them. The food sucks, the customers think it’s a “nice” place to eat. The manager is a guy, and he honestly is sexually descrimnating towards me. I AM getting a new job, even though I have 5 shifts a week at this place…I go in and work for like a few hours and hardly make anything. I do my job well, I know the rules and I always get good tips…it’s the managers that “believe” for some reason I suck.

    I hate that place. Everyone else that works there wants to leave. When we all go hang-out outside of work…almost always a discussion comes up about how badly that place sucks.
    A. New rules are made-up all the time.
    B. Servers work their ASSES off and honestly…don’t even get recognized for good deeds.
    C. Managers are LAZY AS HELL.
    D. The system of having servers bus tables, do dishes and prep the food to go out is horrible.
    E. Side-work shouldn’t include cleaning the restraunt up for an hour.
    F. All they care about is profits. To piss them off, I’ll secretly throw something away when they tell me about “money” issues and “cost”.
    G. Why the servers have to tip-out 3% of their sales to a bartender and host? Bartenders make me like, LEMONADES! Why should they? A host. A host works to seat people, but 3% from every server that works that day…damn.
    H. If you eat at Applebees, seriously, don’t ever leave a bad tip, your server will treat you 10x better the next time guranteed…and it will make his/her day/nite WAY better, because they probably just got a really bad tip.

    -I have a new job already, and I’m working on independent contracts. F*ck Applebees.

12. aaron

    25|Oct|2005 12

    Oh yes, and b.t.w

    I typed in: ‘applebees sucks’ in google and this page came up.

    Worst cheap food ever. BUT the managers try and tell us that things have to look all good and right. Things must be clean and neat. BUT, how come the food is so cheap, the COOKS SUCK and are slow as SHT and the customers that come in expect things immediatly and treat their servers like they are slaves? If you don’t say “Thank You” to the person that brings you your food or at least try and seem like your glad that they helped you…then go to Fcking McDonalds…at least the food there is a little cheaper, that way you won’t have to tip your usual 10%.

    P.S. Tip 20% or more if your going to be an asshole.

13. RamboMedic

    03|Nov|2005 13

    Applebees. The epidemy of terrible service and coked up staff.

14. Applelover

    04|Nov|2005 14

    Applebee’s doesn’t suck …

    YOU DO!

    Bwah ha ha ha ha!!

15. john cowart

    07|Nov|2005 15

    Agreed apple bees is overpriced, and at best mediocre food, the service is trash as well.. If you love this shit hole kill yourself.. Its middle class Mcdonalds!! lol a similar resteraunt here Logans Roadhouse.. Its trash….

16. Joedog

    11|Nov|2005 16

    http://www.macktight.com/articles/texas_roadhouse_hooters_applebees_tgifridays_suck.html

17. Michelle

    26|Dec|2005 17

    I work at applebee’s and when the mad cow scare went around corporate sent us something saying that we should suggest salmon and fish. (so what are they trying to say?) Then it goes further to say that our salomon is WILD salmon… from guatemala. I’m sure all of the meat comes from there. And all of there food is GMO (genetically modified organisms). I won’t eat there.

18. maria

    18|Feb|2006 18

    I live in Las Vegas and have worked at applebees for 8 1/2 YEARS. I couldn’t agree more that applbees managers and cooks are the worst in the world. I am an expo there but really all I do is babysit cooks to make sure they cook the food. I would actually rather babysit tiny children their more intelligent

19. Happy Bee

    26|Feb|2006 19

    I work at Applebees and love it. I’ve heard bad things about Applebees in other states (but here in Washington we’re in a different franchise). The restaraunt is very clean, and we take a lot of precautions on food safety and quality. Today was really busy, and when food took a little longer than normal to get out, the managers took the time to comp food to keep guests happy. We have tons of regulars, and the employees eat there even on their days off (without getting free food). Maybe the sucky restaraunts are a product of the community they are in…..I guess we just have quality employees and guests where I’m from. I look forward to going to work everyday, and feel lucky to work where I do. If you have problems with your working conditions and superiors, maybe you should take the initiative to go higher up the chain to get it taken care of.

20. Nessa

    03|Mar|2006 20

    I am thinking of applying to an Applebees that is opening up near my house. Does it really suck? How can I get hired?

21. Just Me

    03|Mar|2006 21

    I just got off work (from Crapplebee’s of course) and googled “Applebees Sucks” for a laugh.
    This made me giggle.
    I loathe that place, we all do. hee hee
    I’m a cook and expo.
    We just got a new disgusting shrimp promo that make me want to throw things at people.
    Gaaaaaaaah!!

22. FRY COOK

    29|May|2006 22

    lol just got off from work its now 2am and i have been there since noon… i’ve been there for 2 weeks now and holy shit…the whole set up is just ridiculous … i stand over the fryer all day and have people yelling to me from every direction - waitresses, expos, broil, mid, prep, managers, car side to go…. and to boot they’re all like 17-19 and have no thought process for anything they do… dont get me wrong i’m likein the 60+ hours i hit up this week but i just need some better co-workers and some more managerial control over the youngins …

23. Someone

    21|Jun|2006 23

    I work at Applebee’s as a Hostess and on Carside To Go. I agree with all the crappyness that everyone’s been saying about the restaurant. All the managers say I’m the top rated associate there…but still…after two years of no sick days, no call-ins or late clock-ins….I still get a lousy minimum wage! The people who come and eat there patronize me, the managers are lazy, servers undermine the hostesses, etc. The managers expect me to hold the door (not seat anybody until they say so) when it’s such a busy night that they expect hungry mean people (even parties of just two) to wait over 35min. and be okay with it? There are only two hostess scheduled for a Saturday night, there’s a line at the door, none of the servers are pre-bussing any of their tables, leaving one of the hostesses to clean every single one (usually me), as I go back to the door to sit very angry people because they had to wait so long, and as I seat…the server gives me a dirty look and yells at me afterwards for double seating even though we sat four other servers until seating them again, so I get those people’s drinks because the server is an ass . While I’m at it, I run some food because the expos are yelling “runners” but no one is running. The managers just stand up against the wall and the servers are wating around for their drinks at the bar while complaining about getting crappy tips while they could have been running their frickin’ food and pre-bussing tables (which could have gotten them a better tip in the first place). So I’m running some food, but the people complain that it’s too cold…implying that its my fault. I tell the server this, and they get all pissed off like it’s my fault too! I go back up to the door only to find that the other hostess hasn’t seated anybody after I left so she’s all pissed off at me because she was waiting for me to come back. I seat some more angry people. I go bus a table afterwards and get yelled at by a manager to go roll silverware because there are none left up front. So I go and roll some, but then the servers complain about how their tables aren’t been bussed. They are suppose to bus their own damn tables in the first place! “Runners!” the expo yells! I’m just about ready to pull out my hair.

    In the morning/changing shift time, there’s this two-3 hours gap where we don’t have a dishwasher, there’s only one hostess one and no expo. The dishes pile up so much, I resort to washing the dishes myself. The manager goes up and yells about people waiting at the door. Since the managers cut the floor so damn early, I only have three servers to seat. The servers ask me to get drinks for every one of their tables because I “double sat” them. IT’S NOT DOUBLE SEATING IF I DOUBLE SAT EVERYONE! It’s called a rotation! Anyways, I get the drinks, there’s food that needs to be expoed….I help expo and run them. Managers again yell about people at the door!

    At the end of the day, I’m left with a lousy $17 bucks for 5 hours of working: hostessing, bussing, dishwashing, expoing, picking up the phone and taking to-go orders, and getting drinks.

    I may do more than the average hostess, but Applebee’s needs to get it together! *sorry for my looooong rant.

24. Portsmouth, NH

    22|Jun|2006 24

    Went to this place for the first time last night and ordered the grilled chicken on a bed of lettuce (can’t remember what they call it). It literally STUNK up the whole table and smelled like sewerage! At first, thinking it might have been me (not) I tried a couple of pieces of the chicken then just couldn’t take it anymore so called the waitress over. When I told her what was wrong and asked her to smell it, she couldn’t have been bothered and simply got the manager. He was an idiot who said that it was just the “smell of the grill”. What a dope! He did agree to replace the meal so I ordered something different which I barely ate half of.

    Well, here it is 5 AM the next morning and guess what? You guessed it. Everything is going through me and I feel like shit. Never again, people…A P P L E B E E ‘ S S U C K S and that’s all there is to it!

25. jenna

    22|Aug|2006 25

    i went in yesterday to get an application for applebees and they hired me on the spot..
    i worked at sonic for three years but dont really count it as serving experience so i beleive this is a good place to start gaining experience as a server.
    i already started work today, and fuck it is hard, i really underestimate servers responsibilities sometimes because there is so much to do and learn. .i know ill get it down in a couple days but so far all the managers are nice and help out in kitchen and expo and are constantly busy.. my trainer was nice as well.. im not sure if ill make alot in tips but its a start

26. Mileto

    28|Sep|2006 26

    Applebee’s isnt a bad place to work. The food isnt always bad either.

    But sometimes you are gonna work hard there, be it front or back of the house. This isnt your local dinner, its “feelin’ good in the ‘hood” …or some shit… I dont know.

    Whatever it is, it must be working because we have lotsa “rushes” (3k an hour of sales FTW!).

    And the food had better never suck coming out of the kitchen, because then there is an angry manager on you, since he is now dealing with angry customers.
    Maybe my store is different because the only lazy manager Ive ever seen there isnt there anymore. Of course, some work harder than others. Christ some people there work harder than me, some not. Only kids complain about lazy managers. Adults have just come to expect it after several years in the workforce.

    If you get bad food at an Applebee’s let the manager know. Unless you are a screaming blathering idiot he is gonna make you happy. Realize that it is real people making, carrying, serving your food. Not some friggin perfect computerized machine. Although upper AppleManagement wants us to operate like one (while having some type of “Big Fun Trip”). (”In the four AppleWalls”) heh.

27. David Bowman

    12|Oct|2006 27

    As a longtime employee of applebee’s, I must agree with the ppl who say this chain sucks. Over the years, it went from a really good place to a cheap we don’t care restraunt. From cooked fresh in the restraunt to frozen thaw and serve proccessed Food. If you eat at any of the ones in Nashville tn you might just walk with from food poisoning. I have seen so many things that would make you sick. I worked with this one cook who< if you came in right b4 close, would rub your bread on his privates b4 sending it out. The cooks stay out back smoking weed, and the servers try to join them at all times. t6his chain is slowly putting itself out of bussiness. Oh, as for anthony, the cook who did what he called the dirty D, they made him a manager. Way to go guys

28. Mister Applebee

    15|Oct|2006 28

    Now Tyler Florence who is a half-assed food network clown who is now whoring himself out to Applebees with some crappy food. Anyone try any of his crappy recipes yet?

29. Christiana

    23|Nov|2006 29

    ok so Ive worked at applebee’s for over two years now and i guess these franchises suck ass. i work right down the street from the corporate office and everything seems to run smoothly here…..

30. Heather

    19|Jan|2007 30

    When I lived in California, we had a brand new Applebee’s being built. The nearest one was like 45 mins away so it was a place that you didn’t get to eat at all the time. I got hired as a server, my first serving experience. We were the “guinea pig” store if you will where EVERYTHING had to be perfect. We even had to line up before our shift and lift our pants to show that we were in fact wearing black socks! I only ate there during breaks, b/c of cali’s labor laws you are required to take a 30 min break if you work 6+ hours. Food really wasn’t that bad. Fast forward and I’m now living in Oklahoma, I applied at Applebee’s because I knew with my experience I’d be a shoe-in. Did I regret my decision. They reason why the food sucks is because cooks will microwave, yes, microwave the meat and then place it on the grill so it will have the grill lines. I’ve witnessed a whole quesadilla being dropped on the floor, and then simply picked up and placed back on the flat top. Applebee’s managers are lazy, very lazy. The only good thing about working there is that is where I met my husband. He was a bartender there. He worked there for almost 3 years and he had regular bar guests all the time. They always said the food sucked, and they were just there to see him. Well he had a guest one day who called the district manager and tell him, that my husband was their server and that he offered to get her 15 year old daughter high on heroin behind applebee’s, in front of her. UMM Yeah right lady! So instead of drug testing, or even asking my husband what had happened, they fired him. After he had been so loyal, and done all their shitty little jobs for them, they didn’t even want to hear what he had to say. They fired him a week before Christmas, our first child’s first Xmas, and knowing we were expecting another child. All because a lady who spent $20 a week there said she wouldn’t come in unless he was fired. Then my little brother had to go into work today but due to a crazy ice storm we had his car wouldn’t even start. They told him he’d have to walk to work. What?! No one would come pick him up, and we live down the street, like a 4 min drive. But walking especially on slippery ice takes so much longer and is so dangerous. They don’t care…Thats what made me type in Applebee’s Sucks…lol. Sorry for the rant it made a pregnant woman feel great

31. NEWBIE

    12|Apr|2007 31

    Wow.. I honestly can’t beleive what I’m reading! I’ve never been a huge fan of the Applebee’s franchise but I recently applied and got hired as a server. I delt with a lot of the same bullsh*t when I worked at Red Lobster that everyone is compaining about. I just realized that no matter where you work, whether it be a restaurant or another type of job, you’re going to deal with crappy managers, annoying coworkers, horrible shifts, and unhappy customers.

    I’ve worked at a few different types of jobs and its the same crap everywhere. You have the people that like your product, and you have the few that want to make your life hell because your steak was undercooked. I, myself, am not particular to Applebee’s food. It isn’t excellent, but its not the worst food I’ve ever eaten. As goes for the service, I agree with whoever stated that the people preparing and serving your food are REAL PEOPLE. We try our hardest, we aren’t perfect, and we make mistakes!

    After reading about how much Applebee’s “sucks” and the managers are “lazy idiots”, I’m not to crazy about starting my job on Monday. I’m actually a bit nervous now! Is it honestly that bad?? I’m a college student who lives on her own and I am trying to make a living and support myself. I do have another job, but I was hoping this would give me a chance to make great tips and save a little bit.

    Anyway, I’m sorry for those who are having bad experiences with the restaraunt. It could happen anywhere but it happened to you at Applebee’s and now you hate it I understand! I’ve deffinitely had this happen to me and you will NOT see me back at those places… but please stop to consider those that are only working there to make a living. They aren’t professionals with a culinary degree or experts from a 5 star spot… please be nice to your server (unless they decide to be an ass to you first, then you can! lol)

    But anyone with some info on tips and hours or anything should let me know! Im very interested in seeing how this is going to workout for me… Take care <3

32. I Hate Applebees

    13|Jul|2007 32

    I work at a Holiday Inn which rents its restaurant space out to an Applebee’s. Let me tell you I’m not a fan. There are a few managers that are okay but most of them ask a million things from the hotel and when we have a simple request for them it’s too much to ask. Here are the top things I can’t stand

    1) Holiday Inns must have room service unfortunately for us and the hotel guest it’s through Applebee’s. I think they usually get it to them in a fairly timely manner only problem is your leftovers and trash will sit in front of your room for three days, I’m not kidding. All the employees at the hotel joke about how long they would sit out if the GM never yelled at Applebee’s to pick up damn room service trays. People obviously call me to complain about it and I can’t blame them that they are upset, I would not appreciate old food outside my hotel room door.

    2) Since they are our hotel restaurant they must serve
    breakfast. Just like everything else with Applebee’s it’s terrible. It is not uncommon in the morning to get multiple complaints from individuals and large tour groups that eat breakfast there. Basically they are always understaffed and service is slow and employees are rude. I can’t blame them for being upset, it is Applebee’s!

    3) They are responsible for re-stocking bathrooms. Yeah, sadly they suck at that too. That makes for more angry people.

    4) Our Corporate Office pays for one meal per employee every day. Yes they manage to mess this up. Sometimes it takes over an hour for them to bring us out food, sometimes it’s cold, and sometimes we never get it at all, but our night auditor still has a ticket for what we tried to order.

    The Common Theme here is that Applebee’s can’t do anything right. Oh yeah, and their food sucks too!

33. Jeremy H.

    17|Jul|2007 33

    Anyone who passes up a local independent restaurant in favor of a chain must not have taste buds.

    Go downtown in your town and eat at a real establishment. One that doesn’t truck in and microwave mass produced slop endorsed by a sellout TV guy.

    Ruth Chris’ is probably the best steak house in Minneapolis.

34. R P MCMURPHY

    20|Jul|2007 34

    There is an Applebees across the road from my work. I hate eating at corporate resteraunts because they ussually treat their servers like crap. Anyway, today I wanted to go to lunch but not go to far. Applebees had a sign up out front that said sports bar. Cool, I can go there and read the box scores from last night. Wrong, no paper. They did have the Cardinsl game on which I was surprised since I didn’t think they had a day game today. When I asked, “Is that today’s game or a replay?” the bar -tender had no idea what I was talking about. When I asked for a newspaper the bartender looked at me like I was crazy. I guess people in MO (i’m not from MO) just don’t read the paper.

    I ordered steak fajitas. They came out with raw totillas. I pointed it out to the bartender and she got the manager. He came out about 2 minutes later with raw tortillas but steaming. He proclaimed that he heated them up himself but, when I looked at them they were as white as a sheet of copy paper. I pointed out to him that they were raw. He said he didn’t understnd He replied under his breath,”they come pre-cooked”. “So, you just microwaved them? Can’t you see that these tortillas haven’t been ‘pre-cooked?” He still had no idea that the way you cook tortillas is to heat them on the flat-top and lightly toasting them.

    He did say that he would take care of them. I assumed he ment pay for them. I said, “I don’t want you to pay for my lunch, I just want it cooked.” Judging from his facial expressions he was having a tough day (it would probably help if he new how to run a resteraunt) I decided it wasn’t his fault. More likely some accoutant in Kansas City. I just decided to leave and am now back at the office hungry and pissed.

35. John Gall

    12|Aug|2007 35

    We eat at Applebees quite often and I can easily say that 50% of the time something is wrong with our car side order. The last time my bacon cheeseburger actually had 1/2 a piece of bacon on it. Other times my medium steak was served raw, as in below rare. I still eat there because while they are incompetent it’s the quickest non-fast food in our area that we can pick up and not leave the car. Still they have a long way to improve in their quality.