Applebees
 

Do you like Applebees? I've never been but it seems so popular

I don't think I've ever been to one either, but it's not really my kind of place. I find Bennigans to be truly awful (but maybe that's skewed by the fact I've only been to one), and I view Friday's as an overpriced fast-food joint.
Not in any kind of rush to return to them or try their competitors.

But this thread should be in DiningBuzz!

I like their ribs, but not much else. My wife loves their Apple Chimi-cheesecake -- which is not a regular item available all the time, I don't think.

(I probably haven't been to one in about 2 or 3 years.)

I'll say the usual, "you get what you pay for". If you pay 15-20$ for a one-person dinner, don't expect to get a 100$ steak dinner from a high-name steakhouse. :)

But when compared to other casual dining... they're probably in the middle somewhere. Nothing great, nothing bad.

HTSC

No, I prefer to avoid chain restaurants at all costs.

Too many calories in mediocre food.

:td:

Their food is good (to me), and I think of it as someplace familiar to go if that is what I'm in the mood for. It is possible to eat healthy there if you choose to do so, or not.

Their food is nothing gee-whiz special, but it is reasonable and usually of good quality.

If I'm looking for a neighborhood dinner that's inexpensive but enjoyable, I like the place. If I'm out for a real evening, then it's not what I'm looking for in a dining experience. However it is convenient and offers a large selection.

I refer to them as Crapplebees.

I find very little that sounds good there.

Even the Omni mods ought to take this to Dining Buzz....

Although visually more appealing, the food (and I've admittedly not been recently, and only with any frequency during a business trip in which for 3 days it was the only alternative beyond fast food) reminds me of the Wardroom of the aircraft carrier I lived aboard for 3 years back in the early 60s. Applebees's will not put drama in your dining, and ranks only a cut above "institutional food" (in good institutions).

Chili's, Bennigan's, Cheddar's, Friday's, Ruby Tuesday's, Applebee's and others among the mid-range dining chains (excluding large chain "ethnics such as the "Darden's", Oliver Garden - consistent & Led Bobster - pretty frightening and the smaller ethnic chains) strike me as the Hampton Inns of dining. Most these days are offering Recession fare, the 2 adult meals for $20, not to be sneezed at during Dies Irae. Each works at some level of individualism to separate the brand from the crowd. I react in different fashion to each of them, with variable thresholds of resistance, highest at Bennigan's, I suppose, and avoiding Friday's with the exception of the occasional airport's "any port in a storm" limited alternative. The bottom line: When there's little else available, Chili's can provide me with a decent hamburger and a cold beer. Cheddar's and Ruby Tuesday's fit into that category, while for some reason, I don't "ID" Applebee's with a burger.

Just as the occasional Hampton Inn impresses me more than a upscale Hilton, I honestly find "Pei Wei" far more appealing than its bigger, more expensive brother, "P. F. Chang's".

Names may provide some indication of quality, but surrounded by far cheaper "family' Mexican restaurants (even "name" chains such as "Bon the Odor"), "Chipotle" charges more for its basic slightly varied product, yet provides a "Form Follows Function" environment, a sort of "How to make fast food more expensive, but cuter, and still sell a lot of it!"

Like most chain restaurants they're for the lazy who can't be bothered to spend two minutes on the internet looking up a decent local place with real food. Chain restaurants tend to serve garbage that's engineered to taste OK-ish having been prepared somewhere miles off site.

Fast food places have something of a purpose, they fill me up if I'm short on time but with chain restaurants I really fail to see the point. The local establishments rarely cost more than the Applebee's and Chili's of this world (someone's got to pay for those vomit inducing Oliver Garden commercials and corporate overheads!) and the food at least usually tastes fresh. Sure local places aren't always a slam dunk and some food (often appetizers) might be bought in but the mains are decent.

Nope.

For the price you pay, the food is pretty foul. I guess I could go there for some beer and bar food, but it wouldn't be my preference.

I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants either, though I do like Legal Sea Foods and a few other places.

I like their Fiesta Lime Chicken. Hope they don't discontinue it. Other than that item, I don't much care for Applebees.

extra protein!
 

My wife had a green inch worm crawling out of the kale on her plate; not once, but twice at two different Applebees in Flint, MI. This was before we were married. Needless to say, we haven't ever eaten at an Applebees. Our son likes to tease her when we drive by one by saying "Let's go to Applebees."

Across a lot of this country, in very many small towns the choice of food is Applebees, Subway, a couple of no-name stripmall type food joints.

In a big city with many other choices, I rarely eat there. In a small town Applebees is very often the only place where you can have a beer with food where I'd take my kids.

The food is just fine - nothing special, but a bit cheaper than Chillis/Fridays.

I haven't been to one in years. There was one not far from where my office used to be, and it would take upwards of 45 minutes at lunchtime (from time of walking in and being seated) to get food at the table. The food was never all that good, and cost too much for what it was. Maybe a half-dozen lifetime visits - plenty.