Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Albuquerque

The server was ok. Had a weird start after asking if we could go right to an empty looking bar booth and the hostess went to check. She then had a conversation for at least 2-3 minutes with another worker who I presume was a manager due to her being older than the average server and dressed differently than the rest. Hostess made eye contact with me a dozen times across the bar and kept right on talking. I presumed we couldn't sit there for some reason...it seems she would've given us a nod....a head shake....anything. But instead just gave kept chatting and shooting blank looks until after a long time the 2 of them finally bussed the table, which we didn't realize there were plates on there. The hostess finally came back and got us with a look on her face as if I had done something wrong by asking to sit in the bar. We did not feel welcome whatsoever. (If that other person was the manager she is not a good one, as she walked past our table half a dozen times in total and never batted an eye).

As far as the food, it was tasty. Burgers and chicken fingers for 2 kids, one Asian salad and one bourbon street steak for the adults. Water only to drink. The portions were way too small for the price of almost $60. That's with just chips/salsa to start and water to drink. The chips were too moist and also bland. The portions were a little too small to satisfy, and way too small for that price. It would've been 65.00+ if we had cokes or a beer. The kids food was similar to Sonic for twice the cost. My old favorite steak was about a 6 oz Chuck (website says 9oz, but I prepare 6oz steak and chicken meals weekly and there's no way that was 9oz) and it came with a tiny portion of wrinkled mushrooms and wet onion slices, and even smaller portion of cut potatoes for $16. The Asian salad was about 8 inches across and only an inch deep--side salad size in many places. I haven't been to Applebee's in quite a while but used to eat there maybe monthly. Except for the chips/salsa, the taste and quality were fine, but we were disappointed at the small portions relative to the bigger prices. Between our 4 examples and seeing what others were eating, it's clear this is across the menu. The biggest value here was the kids got free refills on fries. Too bad, as Applebees used to be a good value. I won't be returning any time soon. Pretty sad when an old favorite bar & grill leaves you wishing you'd just gone to IHOP or...

I have been a customer at the Applebees on Coors & I-40 for many years. I guess I could be considered a Regular. I have always received Great service and the Atmosphere was always so welcoming and friendly. This was especially important to me as a Single Woman looking for a safe place near home to have a good meal and a drink. Unfortunately, this is not the case any longer. I have gotten to know the Bar Employees very well and they go above and beyond to make sure I’m well taken care of, safe and have a great Experience. Unfortunately, since new Management took over, it feels like they go above and beyond to make Customers feel unwelcome, unimportant and uncomfortable. Rachel is One manager in particular who I have personally seen be very Unprofessional, Rude, Unfriendly and disrespectful to Customers and Employees. I believe she rarely talks to customers, I know she has never said a word to me. She does however, make lots of inappropriate gestures and facial expressions, ie. rolling eyes, mumbling under her breath and walking away in the middle of conversations, etc. She is very condescending and disrespectful to everyone. On one occasion she stated “I hate Regulars, they act so Entitled” loud enough for Bar Patrons to hear. When patrons attempt to talk to her about an issue, she is very dismissive. I witnessed an incident where a Bartender was busy and asked Rachel for silverware for bar Patrons, Rachel’s response was “Do you need them right now?” Bartender said “Yes”. Rachel didn’t respond, rolled her eyes and walked to kitchen. She then walked into Bar area with an armful of wrapped silverware where Bartender was washing glassware. Instead of walking an extra foot and a half to put silverware in the bin herself, she stood next to the Bartender and stood there until Bartender stopped washing glassware to get silverware from her. The only reason I have continued to return to this Applebees is the Bartenders. They have not only worked at this location for many years and many managers but they now work twice as hard to continue to provide Amazing service to ensure their Patrons return, despite negative experiences. I believe this store, Employees and Patrons deserves Managers who are Exceptional in all areas and able to lead the Employees who have kept this store afloat...

This evening I went with a friend to have dinner. Since we get to visit only on occasion we usually like to stop by the neighborhood Applebee's. To make a long story as short as possible: the crowd on Sunday evening was rowdy due to excessive football games being viewed. I felt like I walked into some stranger's man cave/biker chick house, not a family restaurant -as obnoxious men spoke, threatening fellow game watcher gals; my friend and I decided to move from our table to the safety of a booth. I ordered a usual spinach and shrimp salad. Our food was served as the game ended and more of a dinner crowd came in. Under the almost non existent light, the spinach shrimp salad I ordered looked droopy and limp, heavy balsamic dressing. As I began eating, I noticed stems were still attached to the spinach, a little longer than the usual shortened stem (which is chews better, eliminating stems between my teeth) so I began snapping the stems -creating a pile on the edge of the bowl. As I ate the shrimp I questioned the freshness; Initially the shrimp balsamic dressing masked the flat stale taste an uncertain odor -right? Well I continued to taste and question the dish and finally decided to stop. I had more than enough of the less then mediocre shrimp. So when the waitress came by to pick up dishes, I noted to her my disappointment in my dish. She took it to the manager. The manager came back to inquire about my concerns and then proceeded to tell me she wasn't going to refund my money. Not only was I disappointed with the food but now I was insulted as she assumed my complaint was to get a free meal! I quickly reassured her that I was not looking for discounted meal; my concerns were simply to let her know of my dissatisfaction. We seemed to be pegged as some sort of trouble, possibly walkers. I had to tell the waitress we were not rushing out of the restaurant at her repeated request for us to pay our bill that we were "trying" to simply have a nice time visiting. What a disappointment.

My recommendations: Have a back room for the biker chick/cave man game nights; bring the lights up enough to read the menu and see what is being eaten; use shrimp before expiration date AND FINALLY, provide servers and managers MORE customer service training! Strike three...