Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Bangor

First, the atmosphere is pleasant, though sports bars aren’t normally my thing. The service was really great too. No complaints on either of these bullet points!

Now I did a Google search using the query “does Applebee’s have a gluten free menu?” The answer was an indirect positive, including obvious ads that encouraged the idea that gluten shouldn’t be a problem. So I go there and find breaded onion rings, and fried breaded chicken. Sounds really yummy, but inedible for me. Basically, almost no menu item is breading free, but then the menu indicates that their fries are marked “GS” for gluten sensitive. So I asked, “Do you cook breaded products in with the same oil used for these fries?” I got the nod. I expressed my concern that this practice isn’t remotely safe for gluten sensitive tummies. The waitress worked around it as best she could. I ended up with a very dry, tasteless salmon steak, a minuscule serving of Cole slaw and a half decent salad. All ordered as is, to avoid problems with the menu offerings that were marked “GS.”

Folks, I think Applebees would far rather I spent several days getting sick after eating at their restaurant (which would have happened had I not been suspicious enough to ask the questions), and leave them this rotten review, than actually offer healthy food for the gluten sensitive so they will enjoy their outing, feel really nourished, leave rave reviews and spend their dining out budget there again.

I eat out frequently. Gluten sensitive menu items means nothing is cooked and handled that has gluten before being presented to the diner’s table. Staff of restaurants that offer gluten free or gluten sensitive items on their menu generally train staff not to contaminate food with gluten by mishandling a butter knife or using a ladle between gluten and not gluten soups. In other words, they print their menus knowing the same things must be done that they would for a peanut or dairy allergy. Sensitivity isn’t the same as celiac disease; it’s not generally life threatening, but vomiting, diarrhea and extremely painful bloating is very common for those with gluten sensitivity or intolerance. A corporate restaurant like Applebees knows that they are taking a liability risk offering foods to people with allergies. They think using the word “sensitive” precludes any problems, but they are short sighted. They lose money trying to dupe their diners into thinking eating Applebees food is safe to eat for those sensitive to gluten. And the issues are compounded by serving crappy food when someone notices the bs and asks for amendments made to the preparation of a meal.

At the least a chef should be trained to make food tasty even if it’s not prepared per usual in reference to the menu.

I’ll never, ever eat there again. I’d be far better off grabbing a Lara Bar and iced tea from the nearby convenience store, than trusting Applebees was worth even a penny of my money. And anyone who asks me to join them in eating there in future will get this story on repeat. And sure as my words here, we will be spending our dining out budget at a competitor's...

Great place to eat, absolutely love the staff as they are extremely friendly and always right on point, plus every single waiter/waitress is amazingly willing to make your every dinner or drink need met and sometimeseven entertainment, Even when they have a full house! This establishment must be absolutely extremely good at hiring the right people to wait on customers because I haven't met one waiter or waitress that wasn't anything but polite, or lact charisma whatsoever and above all else they are very competent in making sure every customer in and out of this place is 100% comfortable and satisfied with their usually like to sit at the bar and have a few whole meal, right down to every detail I can come up with on how amazingly well this location runs they're business (Hogan road, Bangor, ME) I normally start by having a couple drinks before I order my meal here especially if I come here with my bff, both bartenders are very generous as long as you know how to behave (especially in this "family" restaurant) oh' and it definitely doesn't hurt that the girl that bartends is very easy on the eyes lol, they will even break the ice first and they don't mind striking up conversation with you either. (Besides the fact they're friendly, I think they like to feel the customers out before deciding to keep the drinks coming because they do have a limit they can serve you but if your not obviously waisted then they'll keep em comin'. Even when I don't dine in I still will get the food to go because I love the food here and how they prepare it, so then I'll take it curbside for the wife and I and when we get home we'll eat it in front of a...

Employees are so conditioned that even when I requested a departure from the 'norm', the staff both verbally acknowledged it but then their actions ignored my request as they acted on their routine anyway. What's the point of asking for something if they aren't even paying attention enough to grasp it?

The food sucked. The larger plate size we ordered had virtually no substance to it, the fries were cold and stale, and the cole slaw - the only bit that looked usual size - was maybe 2 or 3 bites.

The iced tea tasted old. I know this because I agree ment on top of iced tea in a cup holder in my car, and the first day it taste fine, the following day it tastes like it's going off. Well, the tea we received tonight came with that "going off" taste, and when it was replaced, it was replaced with exactly the same thing.

Lastly, for some reason it was a challenge and an issue to get a kids menu. But why? My daughter is 12! Why are they trying to force us to have her order from an adult menu? Why does it even have to get the slightest bit contentious when we reminded them we wanted a child's menu?

The server though, was fairly good. She was extremely robotic and followed the script without deviation, but she was okay. She had no enthusiasm, and no discernible personality, but she did the job of taking food orders, submitting them, and bringing the food to the table very well.

Overall, I cannot see any reason to return...