Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Chesapeake

Update 8/24/23: Decided to stop by for lunch And give them another try. Once again the place was fairly desserted. But the wait staff was very attentive and the meal was good. It's a shame that the economy has been decimated to the point where restaurants are still struggling under the current administration.

July 2023: Walked into this restaurant on Sunday after going to Cinemark Theaters to a packed viewing of Sound of Freedom, (which by the way is an awesome movie and I recommend everyone go see it if you haven't), and this place was dead. There was hardly anyone in there thanks to this crazy economy. There was only one wait staff working tables and she was very sweet and friendly. Took a while for us to get our food, though, but she was politely apologetic about that. Given the very low patronage, that didn't make much sense. Got the Oriental salad which was delicious but absolutely outrageously priced. Ordered a strawberry daiquiri which was not very smooth. Had big chunks of ice in it so it was not made properly. She checked on our table a couple of times and did great as a waitress but the prices are outrageous which explains why there's no one in there. It's time for these restaurants and other businesses to get together and start screaming at this Administration to get prices under control. We cannot continue to come to your restaurants and your businesses and pay these prices. Sadly this was evidenced by the very empty restaurant on Sunday. Restaurants and wait staff have been slammed over the last few years and they deserve more help from the current Administration to get back on their feet more firmly. Many of these jobs are starter jobs for folks or for students and they deserve better. Like the young lady who was helping us. Thanks for the...

We had already walked out of two restaurants because the wait was so long and my husband is diabetic. His sugar was dropping. We needed to get him something to eat. We went into Applebee's and just knew with there only being 4 tables busy that we would get food quickly. NOPE. We set for 10 minutes before anyone came and got our drink order. We said we wanted to start out with an appetizer. 10 minutes later our drinks finally came out. Our salads came out another 15 minutes later. We had to remind them of the appetizer. It came after the salads. Another 20 minutes goes by and finally our food came out. Let's just say the food is mediocre. The pics on the menu look better. Two other tables complained about the long wait too. Now let's talk about the atmosphere. This place needs to close for at least a week to DEEP CLEAN. When I look up on the ceiling and vents and there is dust so thick that it is dangling, that's too much dust. I mean COATED. The windows were so dirty and grimey that you could hardly see out. The tables felt sticky. The booths were heavily stained. The bathrooms and floors were barely clean. How do they pass inspection? For there to be so many servers, the food should not have taken so long. I don't think anyone was assigned to any designated area. Everybody was every where. Mostly conjugating in the kitchen. Alot of yelling. If you bump up the taste and presentation of the entrees, train everyone to designated areas and responsibilities, DEEP CLEAN, remodel a little, you might be able to save this place. The only plus was our server was nice. She had a positive attitude. However, she did charge us twice for the appetizer that came out late. We told her she could adjust our ticket and make that her tip. We were ready to get...

Based on our recent experience, we’re left wondering how Applebee’s remains in business. We always strive for balanced reviews, highlighting both the positive and negative aspects of our visits. However, with this particular visit, it was challenging to find much positive to mention.

One small plus was the local touches in the décor on one wall, which added a bit of character to the space. Additionally, one of the four meals we ordered arrived hot. Unfortunately, the food's temperature was the least of our concerns. The dishes we received were greasy, tasted stale, and gave the impression that they had been sitting for some time before being served.

The service was even more disappointing. Our server disappeared after taking our initial drink orders, leaving us to flag down other staff members for assistance throughout the meal. This slow and inattentive service affected every stage—receiving our appetizer, entrees, refills, and even the check. While the server wasn’t outwardly rude, there was a distinct lack of care or attentiveness to us as customers.

What truly stood out as the worst part of the experience was the atmosphere. The restaurant was notably unclean. Staff appeared to be using the nearby tables as a break room, leaving personal belongings and trash scattered about. There was visible dust on the decor, and every surface we touched felt greasy and unclean.

Given these issues, we chose not to address our concerns further, as the manager seemed indifferent when we attempted to engage her initially. We left, vowing not to return, and feel it’s important to caution others who may expect a quick, tasty meal in a clean, inviting...