Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Dubuque

this place honestly deserves zero stars. i came in at 5 on sunday, with 3 other people. we walked in and the restaurant was pretty empty, we stood at the host booth for probably 10 minutes before someone came and sat us. the same worker took our drink order before we even had time to look at the menu. (which can be a good thing) but we still waited 10 minutes for 2 out of the 4 drinks to come. the 2 other drinks came another 10 minutes later. when our server FINALLY came back to take our food order, she interrupted my friend to tell her she couldn't order first, which made no sense because she started with my friends drink order FIRST. we ordered an appetizer, which didn't come until one of us said something AFTER our actual meals came out. all four of our meals were cold. (2 pastas, ayce chicken, and a quesadilla burger) we sent back one of the pastas and the ALL YOU CAN EAT which is apparently only 3 strips took THIRTY minutes to come out with more strips. our server rarely came to check on us, instead another worker brought out the new food for us. when we got the new pasta, she was very rude about having to bring out a new plate. my friends and i are all present/past servers and the way we were treated was completely uncalled for. we didn't tip, because a tip is an option. she gets paid hourly. her service did not deserve a tip. she came up to us after she gave us our bills and stated "by the way i took the mozz sticks off of the bill" they were NEVER on the bill, you can see the receipt on the tablet thing on the table😂😂. after i paid with my card, she came up and said "i have to share my tips with other people, so whatever i did with you guys, i still have to pay someone else. never ask to be seated in my section again." then proceeded to walk away instead of listening to what we have to say. we never caught her name and i called the actual building from the parking lot and asked for a manager. i didn't get to speak to a manager, but instead another server. you cannot treat customers rude because your last table was 'rude'. our server had issues with EVERY person in that building. 1000% do...

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. We've tried--three times in two months--to eat there, and each time we've been lied to and treated poorly. We used to go and/or get curbside regularly, so we were looking forward to dining in. The first time we went, they were short staffed and less than half full, which we understood, but they took my cell number and told us they'd text in 30-45 minutes. They did not. When after an hour, we asked the hostess how much longer it'd be, she said she'd called our name and we'd lost our table. We were sitting right there in front of the hostess stand. The second time--yes, we decided to give them another chance--they said 20 minute wait again, despite having only7 tables seated. This time, we asked for any table other than a hightop because one of our group was handicapped. After 40 minutes, they said they had a table, but it was a high top. We waited another 15 but never got a table, and when we asked, she was flippantabout it. Tonight, we were told 15-20 minutes, and again we specified either a booth or a low four-top. At 30 minutes, the hostess, the same young girl with an attitude, said she only had a high top. When we said we'd asked for a standard or booth, she shrugged and called the next name on the list. When she returned, she turned her back on my husband, who was asking her a question and walked away, leaving a flustered young man who seemed new apologizing for her, the wait, the lack of servers (they only had two for the whole place), and her being "under age." He was just standing there, as was she, the entire time we were there, doing nothing, although he said, "I'm not trained and don't want to be a server." When she turned around to greet someone else, we asked and she said there was no manager to talk to, and, "Oh, well. Guess you'll have to wait some more," and she again walked off, making a rude hand gesture and rolling her eyes. This was a horrible trio of experiences, especially for someone handicapped. We will not be returning, even though we used to enjoy their food and service. We will also be...

I’m not sure what’s going on at the Dubuque, IA Applebee’s, but something needs to change. We ended up visiting two nights in a row since our hotel was within walking distance — hoping the first night was just an off one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Night 1: They were out of broccoli, which was fine, but the service was very slow despite the restaurant not being overly busy. The bartender was friendly but admitted she didn’t know how to make most of the specialty cocktails — even after three months on the job. That said, the drinks we did get (the Blue Hawaiian Long Island Iced Tea and Henny Punch) were delicious, and our Classic Combo appetizer was great, especially the spinach artichoke dip. However, our to-go meals were disappointing. The steak and mashed potatoes were solid, but the rest was so bland it went uneaten.

Night 2: The bar was quieter, but service was even more frazzled. The bartender kept complaining in front of customers and a second bartender had to constantly step in to help. The team also seemed frustrated with equipment issues, which made for a tense atmosphere.

They were still out of broccoli and also out of pretzels for the Brew Pub Pretzel & Beer Cheese appetizer. Our second Classic Combo was much lower quality — no artichoke chunks, just congealed cheese that broke the chips. Several cocktails weren’t available because they were missing ingredients like espresso vodka or pink lemonade vodka. Strangely, we later saw another bartender serve one of those same “unavailable” drinks to another guest.

Our to-go order was packed with ice cream sitting directly on top of hot food, so it melted completely. They also forgot our garlic mashed potatoes, and when we went back to get them, they were completely flavorless - no garlic.

After two nights, we left disappointed both times. Between product shortages, inconsistent food quality, and overwhelmed bartenders, this location just isn’t up to Applebee’s usual standards. I love the brand, but I can’t recommend this...