Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in East Lansing

Went here today for lunch with my husband since it is one of the places we have always enjoyed. Today completely missed the mark. We were sat quickly by the hostess who said our server would be right with us.

We waited and waited with no sign of our server. After 10 minutes, the hostess came over and said that our server must be held up in the back but she would get our drinks in the meantime. There were only 4 or 5 other tables in the whole restaurant so it’s not like it was busy and we were the only table in her section. She was eventually found in the bathroom and brought over our drinks.

By that time we were past ready to order. She took our order, 2 for $25 deal with the 6oz steak with mashed potatoes and green beans and the shrimp with fries and green beans. Our appetizer of mozzarella sticks came out quickly and was hot and delicious so there was hope that the meal would be great.

The entrees followed shortly after. The steak was very small and looked dried out, but once cut into, all the bloody juices drained out like a slowly deflating water balloon. The green beans on both plates were limp and mushy. The shrimp was another story entirely. My husband made it two bites into his meal before feeling sick. The breading on the shrimp was falling off when touched and the second shrimp he said felt mushy and tasted metallic. Here we are 4 hours later and he is still feeling ill.

The server was very inattentive and spent most of the time between the bathroom and standing at the bar talking to another customer. When we finally got her attention to let her know that there was something wrong, she said that she would talk to her manager and see what she could do.

Never mind, she was at the table behind us because the woman there tracked down another server to have her meal corrected as it was cold and undercooked as well. The manager never made an appearance to set things right or even talk with us so that we could convey our concerns about rotten shrimp. We were just given $11 off our lunch and that was that. No apology, no looking at the date on their supply of shrimp, or anything of real consequence.

The bill arrived and we waited and waited for the server to come pick up our form of payment. She was once again at the bar talking with the same guy. I had to walk over there with the bill and payment and wait for her to acknowledge me standing there waiting. She was too busy talking crap about other customers and what shift she was working to turn her head and pay attention to the customers, us and one other person, in her section.

All in all, this was by far the worst experience we have had here and do not plan on being back again. We will stick to a local place where we do not have to worry about rotten shrimp that will make us sick. Just a shame since it was one of our...

I came to Applebee’s this past Monday night to catch the Ravens vs Lions MNF game, and I have to say the experience exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t just there for the food and drinks – I wanted the right atmosphere for football – and Applebee’s delivered.

From the moment I sat down, my server Joe set the tone for the night. He greeted me with a huge smile, got me settled quickly, and made sure I had a great seat with a clear view of the TVs (important when you’re there for the game). Throughout the night, he struck the perfect balance of being attentive without hovering. Anytime my drink was getting low, he was right there with a refill. Anytime the kitchen was a little slower with orders (which happens during a packed game night), Joe was proactive in giving me updates so I never felt like I was waiting around or forgotten.

What really stood out about Joe was how genuine he was. He wasn’t just running through the motions – he actually chatted about the game with me, laughed about some of the big plays, and you could tell he knew how to make every guest feel comfortable. Watching the Lions play is always intense, but Joe’s energy kept the vibe light and fun. Even during those nail-biting drives, he managed to keep the table stocked with wings and drinks so I didn’t miss a second.

Speaking of food – it hit the spot. The wings were hot and crispy, the mozzarella sticks came out perfectly golden, and the beer was ice-cold. It’s classic game-day food, and Applebee’s did not disappoint. The crowd was lively but never overbearing – you could tell a lot of people had the same idea of making it their MNF spot.

I’ve been to a lot of chain restaurants for game nights, but this visit stood out because of Joe. He genuinely cared about making sure my experience was top-notch, and it made the whole night more enjoyable. It wasn’t just dinner – it felt like the perfect football watch party hosted by someone who actually cares about customer service.

If you’re looking for a fun, welcoming spot to catch a game (especially if you’re a Ravens or Lions fan), I’d recommend heading here and asking for Joe. He made what could have just been a regular Monday night into a really memorable one. I’ll definitely be back for another...

Spent roughly 70$ on dinner and it was completely horrible, wings were so dry it was as if they'd sat out forever. We ordered the easiest to make steaks and they were still wrong, well done and unfortunately I had to cook them myself because they were nowhere near it. However it was pretty late so I was willing to just give them the benefit of doubt and called uo there only to be put on hold and then nobody ever take my call!! Lol Here's my well done steaks!!

UPDATE * After having staff/management reachout to me ( I believe her name was Shaina) she completely went above and beyond to make sure that my order was taking care of and to me that in its own deserves a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. We will continue to be returning customers at this location!!

UPDATE AGAAAAAAAAIN!!! Well after my last experience and everything being made right my experiences have been quite a bit better BUT ALSO NOT AS FREQUENTLY and thats because I just didnt wanna press my luck. So I must've pressed it a tad to much as we made our usual order tonight for close to the same amount ONLY TO GET HOME AND BE MISSING S COUPLE ITEMS AND A MY KIDS STUFF COLD . I really wouldn't let it get to me that much but when your spending so much money to eat out and literally have to pay extra for every dang item then I EXPECT them. I didn't wanna have to go as far as leaving another review but of course when I called the restaurant it's nearly impossible to get ahold of someone and I wasn't able to reach them in time before they closed. So after spending the money I did its quite disappointing that we'll just have to go without our drinks and soup we payed for aswell as have to warm everything up!! Probably my fault for ordering with only a hour left till close. I'll try to reachout to them again and see if I can at least get the stuff I...