Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Florida

My folks & I went here for dinner on Friday 3/29/24 around 7pm. It was not crowded. We had a horrible experience. Our waiter was fine. He was doing the best he could. We had no problem with him. The first issue was the soup. $5.99 for tortilla soup. The "cup" wasn't even full. There was maybe 5 oz. Ridiculous. Sent that back. I ordered a "signature" side of Mac&Cheese. $4.99, it came in a little bowl. Shook my head and said "Nope" before the person even put it down. Even the waiter couldn't believe it. So I looked at the menu again. Saw "4 Cheese Mac&Cheese with hot pepper chicken tenders". I asked the waiter if I could just get a plate of Mac&Cheese. He put that order in and brought what he thought was a sample. It was penne pasta with melted shredded cheese on top. That was fine and now we all expected to be getting that. What they brought out was a dish of penne pasta, a bowl of Alfredo sauce, and a plate with grilled chicken. I shook my head, gave up and decided to try it. The sauce was gross. When we got the bill they had charged $18.49 for the Mac&Cheese (now remember, I didn't want the chicken so I didn't touch it.) That was the price on the menu, which included the chicken tenders. Now normally there would be a price adjustment and you'd only be charged for Mac&Cheese. Plus, we were led to believe there would be pasta covered with melted cheese. After talking with the waiter a bit we decided to ask for the manager. Her name was Jen. She came over with an already snotty attitude. We tried explaining. She said "So what do you want me to do about it? It's your choice to not have chicken. You still have to pay full price." We weren't trying to start trouble or get a free meal. We were just being honest. Jen was not nice at all. There was nothing we could do. So we gave up, asked for the chicken tenders (since we'd be paying for it either way) and left.

(My folks got chicken & rice. There was a lot of rice! And it was dry. The chicken was good.)

The place was pretty empty for a Friday night. Now we know why! Stay away from...

Last Sunday, after a long work week, we decided to treat ourselves with a late dinner. Since Applebee’s was the only restaurant open until midnight, we chose to dine there. Unfortunately, our experience was deeply disappointing from the moment we walked in.

We arrived at 9:00 PM and immediately noticed a can of soda on the floor in the lobby. Several staff members, including hosts and servers, walked past us without acknowledging our presence. Despite the restaurant not being busy, we waited over 10 minutes just to be seated.

When the host finally greeted us, she seemed irritated by my request for a window-side table and told us, “We are closing this section for tonight.” Instead, she directed us to a table near the bar, close to another family, even though we were hoping for a quiet dinner.

Our server appeared to be doing her best, juggling bar and table service on her own, which was concerning. We ordered the Classic Combo appetizer, but it arrived cold. The mozzarella sticks were not warm, the chips were soggy, and the wings came with the wrong sauce.

For entrées, we ordered the Bourbon Street Mushroom Swiss Burger and the Whiskey Bacon Burger. Both arrived with cold, stale fries. One of the burgers was undercooked to the point of being raw and bloody. Our server apologized and offered to replace it, but by the time the new one came out, I was too upset to enjoy it. Unfortunately, the second burger was overcooked, and the mushrooms and onions were raw.

Adding to the disappointment, while we waited, we overheard the waitstaff speaking negatively about other guests. Around 11:00 PM, a large party arrived, and we saw staff scramble to open the very section we were denied earlier, only after contacting the manager.

This visit was, without a doubt, the worst experience I’ve had at any Applebee’s. I understand staffing issues can be challenging, but the level of service, food quality, and unprofessional behavior we witnessed were unacceptable.

I hope this feedback is taken seriously so that future guests have a...

Every time I have gone there for the last 20 plus years as long as Dave is our waiter our experiencewas always perfect. My last visit Dave was not working and it was just awful. I am an admittedly picky eater with a very small palate and Dave always makes sure my special orders are made correctly. The waitress we had last time could not have cared less. My food was inedible (for me) and even though I obviously didn't eat anymore than the first bite she never asked if our food was ok, never came back to refill our drinks, not once. When she dropped off the check and I tried to bring the no good meal to her attention she just walked away from me. Turned her back as I was talking to her, very nicely by the way, and she just walked away from me. At that point I had to decide if I was going to ask for a manager or just pay and go. I decided on the latter and just left. The only reason that I would go back is because my wife and I really like Dave the waiter who has been serving my wife and I for 20 years at the same Applebees in Vero Beach and he has always taken perfect care of us. If we go back and Dave is not working I will not stay to eat that night. Poor showing Applebees Vero Beach very dissatisfied. Dave the Waiter is your only saving grace. He should be treated very very well by management. I think if Dave went to a different restaurant to work an amazing amount of customers will follow and start going to a new sit down restaurant. To be transparent, I do not have ANY connection to Dave the waiter other than at Applebees I am not a friend or relative I just think he is one of the best human beings I have ever met. R....