Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Idaho Falls

Absolutely, hands down, the worst experience AFTER dinner I have ever experienced. I have never written a review right after dinner; In fact I am sitting at our hotel lobby using their computer to post this because it needs to be read.

My father is on the road and we decided to drive from Utah to Idaho Falls to come visit him for a few days over the weekend and treat him to a dinner that is different from the normal hotel food. We gave him a choice of any restaurant in Idaho Falls and he conservatively chose a safe bet - Applebee's.

We were seated quickly and the first thing we did was place the electronic menu/game screen they now have on the tables up on the window sill (this will come into play later in the review). they were busy and I am sure under a lot of stress. I have briefly worked in a restaurant and know this can be stressful. Our server, Sadie, was as attentive as she could be and we understood.

Dinner and dessert were served with no issues, you could tell Sadie was stressed out but that was no issue. The check came and I paid. When the receipt came out for me to sign, I glanced at the receipt and noticed that we had been charged $1.99 for a game. Remember that electronic menu/game screen we put on the window sill? Yep. Now this has happened once before and that's why we had no interest in using it. I questioned Sadie and she stated it could have been a kid that ran by and touched the screen before we were seated and that I should have reviewed the receipt before I paid. she then mentioned that she was sorry and they could take care of it. I then asked if that meant that they would have to charge my card again for the adjusted amount. She did not know.....

Enter Chelsey (another server). Sadie asked Chelsey if this would be the case (card being charged twice). Without skipping a beat Chelsey stated "It's because you touched the button!" She didn't even hear the question apparently. At that point my wife was providing feedback for the use of these electronic devices at the tables and that it was feedback for Applebee's corporate since this continues to be an issue. Meanwhile I asked for a manager. Tina (the manager) came to our table and proceeded to reiterate our responsibility in the matter effectively continuing to place blame on us, the guests of the restaurant.

While we were in the middle of the conversation with the manager, Chelsey decided to again put her two cents in and stated that we should calm down and that we have been rude to all of the servers. I WAS DUMBFOUNDED! First of all, we had, up until that point, only interacted with Sadie and continued to state that we were upset at what happened but it was not a reflection on the service she provided. Second of all, this must have been a defense Chelsey was playing since she was clearly out of line shouting that we "touched the button" and now a manager was involved.

Bottom line, I get that Saturday nights in a restaurant can be stressful but I can tell you that for what it's worth, Applebee's has lost any future business simply because of Chelsey's actions. Thank you Chelsey, for ruining what could have ended in a good night by lying and placing blame on your guests. Sadie and Tina, although it could have been handled slightly different, did an ok job. I will definitely be happy to eat at a competitor's establishment going forward, far far away from Applebee's in...

I've been to this location a handful of times, but after this experience, I knew it was time to write a review. Never before have I had such a euphoric experience at a restaurant. I found myself waiting for 30 minutes to be seated. I thought this was surprisingly busy for a Thursday at 10PM. But I will never question a wait time ever again, as it was beyond worth it.

Upon being seated I was overcome with relief. The temperature was perfect, there was just enough noise to not be annoying or overwhelming, but provide a feeling of our own voices being drowned out. I didn't feel nervous about talking loud enough to disturb other diners, a rare feeling for me.

This was likely the shortest I have ever looked at a menu. It was so well organized and presented. I ended up ordering mozzarella sticks and a spicy chicken sandwich. I ordered one other item, an item that made me want to write this review. This item was so life changing I don't think I can go a day without being reminded of it. Thus special item, was a water.

Water. The most memorable part of meal. This water was special. It glistened in the multicolored lights like a fantastic stained window. The ice clinking un the glass made the most satisfying, perfect sound, like the posh clink of an 18th century English tea party. Once it was placed on the table by the water the condensation created a dense fog inside the glass, indicating it's amazingly chilled temperature.

I often ask only for water at restaurants, and I drink it without a thought. If a waiter comes along with a pitcher and refills it, fantastic, who cares, I'm not drying up like SpongeBob in Sandy Cheek's house. I'm here for my seafood dinner.

But not tonight. Not at this Applebee's™ Grill + Bar. The moment the water reached my lips it was like when Anton Ego took his first bite of Remy's Ratatouille. I sat silent for a while, the cold glass began to freeze to my skin. I noticed that one of my table mates was experiencing the same effect. This water was fantastic.

For the first time in my 19 years of life I found myself pleading with servers. "Excuse me ma'am/sir, may we have some more water?". I was ecstatic every time a server would smile and reply, "of course". A glass at our table would last maybe two minutes before needing a refill, and when the last drop was consumed, all three of us at the table would be frothing at our mouths craving more.

We drank 18 glasses total during our hour of dining.

It would've been over 20 if we cancelled our food, which we jokingly considered.

2 hours later I'm still not sure if I was somehow dying of dehydration unknowingly or if the first glass was spiked with a love potion from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I do not remember the food. As mentioned earlier I believe I ordered some kind of chicken sandwich, I'm not even sure. I cannot recall the taste. I'm sure it was fine, maybe a bit on the well done side, dry, but I certainly don't remember disliking it. The other times I have dined here I enjoyed the food immensely.

Food was okay, water was immaculate, would...

Anytime there is anything to be celebrated in my family, we always went to Applebee's. It's been a family tradition over a couple generations. A couple weekends ago this family tradition was put to an end. My family is going through a rough time lately. Wife lost her job, my mom went through open heart surgery and can't work, my dad hasn't been able to work in a few years. I've been the one to take over all financial responsibility caring for 4 adults and a toddler. With that said my situation doesn't leave much spending money or play money. But my family hasn't gone out in a little so I took everyone to Applebee's. Also might I add, our server as well the store manager was well aware of my families situation. We ended up over spending and I was unable to leave an adequate tip so I just rounded up. Our server Joyce was soo upset that she got a $2.xx tip on a $157.xx bill that she chased me all the way outside. Loudly telling us know that she has to claim taxes on her tips so she won't even bother claiming such a small tip on such a large bill. In front of all my family and a friend I had also invited. We no longer feel comfortable taking our family celebrations there and that's the only Applebee's location in the area. When I brought this issue up to Steve Merrill, the president of Applebee's in in area, he defended Joyce's actions. This is not the first time we've had this same issue with Joyce. Upon calling, the store manager inquired "You must be calling about Joyce's behavior." So apparently she's known for this type of behavior and it's been made acceptable by the regional president Steve Merrill. The store manager, I believe his name is Will, was very apologetic and understanding of our situation. I have no complaints on him. I only advise that if you for whatever reason are unable to leave an adequate tip and Joyce is your server, that you be prepared to be publicly harassed and humiliated. With nothing being done about it. It seems as though the employees are not held accountable for their actions. Therefore I don't feel comfortable eating here anymore. For fear they could taint my food and nothing would be...