Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

A few of us met on the NextDoor app and have been chatting for a while. We decided that we wanted to plan a gathering to bring more people together so we decided to meet at Applebee's IRL for the first time to do this. 3 of us were there to do this planning and we had an absolute blast! Before my arrival there was an incident with another patron but from what everyone told me (staff, other guests, and the group I was meeting) the staff handled things great...and trust me, it was a weird situation!😵 Marcus, our server was definitely worth 5 stars...and I say that confidently as someone who used to manage hotels and worked in the hospitality industry almost my entire life. So for me to say that, actually means something. It takes more than a smile, being polite, and doing their job to impress me, and Marcus did impress! I also has encounters with other employees (sorry, didn't get names) and they were also great. No one gave off that vibe of being fake or scripted or being put out because it wasn't their job. We were there during happy hour on a Friday and it was busy, but not jam packed either. The crowd was a mix of everyone. Families with kids, younger, older, individuals, date night, small and large groups. A good meeting place for anyone and everyone. Marcus did not hover over us, but was attentive, being there when we needed without having to wait, look for him or ask someone to get him. His interactions with us were genuine, not fake or "tip induced". We split our time between a booth inside and a table outside on the patio and when we did step outside he came out to check on us...and it was a cold windy night. He was seated a very large group and still didn't skip a beat...often times when that happens other servers will step in to help with the tables that are finishing up, but he handled things great! I know this is not always an option but if you can request to be in his section you won't be disappointed! In my opinion prices are a tad bit high for basic appetizers and drinks. The food and drinks were basic and nothing that you can't get anywhere else or do at home. They did have a 2 for 1 special on many of drinks during happy hour but I didn't see that listed anywhere and everyone seemed a bit confused by it, not upset about it, but a little surprised...we just might not have seen the specials listed though. The bathrooms were clean and well stocked, the dining room was clean but IMO it was a little on the dark side (I'm in my 40s but felt like my parents trying to see the menu😂). The outdoor patio is available for those that smoke and vape or who want to sit outside...but please note smoking and vaping is allowed so no complaining! It is fully covered and they have fans for circulation. I only wish they had heaters or a fire pit for when it is colder. Add that and I probably would give 5 stars! Pic is of Marcus,...

I get to have dinner with my friend, Like once a week and we look forward to having that dinner. The waitress had too many things to do And , she was taken care of the phones she was taking care of the the takeout orders, the outside area, and a real customers at tables inside. The waitress, as we're trying to tell her what we wanted or needed, she would walk away each time, to the point, we had to yell, Out to her for it.

The first table that we sat at , we are asked to move because , they meant to reserve it, for their regular customers So we moved. No big deal......

We were sitting on the outside patio, Where they do food pick up too And out table So close to where they parked at We are trying to eat our salad All we can smell was the fumes off the truck That was there waiting to pick up their food for the night

So as we're even our salads or, we weren't even halfway through our salad And a waitress brought our dinner Me and my friend just looked at each other like (why are so many restaurants doing this, why don't they let you, finish the appetizer first, give us 10/15 minutes, then bring the meal)

This is immediately soured the our dinner, it made us feel unwelcome to be there, We moved , it wasn't a problem the table, that we were sitting at, for your regular customers. Can't remember that we need silverware or sauces for shrimps, or to put sugar in the tea. We are having to deal with people coming and picking their food up or right next to the parking space.

Then the regular customers came in, And one of the couples there which was like 4 or 5 of them, She speaks up and says oh I didn't know they allowed smoking out here I think that that was kind of the last straw with this stuff. They also were very rude, and was trying to take our table and, and our food was still on the table. I went inside to pay the bill, I tried to add talk to the waitress But she was so frazzled by this time she really didn't want to hear anything I had to say, and let her know when someone's talking to you you need to stay and hear him out until the of the conversation. And I also said to her that kind of messed our meal up when we're trying to eat our appetizer and our meal comes. And that her regular customers said something rude to me and my friend about the smoking.

We've never been treated like that before, I'm sorry but, We won't be gone back...

My boyfriend and I decided to enjoy our evening meal at the Palm Bay Road Applebees. We ordered drinks, appetizers, and a burger.

Our food seemed to be taking a bit longer than expected, so we thought we'd spend the waiting time on the deck, keeping an eye on our table for our food's arrival.

We had only partially consumed our appetizers and intended to ask for the leftovers to be boxed. However, while on the patio (overlooking our table), we noticed the busser start to clear our table.

Despite our table still bearing food, and us visibly seated on the patio just beyond the window, I signaled the busser to halt. Instead of a courteous acknowledgement or a simple gesture indicating understanding, he responded with a rude, aggressive wave and slammed the plates he had piled onto our food back onto the table with an unpleasant attitude, before dismissively waving me off And was extremely disrespectful.

At this point, my boyfriend was incensed by the way I'd been treated and went inside to confront the busser, who, in turn, blamed us for our table being cleared. This is not the norm for my boyfriend, as usually he tells me not to let things get to me. It has to be pretty bad for him to say something because his normal course of action is to say nothing, but just not return.

Given that there was still half a drink, more than half of the food, no bill or tip on the table, and we were clearly observing the table from the patio, there was no reason for the busser to clear our table and quite unreasonable for him to blame his actions on us.

I requested to speak to the management at this stage, who graciously comped the meal (we still tipped the server the amount that our meal would have cost, as I don’t believe the server should suffer due to the poor behavior of his coworker).

However, the damage was already done. This busser, CJ, had been so rude to us that not only did other customers approach the management to express their disturbance at his behavior and treatment of us, but we also resolved never to patronize this...