Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Murrieta

Date: 1/1/25 Time: 6–8 PM

Upon arrival, there was no host to greet me—a possible cost-saving measure? I made my own way to the bar area, where the manager approached me as she entered from the service booth. She asked if I preferred a table or a booth, and after I chose a table, she handed me one of the menus from her stack. Notably, she didn’t include “The Really Big Meal Deal” menu. Curious if the deal had expired, I walked over to my server, Sharreece, who confirmed that the deal was still active.

It seems the manager is pulling triple duty as a hostess and busser, which could explain the oversight.

Sharreece asked how I wanted my Big Classic Bacon Cheeseburger cooked, offering the options “pink” or “not pink.” I requested medium rare, and she selected “pink” in the system. For context, a server at another Applebee’s once explained that “pink” and “not pink” were the only options available—an unusual practice compared to most burger chains. Still, I appreciated the clarity of those choices.

My ice water was first served in a plastic cup, but before I could finish it, Sharreece returned with another water, this time in a glass. It was unexpected, especially as it arrived while I was in the middle of eating my burger.

As for the food: the burger was so wet that the bottom bun collapsed before I could finish half of it. Meanwhile, the fries—though visually appealing with a nice golden color—were extremely dry, reminiscent of reheated day-old fries. I’m generally not picky when it comes to fries, but these left me disappointingly parched. Sadly, I ended up leaving most of them uneaten.

The burger patty was overly moist but tasted good, with lettuce appeared to come from the thick, bitter core of an iceberg lettuce head. The burger was so messy that I had to ask the manager for additional napkins, as only one was initially provided, wrapped around unnecessary utensils. If burgers this wet are being served, cloth towels might be a better solution.

This was the first time an Applebee’s meal didn’t meet expectations. While Sharreece and the manager attempted to provide attentive service despite appearing overworked, the food quality left much to be desired. The fries were dry and unsalted, the burger was excessively wet, and the overall dining atmosphere felt sterile.

I hope they...

went into 'bee's tonight craving a shrimp parmesan sirloin. sat at the bar and the barkeep was definitely on point (i regret to say I didn't catch the bartenders name so I cant give him personal props but he was really friendly and very attentive). literally within seconds of sitting, he was already greeting me. he offered some cocktails and I took his advice on a red trolley beer. good choice. I ordered up some pub pretzels and was pleasantly surprised at how good the dipping choices were. the beer infused cheese cause was soooo good but the honey mustard dip was even better. my sirloin came and with the sides, it was a damn fine meal. my only regret--and ive been seeing this quite a bit lately--is the charging of the non alcoholic drink. ive bartended for nearly 20 years and its generally known among bartenders who've worked more than 3 days that the unwritten rule is, if someone orders a cocktail or two plus an entrée and wants something non alcoholic to go with their meal, whether it be a soda or coffee or tea, then they shouldn't be charged. for me personally, whenever that criteria came about, or especially if there was a designated driver amongst a group of friends out drinking, I never charged them. they've already spent enough money. it won't cost more than a couple pennies to pour them a soda from the bartender gun. please understand, im being extremely petty and im not calling out this specific bartender--as I've said, its happened a few times at other places lately as well--but that's just how I feel. anyone who's bartended before will probably understand this and might even agree. I hope the bartender who served me sees this and remembers. he was really good and I hope he works the next time...

We went to the Murrieta Applebee's last night, August 8, 2025. My husband's fav restaurant. It was a belated Anniversary present from my brother. My husband had a stroke and cannot speak clearly so I ord for him when he went to the restroom. The server, name Jeff, was was so condescending to me that I mixed up the order. He seemed to hate us the minute we ord water, and said "I need to get away from this guy" and rolled his eyes. He came back with water and slammed it on the table and left. Next time when he came back he also slammed our appetizer down and left. He then told another woman to bring our order. She put it down and ran. I saw him talking to manager and knew he was talking about us. I was humiliated beyond belief. I asked for a receipt and angrily told me to use the card reader that he bought to the table. By then I was in tears and ran out of the restaurant. My husband said he told Jeff not to treat me that way. He also said there was an extra charge for a plate that we never asked for, he eventually threw that on our table as he walked by, or a takeout fee. He wasn't sure. We go to Applebee's in all states, and never were we treated like this. We were going to celebrate with dessert, but our...