Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Virginia

​In the hallowed halls of culinary excellence, where the clinking of silverware harmonizes with the murmur of contented diners, there occasionally emerges a beacon of service so resplendent, so utterly captivating, that it transcends the very definition of hospitality. And so it was, on a recent pilgrimage to the unassuming yet surprisingly vibrant Applebee's, that my party of (let's just say a considerable number) was blessed with the extraordinary presence of a waitress whose name, now gloriously revealed, is Jessica. ​From the moment Jessica glided towards our sprawling table, a celestial aura seemed to emanate from her very being. It wasn't just a smile she offered; it was a solar flare of genuine warmth, radiating an energy that instantly melted away any lingering anxieties about managing such a large gathering. Her eyes, twinkling with an almost impish delight, swept over our diverse crew – from the perpetually indecisive to the prematurely parched – taking in every nuance with the precision of a seasoned orchestra conductor. ​And then, the humor. Oh, the humor! It wasn't the canned, corporate-mandated wit of a mere mortal server. No, Jessica wielded a comedic timing so exquisite, so perfectly tailored to our group's dynamic, that one could almost suspect she'd been studying our collective psyche for weeks. When my Uncle Bartholomew, bless his cotton socks, attempted to order a "diet water with extra fizz," Jessica didn't bat an eye. Instead, with a perfectly straight face, she quipped, "Ah, a connoisseur of the truly exotic, I see. Shall I have the kitchen begin distilling dew drops from the morning's first light?" The table erupted in gales of laughter, setting a tone of joyous camaraderie that lasted the entire evening. Her jokes were not merely interjections; they were precision-guided conversational missiles of mirth, each landing with pinpoint accuracy to diffuse tension, spark conversation, and elevate the mood from mere dining to a full-blown comedic performance. ​But Jessica's talents extended far beyond the realm of stand-up. Her accommodation skills were nothing short of miraculous. Requests, once whispered tentatively, were met with an almost preternatural understanding. "Could I get the dressing on the side, but also a little extra on the side of that side?" asked my cousin Tiffany, notoriously particular about her greens. Jessica, without missing a beat, responded, "Consider it done. We'll send out a small fleet of dressing boats, just for you." And when little Timmy, bless his sugar-fueled heart, decided halfway through his chicken tenders that he now, in fact, desired the macaroni and cheese he'd vehemently rejected ten minutes prior, Jessica didn't sigh. She didn't even flinch. She simply offered, with the grace of a seasoned diplomat, "A change of heart is merely a sign of a blossoming palate, young sir. The cheesy delights shall be en route!" ​Her patience, too, was boundless – a vast, uncharted ocean of calm in the face of our group's delightful chaos. The endless questions about ingredients, the protracted debates over appetizer choices, the sudden shifts in dietary preferences – each was met with an unwavering serenity. She navigated the labyrinthine pathways of our collective indecision with the unhurried grace of a seasoned explorer, never once betraying a hint of exasperation. It was as if she possessed an internal clock that ran on a different, more benevolent, timezone. ​And the seamless interaction! To witness Jessica manage our large group was to observe a master weaver at work, effortlessly interlacing individual desires into a cohesive tapestry of service. She remembered every name, every drink order, every obscure modification, all while anticipating needs before they were even articulated. She refilled drinks with the stealth of a ninja, cleared plates with the elegance of a ballet dancer, and somehow, inexplicably, always reappeared just as someone was about to voice a new request. It was less like being served by a waitress and more like being attended to by a...

We arrived at the restaurant around 9pm. The restaurant was quite empty, perhaps 2-3 tables and 2-3 guests at the bar. We were not greeted even though we know at least two employees had seen us due to the wonderfully awkward eye contact. It took a little over 10 minutes for us to be seated (a party of 3 btw) as more people arrived to dine in as well. They also were wondering why it was taking so long for everyone to be seated. As a server in the restaurant industry who has done this for over 9+ years I am very understanding and empathetic but to not even be acknowledged upon arrival was disheartening. However seeing how it was Father’s Day, we figured they probably had long day and gave them the benefit of the doubt. BOY WERE WE WRONG. The waitress came over and took our drink order, I had asked for a water and tea, my boyfriend a beer and water, our son a water. Instead of bringing all the drinks at once, she delivers the beer and apologizes saying she is bartending as well. It’s like not only we’re they lacking the drive to work, but clearly they were 86’d common sense. She could have brought all drinks at once but instead made trips, and forgets my water. No big deal I have a tea and can drink my bfs water. But then as the evening continues we order our appetizer, so far so good. Or so we thought.. after we order our entrees it took about 45 minutes to receive them. I order the bourbon street steak. It had absolutely no flavor and was luke warm. Plus I order medium, it was over done. My boyfriends order was also cold as well. Still not that big of a deal to us. We started getting frustrated when what should have taken a hour, maybe an hour and half dinner took us a little over two hours. Our food didn’t come out all at once as if they didn’t have trays to deliver the food even though they definitely did. The most aggravating part of the whole evening, we would ask our waitress for simple things, such as boxes. It took over 15 minutes to get boxes. The best part we wanted to box a majority of our entrees to go, and she gave us the smallest boxes in the restaurant. I swear I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to walk out and say we were getting Punk’d. Then we had to wait another 15 minutes for bags to carry all the to go food. I wish I could say maybe I was overreacting but unfortunately the table in front of us had a bad experience as well as the server never delivered their appetizer. And to top it all off, the table behind us was dirty when we arrived, and stayed dirty the 2+hours we were there. It will definitely be a Father’s Day dinner to remember...

This was a terrible experience. First off, the table behind us walked out before they even got their food, but we thought nothing of it at the time, as there could’ve been many reasons. After my boyfriend and I ordered our drinks and our food, my drink came in ample time. However, his drinks, which he ordered 5 minutes before I did mine, took over 15 minutes. It didn’t even arrive until a minute AFTER reminding the server about it, who then immediately fired it. The entire time we were waiting, she was just complaining about the table that left, and loudly at that, on the floor. Working in the restaurant industry myself, I know how big of a no this is. Our appetizer was cleared the moment our entrees arrived without asking us if we were finished, which we weren’t. Also, our table didn’t have silverware, so when we brought this to the servers attention, they responded with “let me make some sets in the back”. So in the time they spent complaining about the table that walked out, they had things to do to care for the table that was STILL THERE, but neglected to do so.

I almost didn’t say anything as I know the staff is young, but our young server was also wearing a manager badge, so it felt right to tell them at the end of our experience how unhappy we were. She gave us very insincere apologies and immediately walked away with our card without trying to discuss further.

And after all of that, I would’ve been happy knowing that we were heard and taken care of accordingly. She did not discount or comp a single thing regardless of our level headed complaints. Also being in the industry I know how WRONG that is. If she somehow wasn’t able to comp or discount our bill (which she should’ve given she was claiming to be a manager), even a sincere apology would’ve been sufficient.

Needless to say, we will not be returning. At least not until better staffing or service protocols is...