Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Virginia

Warning Do NOT eat at Applebee’s on Richmond Hwy in Alexandria VA! My wife and I were there this afternoon for dinner. When we walked in Daryl the host sat us in a booth but seeing the baseball game on Nationals vs Philly we decided to move to the bar area instead. We sat at a table and asked for the game to be placed on the other tv(closer). It took 4 people and 20 minutes until finally Daryl changed it. Our server Brandon asked for our drink order before he walked away he said “on the rocks?” My wife said yes. After he put in our drink order he asked again, then when he made the drink he asked again from the bar. Finally we get our drinks and I used the table computer to order spinach and artichoke dip. When Brandon returned to the table and asked if we were ready to order I informed him I used the machine. Brandon the server brings out this picture of chips and dip. All the chips were from the bottom of the bag and crushed. I pressed the button to call my server because he was no where to be found. Almost 10 minutes later and cold clumpy dip later he comes. I ask for chips that are not all broken he coped an attitude. My wife and I decided it was best to pay for our drinks and chips and leave. He brings out the chips and we pay via the machine. Since the service was lacking and we were leaving I left a $1 tip (better than nothing). As my wife and I are walking out Brandon comes with our receipt saying “here is your receipt thanks for the $1 tip after you fed your face” then he says thank you sir and starts to laugh and walk off. I turned around after hearing that and walked back towards the back and he says again “can I help you sir” and laughs. I was enraged and demanded to see the manager he laughs and says ok I’ll get him. Daryl sees us upset and comes over and asked what happened we explain it to him he said I’ll get him and apologizes for Brandon. Brandon then starts speaking to another server male with dreads saying “pu$$y a$$ Ni##er!” Luckily I did not hear that as I was talking but my wife did and she gets really upset and refuses to tell me until we are driving away afraid of me snapping. The GM comes out and we explain it a third time as Brandon is still walking around laughing. My wife begins to cry because she is so upset and having a biracial child he too will have to face such racism’s unfortunately. The manager says he will handle it in house but would not confirm any action if any will he take. He refunded back the money we did spend but money isn’t the point! You let your employee talk to a customer like that and call them racist slurs! On top of that a Female Veteran who made it possible for this runny nosed snot little kids to have the right of free speech!!!!! Is this what Applebee’s...

This has to be the saddest Applebee's I've ever been to. The ceiling tiles look like they're from the 70's; just covered in dirt and grime. They had only 2 servers working on a Sunday afternoon, and those folks were the sole saving grace of the experience. They were both friendly and helpful, despite having to serve a whole restaurant by themselves.

The poor hostess looked so frazzled when more people kept coming in to eat, but she added us and the next few families on to a waitlist. Eventually what I'm assuming was the GM came over and gruffly told her to split up our family of 5 into two booths. The hostess looked mortified as she asked us if it was OK for our family to sit separately.

She looked visibly uncomfortable around the GM, and I can't say I blame her. Maybe he was just having a bad day, maybe things were just too busy, but he possessed not an ounce of customer service.

The chips for the dip were way past their prime. If stale could achieve another level, those chips succeeded.

We asked for a medium rare cook on our steaks, and it was just raw. My kiddo powered through hers but, my husband and I took most of ours home. I was thinking of reheating it, but the meat itself was grayish and so tough. It just wasn't appetizing at all. If Gordon Ramsey had that steak served to him, he would have thrown it at the closest wall yelling about it being "raw."

Cue 2 hours after lunch, and my daughter who actually finished her steak has a stomachache and experienced multiple bathroom visits.

The literal only saving grace of this whole thing was our server. She tried her best to make it a good experience, I truly think she deserves a better environment to work in.

I took a photo when we got home, but it honestly doesn't do it justice. I cut off the top of the steak, which seemed the only safe piece to eat. The fat wasn't rendered and the overall flavor and texture was off putting.

We didn't address this issue with the manager as again, he seemed incredibly unapproachable. Not to mention if this is the quality of meat they serve, we did not want a redo...

For starters, we ordered from the Applebee’s in Alexandria, 6310 Richmond Highway, 22306. We just relocated to this area last month from Bellevue, Nebraska, so this was our first time ordering from this Applebee’s.

Provided are a few reasons why we were dissatisfied: 1) I did not have any french fries with my burger, 2) My wife’s salad did not have any side-dressing. 3) My wife’s steak, ordered medium-well (hint of pink), was a “medium” steak (pretty much pink throughout); we have pictures.

But it gets worse: My wife called the Applebee’s restaurant (where we made our purchase) to let them know about our order, but when she began to explain, the call was surprisingly disconnected. Well, she gave it a few minutes and tried calling again. Again, she got someone on the line and as she began to share our experience with our meal, again, she was disconnected. My wife, decided to give it one last shot. She called again and this time, the call immediately went to the messaging service. Wow!!

Neither of us can accurately state why she was unable to complete her call to the Applebee’s employee, but suffice it to say that we are very disappointed with quality of food and service from this Applebee’s. Very disappointed!

[UPDATE — 25 Aug 2023]: Just wanted to post a quick update to my post from last week. I received a call from Applebee’s (Management). The individual was apologetic for my experience and he explained some of the technical issues involving their phone system (that are being worked). He also offered to help make our next dining experience much better.

While I have not yet been back, I must say that I am very appreciative that Applebee’s local management would take the time to personally call me. This is a sign of good leadership and a commitment to good customer service and deserves an increased rating on Service. Thank you Applebee’s! I will follow-up with another post after I have revisited...