Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Walker

Good restaurant.

Classic Cheeseburger - $12: Good, but missing something…

Ordered medium and it was indeed medium. It was juicy! The bun was on the thicker side and sweet. The toppings added a great texture and made it overall great.

But something was off. It took a bit. I was almost done with the burger when I realized what was missing. I don’t think my burger was seasoned at all, even with salt and pepper. I asked about this and they actually let me know their process.

They season their burger patties at the beginning of the day and cook them to order. How mine was missed is a mystery. My best guess is that they made mine after running out and forgot since it was outside the normal routine. That said, everything else was there that I consider a hallmark of a good burger and it would have been easily remedied with salt and pepper sitting at the table. No biggy.

I missed a good deal! I used the regular menu to order, but in the single fold menu separate from the menu, there was a special listed for a Big Classic Bacon Cheeseburger for $10. It was not mentioned by the waitress so I am a tad disappointed. The upgrade for a lower cost would have been welcomed.

Waffle Fries - $1 (upgrade): Excellent browning and seasoning. They were soft, but with a slightly crispy exterior. I am not a fan of waffle fries normally, but my wife ordered them and they were amazing.

Fries: They were accidentally included on my plate, which was a welcome addition. They were medium to large cut. A bit thinner exterior with a fluffy and full interior. It was salted well and warm. No complaints.

Shark Bowl $8: I did not have it, but it looked really cool. It is a blue drink with little shark gummies “swimming” on top. It was worth mentioning.

Service: We waited a minute when entering (no one was at the door at the time), but we only waited a minute. Our server was pleasant, helpful, and informative. Our order was made fairly quickly.

When we were ready to pay, we waited about 5 minutes. We had the check and the money counted out, but no one came to take it. It was uncomfortable at that point and we thought we were supposed to pay up front. But no, you pay at your table. So we sat back down and waited to pay, which didn’t take long after that. Other than that, it was good service.

Atmosphere: Standard Applebee’s atmosphere of eclectic items, but VERY specialized on the local people. There were a lot of pictures of GVSU, fire stations, police, and even a remembrance of Officer Trevor Slot who was killed in the line of duty. They really want to make the locals feel welcomed and appreciated! Really cool to see.

However, the bathroom was a bit of a difficult issue. The men’s urinal waterfalled over my pants in its zeal to wash itself clean. Looks like it was a repeated issue as the floor was wet there and I was somewhat prepared for something like this, but still did not back up fast enough since it was so forceful. Might need to get that checked.

Conclusion: Overall, it is a great restaurant (no one is perfect). I’d recommend it. Watch for deals and have a great time.

Visited on a...

I've eaten at this location several times, both lunch and dinner, as well as at some other locations in the area (Holland, Grand Haven, etc.). The problem I have with this chain is that I don't find their menu particularly interesting. Last visit was for lunch and I had the chicken tender lunch special. The breading on the tenders was very thick, although I can say that they were cooked properly. The problem with having the best chicken tenders ever at another famous chain is that it tends the ruin the experience to be found elsewhere. This indeed was the case here. Service was good. Checkout was via their tabletop device, which can be challenging for the senior crowd. Any labor savings were negated as the server had to operate the device for the person paying the bill. Sometimes technology does not pay.

Update form 09-16-2020:

We are living in extraordinary times and it's really tough in the restaurant business. I have eaten out at several places and the dine-in experience is a lot different than it used to be. Wait staff have a tough time making a living on 50% capacity (here in MI), so I suggest that you tip generously with that in mind. Also wait times can be very long due to reduced staff. I had one meal at another chain that took over two hours. You may be disappointed if you're in a hurry at any dine-in restaurant. I'll also note that in general in any dine-in place, the ambiance is gone and dining is a generally quiet and at times rather boring experience.

About my meal yesterday, I had the chicken tortilla soup, which was very good, but curiously lacked any cheese. I had the chicken broccoli alfredo and it was good, although for my tastes could have used both more sauce and more broccoli. That being said, as someone who works in the frontline in grocery retail, I salute the restaurant workers and the job...

TLDR: I’ve always gotten exactly what I expected at Applebee’s. The food is okay, the service is decent and the atmosphere is …Applebee’s! If you don’t like Applebee’s, don’t come here, but if you do, you’ll be happy! 😆

We ordered drinks to start- a mucho TOP-SHELF LONG ISLAND ICED TEA (Smirnoff, Bacardi, Tanqueray and triple sec) which was exactly as expected, and a TITO'S BAY BREEZE (Tito's, Ocean Spray Cranberry and pineapple juice) which I was surprised to see actually looked exactly as pictured in the menu, and tasted as good as it sounds. The kiddos accompanying us had chocolate milk 😎.

We ordered the MOZZARELLA STICKS (Crispy outside with melty Mozzarella inside, this favorite is served with marinara sauce), which are always as expected. I forgot to take a pic before someone had already snagged one up!

I got the TOMATO BASIL SOUP, which was as expected, and the GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD Crisp romaine tossed in garlic Caesar dressing topped with grilled chicken, croutons and shaved Parmesan- but I subbed the chicken for the option of Blackened Shrimp. It was good! The shrimp were perfectly cooked. 🤤 🦐

The kids got Kraft Mac n cheese and chicken tenders, and both said they were good and as expected.

We also ordered the SOUTHWEST CHICKEN BOWL (Grilled chipotle lime chicken on fresh greens and cilantro rice with house-made pico de gallo, black bean corn salsa and guacamole. Topped with chimichurri and tortilla strips.) It looked better than everything else ordered, and having had the shrimp bowl myself, can attest to the tastiness of the bowls. I’d...