Applebee's Grill + Bar — Restaurant in Waterville

the food is great, however i stated that i didn't like crowds to my waitress. not 5 minutes later she sits a group of 6 very young people right next to my table. this bothered me so much i left prematurely without even finishing my food. i spent the better part of $80 on the food that i purchased only to be so disgusted and appauled by the lack of respect given to me this evening i ended up taking my food home where i can at the very least attempt to merely enjoy what i wanted to in the restuarant. aside from the lack of better customer service and pride in the franchise name from the staff there is not too many places like this one near where i live.. i chose this resturant for a change in pace and scenery, however i feel that in order for my opinion to be heard and to matter i must boycott this franchise altogether. i think that this resturant should revamp its staff and hire peoples whom are interested in the franchise and show pride for the name they bear upon their uniforms. the waitress whom served my spouse and i seemed more interested in chatting with the two ladies that were sitting in the booth just ahead of ours than administering the appropiate manners/respect required to successfully keep a national resturant's reputation above par. for those whom do not nor cannot handle large crowds in small places i reccommend staying away from this resturantaltogether. i have found that on many occasions "GOVERNOR'S" is by far a much more relaxed and more cozy compared to some of the other resturants i have chosen in the past. until i see better work ethics from these young ladies whom seat and serve so many heads i am certainly NOT returning here for a very long time if i even ever decide to return at all. foood is priced so high you pretty much have to sacrifice a large portion of your pay if you wish to have anything of a decent meal here. i can go to a nearby conveinence store spend much less and be able to enjoy what i purchased. heres a wake up call to the operation of a national franchise resturant. next time i go out to eat its certainly NOT going to be at...

Disappointed with Service and Food Quality Despite Low Volume.

I generally have come to expect a decent dining experience at Applebee’s and have over the past consistently, but our recent visit left much to be desired. Despite the restaurant being far from full or even at half capacity it took eight to ten minutes before our waitress first approached our table. After taking our order, it was another ten minutes before drinks arrived, and a total of 45 minutes from being seated to receiving appetizers.

We attempted to be understanding, and I asked the manager if they were short-staffed. I was told they were not. The manager then reviewed the receipt with me, showing that our food had been order 12 to minutes after we ordered and then they cooked for 34 mins before being served, which only confirmed what the quality suggested.

The food arrived lukewarm and stale: The chicken on the salad was dry, hard, and clearly not freshly prepared. The 6oz steak was overcooked and dried out, as if it had been under heat lamps for far too long. The Queso burger was pink inside despite a request for it to be cooked well-done, which was especially disappointing and concerning. The only redeeming item was the garlic steak skillet, which was hot, fresh, and flavorful, exactly what I expected for the entire meal.

Overall, this experience was well below the standard I have come to expect from Applebee’s.

The extended wait times, lack of attentiveness, and poorly prepared food, even when the restaurant wasn’t busy are unacceptable.

I hope management will take this feedback seriously as their is no ill will and we genuinely enjoy the Applebees experience and but we hope that the underlying issues with service coordination and kitchen timing...

For context...first a bit about me. I am a 76 year old disabled Viet Nam veteran, retired child protective social worker and a general manager for an upscale steak house, called the Boar's Head, in the seventies.

We had a bad experience. The Waitperson was great and I tipped her well so as not to spoil her day.

First, we were seated in a side room that was quite cool and not at all comfortable for my wife, whom I had advised to take her jacket inside with her.

We ordered the ribs. The menu description states they "fall off the bone". Our ribs put up a valiant fight. My wife could not cut into hers. With some effort, I was able to cut into mine and discovered that they were dry. My wife was offered a replacement meal, shrimp, which was fine but not at all what she had her heart set on. My ribs were carmelized and a bit chewy, which I am okay with and did not request a replacement, though one was offered. To make matters worse, we ordered the cheese dip, with chips, as an appetizer....it had a long hair in it. Several months before this episode, we had placed an order for ribs to be picked-up. Once home and setting the ribs out, it was clear that this was a cut of meat that should have never been accepted so as to be served to a customer. We literally could not cut into them. Appleby's did the right thing in this example and comped the meals. I am not one given to asking for hand-outs, but this is exactly what should have happened last night. At this point, it is safe to say that we have no desire to return to Appleby's.

P.S. In the last several months we have ordered ribs at Ruby Tuesday's on three occasions and they literally did fall...