Applebee's Grill + Bar

My wife and I used to eat at Applebee's with some frequency. But that was twelve to fifteen years ago, and since that time we have seen a continuing move away from customer service and quality in the products Applebee's sells.

A few years ago while on one of our regular trips to the Jasper, Indiana area to visit my wife's family, many of our regular restaurant locations were closed when we stopped to grab a late dinner. Not wanting fast food, we decided to stop at this Applebee's location on the North end of town. Our experience and continued experiences here have made this a regular stop for us.

We were greeted as we walked in the door by two young ladies who genuinely seemed to enjoy their job instead of the typical attitude displayed by so many service workers who seemed put out for having to look up from their phones. The entire server and bar staff were engaging, friendly, and helpful during our visit, and when we made a special order to accommodate my wife's dairy allergy, they took our requests seriously.

It is a very comfortable place to relax, unwind from the road, and enjoy a meal and cold beer before heading to our hotel for the night. The food has been excellent on each visit and prepared perfectly. Portion sizes are huge, so I usually order off the appetizer menu and have always left satisfied. My wife loves their Chicken Oriental Salad.

They also offer a full selection of ice-cold draft beers in either 16-ounce or 22-ounce glasses. A perfect treat to finish out a long day traveling. We will return here as long as they continue to offer the service and quality they do.

Amazing. I feel like I've been transported back to my childhood, all the standard family restaurants in my hometown have gone downhill and I feels great to eat in a Applebees again like I did with my parents as a child. Food was great and the service was great. Thank you Sydney, you are that girl! You are the difference! At one point she even sat a table when the host was in the bathroom, I was continually impressed by her awareness.

I tried ordering food for delivery on 9/25/2022 with door dash. The ordered was never picked up and I reached out to door dash about the issue as well as your store. The next day I received a voice-mail from Lisa the manager and I called and spoke with her about the issue. She told me that if the money for my ordered didn't get refunded to give her a call back because she wanted to make sure I received my money back since I didn't get my food. I checked my bank account and it never got refunded. I tried to call the store and the lady acted like she had know idea what I was talking about and acted like there was no one there by that name. I just want my money back and for that person to know that it's very rude to make a customer feel like they are stupid. I have visual voice-mail and it clearly shows me the person I spoke with last week was Lisa the manager.

Had wonderful food and lovely service from Alec tonight! He was so friendly and remembered everything we ordered without writing anything down. Definitely stop by this location if you can :)

I hate Applebees. This is a nice Applebees. We've come multiple times food is consistently good prices fair restaurant is clean and so are bathrooms. Never super busy staff are nice. No complaints.

The restaurant was fairly busy upon arrival. I was seated, place my drink and food order, & received my food promptly and it was hot and delicious. Service was good and server was friendly.

Today I was in a party of three we had great food and service. Our waiter was a young man out of high school but you would never know that. He was very pleasant to work with. His name was Ethan Kendall. If you are looking for a great service ask for this waiter. We had such a great time. We were trying to learn names. So we gave him clues for remember our names and he was calling us by our names. AWESOME Food and Service

Place was really almost empty, but the service was so-so anyway. I wasn't in a hurry so I didn't care that much. We both ordered the Asian chicken salad and water (both on diets). Waitress promised bread sticks later. The salads tasted OK, but the veg parts seemed like they were a bit old and limp. Later the waitress brought us the breadsticks. I smelled something odd and it was the breadsticks, they smelled like they had been smoked in a trash burner. An odd chemical, bad smell and tasted (yes I tasted them) just as bad. When waitress brought us check, I said "These aren't right, something is off on the smell and taste". She took them and said "OH, I'll have to try another one in the back because I eat these all the time. Thanks."

? ? ?

I mean, hello? We both tried them and they tasted bad. And nothing more was said to us about that and no comps on the meal, no explanation or a free order of new breadsticks. Zilch. She took our money and that was that. And getting our change took about 15 minutes in an almost-empty place.

Then, (no surprise here) when I got home, I had the screaming you-know-whats. Three times in a row. Clean as a whistle inside now.

No more crApplebees for me, thanks.

Food-wise, it was a typical Applebee's experience, no complaints. That's one of the reasons why when traveling, I don't mind hitting up a chain restaurant because the food is mostly consistent from location to location.

The service was horrendous. I wish I knew the name of our server, but I don't even know if she ever gave it. When approaching our table, all she said (totally straight faced with no emotion) was "drinks." When we would ask her questions we would get one word answers:

Me: (ordering a salad) "Do you have thousand island?"
Server: No.
Me: "How about balsamic?"
Server: No.
(long pause since I kinda expect her to tell me what dressings they offer. Nothing.)
Me: "Why don't you just tell me what dressings you have."
Server: (gives dirty look)

That was pretty typical of the entire experience. No one came after our food was served to ask how things were or if we needed anything. After she brought the checks, she pointed to the electronic payment terminal we had moved over to the window ledge and says "you can pay with that," then turned around and walked away. Now, I hate paying with those things. Part of dining out is to have someone take care of those things for you and that is part of the service. With that (usually good) service then comes a really good tip. Customers should not have to do part of your job. Plus, I had initially wanted to pay cash, and this forced me to have to see someone and flag them down which I was not patient enough to do. By this point in the evening I just wanted to leave.

Two stars because the food was edible and the orders were relatively correct. It was the only redeeming part of the experience.

There are other restaurants in Jasper that have better service. The following day I ate at Taco Bell and it was delightful.

OK, I am not a fan of fast casual dining restaurants and only stopped in for a quick bite as I was tired, hungry and cranky (hangry).
So, I stopped in and ordered the cajun salmon. I was pleasantly surprised when my dinner arrived, it was hot, fresh and yes, believe it or not, good! So in a land of regular food, I have found the slightly better then regular food.
The service was good and my waitress was one of the few in this world that actually delivers a fresh iced tea refill with a lemon!!!
2 stars is as high as I rate for chain restaurants.