What is the secret of Applebees success?

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (bartl)

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 10:12:59 GMT

I'm changing my tune about Applebees a little bit. My 88-year-old father-in-law loves chain restaurants, and we've taken him to lunch in a couple of Applebees in Staten Island, NY, near where he's currently living. The food was chain restaurant quality (good, not great), but the places were clean, and the management and staff were friendly and attentive, especially to a fussy elderly man. I have come to the conclusion that the standards in Applebees restaurants are not as uniform as they should be, and that whether they are typical chain restaurants or sub-par ones depends on their individual management.

Bart

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (cathyftr)

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:25:31 GMT

senor boogie woogie

I will also say again that I think Applebees does well with the travelers off the highway and being near hotels and whatnot. I remember the Applebees which was across the street from a huge Hilton hotel in Jackson, Mississippi (on County Line Rd.)

This is certainly the case in my neck if the woods with Applebees.

Winchester, VA...the Applebees is on Route 50 west of town. There is a Courtyard by Marriott nearby and while that helps another factor is that if one heads west into West Virginia the Applebees, IHOP and Sonic are the last of such places all the way until the Clarksburg/Bridgeport area in central West Virginia . That is a good 3 perhaps 4 hour drive between the two cities. It has been years since I have taken that drive. Romney the biggest town between the two cities is pretty much limited to fast food like McDonalds and local mom & pop restaurants.

Martinsburg, WV...Applebees is located within walking distance of a Days Inn, Holiday Inn and a Hampton Inn.

Front Royal, VA...Hampton Inn is nearby as well as a very large Holiday Inn.

Charles Town, WV....Their Applebees is located not only near several hotels and motels but also within walking distance of the huge Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races as well and since the restaurants inside the casino are quite expensive such as The Final Cut Steakhouse ( my husband says they are just as pricey as Ruth Chris ) not too mention Hollywood still allows smoking inside. Result. the Applebees do get quite a bit of the casino crowds who don't want fast food and do not want to bother walking into a crowd of smokers just to get something to eat.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (senor boogie woogie)

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:08:50 GMT

I think that is probably another secret to their success, that it does sell Ok to decent food for whatever they charge for it, and that they do a good bar business, with good prices for alcohol. Obviously local people run and work in the restaurant and it is probably popular because of that. I will also say again that I think Applebees does well with the travelers off the highway and being near hotels and whatnot. I remember the Applebees which was across the street from a huge Hilton hotel in Jackson, Mississippi (on County Line Rd.)

Applebees, or other chains of that flavor are not bad places to work for young(-ish) high school and college aged people and probably a good place to break in as a bartender. I am the OP and I never said anything bad about Applebees, but I have never ever when I was hungry and wanted to eat out, to eat there. There were just too many options, either in the chains or locally. Besides, this was Mississippi, where there is actually a state law requiring all people over 18 to know how to cook a delicious down home meal. Those who cannot are subject to fines and prison time. Really, look it up.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (leethebard)

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:59:05 GMT

Answer to original question...their secret is they cater to a young crowd who wouldn't know real food from frozen....it's the under 30 and over 70 crowd!!

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (ken8038)

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:11:47 GMT

The final word about what goes on behind the scenes working at Applebee's is probably the chapter about it in Tracie McMillan's book, "The American Way of Eating".

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (collinf)

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:33:59 GMT

leethebard

A garbage chain selling mostly frozen garbage.....worst of the sit down chains!!

I tend to agree. Although they used to be a little better, once IHOP bought them, the quality took an even bigger nose-dive.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (leethebard)

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:18:55 GMT

A garbage chain selling mostly frozen garbage.....worst of the sit down chains!!

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (Bonk)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:56:49 GMT

In Southern Ohio, their tall draft domestic beers are $2 during happy hour and are served very, very cold. That's enough reason for me to go.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (ken8038)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:08:27 GMT

An Applebee's opened near me about 10 years ago. Shortly after it opened I went with my kids (who were in thier early & mid teens then) while my wife was visiting her sister in Texas. The food was good enough and the service was very attentive. I was impressed, promised my wife we'd go soon when she got back.

A few weeks later we returned. I guess the HandsOn Management period had ended. We stood around for 10 minutes waiting to be seated. Waited in our booth for another 10 minutes before we were handed menus, ordered 4 sodas from the server who said she's be back with our sodas in a couple of minutes and she'd take our order. That was the last we saw of her. After another 10 minutes we got up and left. We certainly would have complained to the host or somebody before leaving, but amazingly, there was absolutely no one at the host station or anywhere nearby. We've never been back.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (hatteras04)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:26:13 GMT

I am not an Applebee's fan at all. I have one walking distance from my office and I can count on one hand the number of times I have been there for lunch in the last 5 years. We will occasionally go for a beer after work and a few of the appetizers are ok and the beer is cold so that's tolerable. I am not against ever going to chains but I find others in the same category to be better like Chili's, Max and Erma's, and Champp's. If we are going to eat at a chain my preference is for the Italian ones like Carabba's or Bravo.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (bartl)

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:14:09 GMT

OK, I eat at chain restaurants, and I find them to be mostly OK. But I tried two different Appleby's, and am not at all tempted to go back to one. The first one was one of those, "would you like some food with your salt?" places. When one opened up walking (well, by New York City standards) from my house, my wife and I decided to give it a try, well, at least after giving it a few months to get its act together. We went there, and the tableware was filthy. We pointed it out to the manager, who got us fresh tableware, and that was it. Not even an apology. The food there was not even up to Chili's/TGI Friday's standards, although it wasn't bad. Certainly not good enough to give them another chance.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (FriedClamFanatic)

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:09:50 GMT

kozel

FriedClamFanatic

I'll do their appetizers..if it's the only place around. I always figured it was the 20-something gals and the 60-something guys......with the 30+ guys waiting in the wings (cheap, but hopeful)

Wait, I'm 60 something; where's the nearest Applebees?

Alas, so am I...and it's just another Urban Myth!

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (billyboy)

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 07:29:54 GMT

I gave up going to Applebee's years ago after having too many bad experiences at various locations. Bad & indifferent service, low quality food (and this is including free meals there via holiday gift cards). I do frequent the occasional chain, but whenever possible I do like to give the local restaurateurs my business.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (Foodbme)

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:18:15 GMT

The Applebee's in the East Valley of PHX do very well. Always crowded. A lot of regulars. Kind of a Cheer's/ neighborhood bar atmosphere.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (CCinNJ)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:57:56 GMT

Isn't everyone?

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:53:37 GMT

Is the owner Italian?

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (agnesrob)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:38:38 GMT

NYPIzzaNut

Can you get great pizza where you live?

Yes! And I am lucky to have my pick! My choice is Ray's Brick Oven pizza in neighboring Montvale ,NJ. It's just the way we like! Thin crust in the middle but a doughy circumference! Just right!

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (agnesrob)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:33:15 GMT

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (CCinNJ)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:27:02 GMT

People from New Jersey never complain about anything.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (1bbqboy)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:17:39 GMT

You gotta go to Iowa for good pizza.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:16:17 GMT

I have heard lots of folks from Jersey complain about the state of pizza there.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (CCinNJ)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:57:34 GMT

It's New Jersey!

Of course.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:47:44 GMT

Can you get great pizza where you live?

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (agnesrob)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:21:28 GMT

Well, I am a female and would never refuse good company due to inferior food. On the other hand, I am a food lover, who, on occasion likes BK, Taco Bell or McDonalds. I also love Fois Gras, Caviar, lobster and dry aged beef. I guess I just love food! When given the opportunity to eat in a local ethnic establishment over a chain, I would not go with the chain.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:05:56 GMT

Or bun bo hue soup spiced up to a 10!

With lots of water LOL

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:04:29 GMT

Lots of sheep in human form I am afraid.

I will take lamb's brains anyday.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:03:09 GMT

kozel

mr chips
When I went to sam's little league regional in 2009, I was amazed at the other parents lack of inters in relatively interesting places. There was a very good indian place within walking distance of the hotel, an In N out less than a quarter mile mile away and a whole town full of Salvadorian places, A Hat restaurant. Almost everyone ate at chain places like Outback, apple bees and McDonald's.

Standing in NYC's Chinatown watching the tourists coming out of a Subway (sandwich place not the train) makes me want to scream.

It is like that all over the world I am told.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 17:01:55 GMT

Some don't even dig Chinese or Tex Mex places.

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (NYPIzzaNut)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:59:33 GMT

kozel

NYPIzzaNut

Some of our female friends even refused to go out with us because of the places we chose.

Like Hooter's?

Nah like Puerto Rican, Spanish, taquerias, Vietnamese etc..

Re:What is the secret of Applebees success? (1bbqboy)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:57:55 GMT

CCinNJ

We should have a NYC get-together and do that!

Scream? A flash mob of old folks in mobility scooters. I'm in.