Sweet and Sour in Boston

I didn't want to do a review of Applebees, ashamed that we actually dined here last Thursday night, but our experience was so bad that we had to let the public know.

As far as chains goes, Applebees is probably my least favorite. I have Red Robin and Chili's well ahead it. Let me also preface this review by saying we only went to Applebees because we had a plan to go to South Bay to pick up some DVDs that just came out and go to Stop and Shop for some groceries to make dinner, but I had to work late so by the time we got to South Bay, both of us were starving and we decided to settle for Applebees.

We've been to this Applebees once before and it was a horrible experience. Fool me once, shame on you...

So we sit at the bar area at some hightops and it takes us forever to make up our minds on what we want. That's our own fault. Finally I decided on the 9 oz steak with topped off baked potato, with instructions for the steak to be medium rare and the potato to not have sour cream. Abby got some herb chicken thing. And so we waited...and waited...and waited. Finally the waiter comes by and tells us that our meal is coming out shortly. This is a tactic I don't understand at all. If our food is coming out shortly, then just bring it out, don't tell us in advanced. I mean, is that suppose to make us feel better? All I know is we waited another 10 minutes and no food. Our waiter did come out to tell us that our dinner was being plated right now and should be out soon. I really wished he didn't tell me that, because it took nearly another 10 minutes before our food was being brought out. The gave me time to think that my steak was probably getting overcooked by sitting under the heatlamp. Sure enough, our food comes out and there's sour cream on my potato. (Oh yeah, the waiter didn't write down our order either, he was one of those "I'll remember it all" types.) I mention this and the runner said she can take it back. I'm so hungry, I really don't care. That's when I decided to check my steak, and sure enough, tougher than a boot's sole and well overdone. I tell her I ordered medium-rare and she said she'll have them refire a steak. Fine, I can live with that.

Again, we wait for what seems like forever. A 9oz steak cooked at medium-rare should take 8 minutes top. After 20 or so minutes, and two different people assuring me that my food was coming out soon, we decided we had enough and that we wanted to speak to the manager. He comes out and says that the steak is almost ready, but I tell him we just want to pay for Abby's meal and to leave. He tells me the steak will be free and we can take it to go, but I really don't want it. I tell him no and that we just want our check and want to leave. He says to not worry about the bill but if I wanted to leave a tip for the waiter that would be great. Normally I wouldn't leave squat, but I felt this time it wasn't the waiter's fault and leave him a couple of bucks.

Fool me twice, shame on me. It was our own fault to go to Applebees. We know their food suck and their service is just as bad. However, it shouldn't take an hour to get a medium rare steak out to a customer, not once, but twice. I give Applebees at South Bay a 0 out of 5.