By: Devin Koetje

Have you ever been bored on a night or are hungry and don’t know where to go? Applebee’s is an amazing place to go to pass time and enjoy good food. No matter what the occasion is, you will always be “eating well in the neighborhood.” 

In 1980, Bill Palmer and T. J. Palmer decided to open a restaurant in Decatur Georgia. Bill’s thought behind Applebee’s was that he wanted to open a restaurant that was better than fast food but he also wanted a good selection of alcohol, but not at the extreme price and has to be a quick service. He wanted it to be the best experience you could ever have at a restaurant. That is why their motto is eating well in the neighborhood. Unfortunately Bill died of pancreatic cancer on 12-1-2020. The Applebee’s that I went to was at 4488 Potomac Ave SW, Grandville, being 1 of 9 Applebee’s in Grand Rapids and 1 of 1600 country wide.

Applebee’s had amazing service with a really short wait time and very friendly hosts. Right when I walked in I were greeted and I could see bus boys running around as fast as they could to get tables clear for new guests. Then the water came, the servers wore more of a casual type outfit consisting of black pants, shoes and button down or t-shirt. They do this to make it feel as if you don’t have to dress up super nice to go sit down and have a mean there. Overall the service was amazing. The server was nice and quick with taking our order, getting us drinks, refilling the drinks, and getting us the check. The food was even better. The food came out super quick and it was nice and hot and overall just tasted really good. I would say based on the performance of service, quality and price that Applebee is the place to go if you are looking for a casual meal to go eat with your family or friends.

I will say that the entrance of where I walked in was a little cluttered with stuff such as extra chairs, high chairs and a random lemonade stand.I also would say that a huge thing that they should bring back is singing happy birthday to customers on their birthday. It is a tradition that they got away from and from a customer standpoint it helps push out that family friendly vibe that they try to keep and I feel it pushes that. I will also say that I feel that when they feel they are capable enough they should bring back paper/plastic menus just because  I feel that looking at a menu it is easier for the customer to get what they want, and that’s another thing that they got away from and I feel like it would be best to bring it back.

Besides the fact that all the customers had to sing happy birthday to the girl that was there, everyone got a fun laugh out of it. Applebee’s is an amazing restaurant to eat at. With 1600 Country wide it isn’t hard to find either with many in most small towns or big cities in America. I recommend that next time you go out to eat you go to Applebee’s.