Applebee's Weight Watchers Meal is Shameful

I recently worked for several years at an applebees, (not the one you
mentioned), and I can tell you your experience is not an exception.
Applebees is all about bonuses for the managers. If they have a good
to perfect food cost with no over, the managers get a bonus. That
means instead of replacing something they know is subpar, they send it
out, because there are two benefits to this. Obviously if the customer
eats it and pays, it works out. Even if they send it back, the item
can be rang in again, and discounted.

The way their computers are set up, they can't just throw away food,
even bad food. It all has to be accounted for. So say a person send
food back, it can be taken off, and the new one rung in. That way food
costs are all accounted for, and bonuses abound for management.

Also, there are bonuses for labor costs staying above or beyond a
percentage. So the servers on the floor helping you are not decided by
how many people are there or waiting, they are decided by the
computer, and pre-set specs.

Applebees knows the weight watchers menu is wrong. They know the
points are over, and even if an ingredient goes bad, they have pre set
weight watcher portions. If they use something else, food cost would
not be exact. We had a "power shift" discussing what to tell people if
they asked us about the discrepancies, and they gave us a script to
tell people if they asked about it.

Everything there is weighed out very carefully and prepped in the
morning or previous evening. Portions have gotten smaller by several
ounces. It's no accident, it's new specs. We (the employees) are
forbidden to admit this, and have to maintain that it's all the same.


There's a reason your food may come out cold a good majority of the
time, the way they have it set up is completely for the ease of the
back of the house. 1/2 is made first and sits, and sits and sits.
Fries are made in batches and sit under heatlamps until the bin is
gone, not fresh for any order unless it's a specialty order (like no
salt).

Congrats about wanting lose weight and improve your diet, too many
people do not care what they look like. Furthermore, they do not care
they are very high risk for heart disease, diabetes, among other
things. Gorging yourself with food, in my opinion, is selfish, because
it takes away the time that your family has you on this earth. What a
shame.

I do not think that the metallic tasting food that you had was part of
the weight watchers plan. Meaning, I think it was a bad batch. I
agree with you on the sodium statement on the steak. I dont think
should have a weight watchers name on it.

Not enough people count fat/carlories, as evidenced by the US's obese
epedimic, but even less count sodium intake, which is very important.

Usually when you are wanting to lose weight, it is best to avoid most
restaurants.

Good luck

Good Day

"Apply some simple pride and quality to your meals. Serve people
something worth what they pay for!"

I agree completely. Nobody really seems to care these days. Maybe it's
just that they're overworked and underpaid, but I was always taught
that if you're doing something, then my goodness, you put your all
into it, take pride, and do it well.

Things like this put off customers of many years. I really feel sorry
for the poor waitress having to bus out these inferior quality meals,
despite her being so gracious about it

You might want to consider dropping a word into Weight Watchers ears.
If they were to theaten to remove their backing, you might notice an
improvement in quality, and a bit of retraining might yet save what
used to be a good place.

Weight Watchers should re-evaluate their contract (?) with Applebee's
because Applebee's is not living up to the Weight Watchers name
regarding these meals. They may give them criteria to meet but
Applebee's is not following it.

Applebee's has gone downhill in the past 6-12 mos. They do not
advertise as often on the tv or in radio ads in our area although they
just built a new restaurant in our immediate area 3 mos ago.

I do not eat there at all any longer. Its just too much having to send
items back and them coming back the same way as before.

Maybe its the economy and these national chains are trying to keep
their own costs down by buying cheaper food items.
Just a thought.

I hate Applebees. I used to work in an office building with an
Applebees in the parking lot only place within walking distance and I
didn't have a car (took the bus every day to work) at the time so if I
forgot my lunch it was the only option.

I still have nightmares and it's been more than 10 years.

I'd only go there if someone would kill my children if I didn't. Not
sure I'd go if my own life depended on it.

I agree Applebees is disappointing.

I recently received a gift card. The first day the fajitias were
bland. I had paid with my gift card having a balance of 9.65
remaining. I asked my waiter for change for a 20 so I could give him
a 3.00 dollar tip. 20% on 15.00 dollar meal.

I left and it happened to work out that I could return the following
day. The meal this day came to about 15 dollars but the food was not
really good. The portions for 15 dollars were small! The same people
were working as the day before except the waiter I had the prior day
was off.

The bar tender seated me in the exact booth I had the day prior. I
commented to this and he said yes I remember you.

I paid the waitress this 2nd day (she happened to be standing nearby
the 1st day when I paid). I intended to pay via gift card balance with
the remainder on AM X. The waitress came back almost immedately and
said your card only shows 6.65. She said you only had fajitias
yesterday. I said correct. She said and you left 3.00 cash for a
tip. I again said yes.

I had actually written on the gift card receipt where it said tip
(cash tip left).

My cashier said let me go get the manager. He came out and said I
understand you gift card balance is incorrect. The waitress was
standing there and I said Yes fortunately she was standing around when
I checked out and was aware of what happened. The manager was not
real happy because it appeared the other waiter on day one double
dipped on his tips. Took my cash and added same amount to remaining
balance on gift card. The manager said he was going to deal with the
waiter when he came in that night. I guess he was not counting on me
returning the very next day.

I have to say I was very impressed with the waitress that stood up for
her customer. Not only stood up but brought it to my attention and
the manager. He decided he would rering the transaction and remove an
additional 3 dollars since he could not credit the 3.00 dollars to the
gift card.

My conclusion is the food is not that good..but at least one of my
waitress gave extra good service.
I know they are running the 2 for 20 meals in my area. Not sure even
that would be worth the trip.

They are being sued right now after an investigation showing that many
of their Weight Watchers meals had double and up to EIGHT times the
amount of calories and fat as they claim- check it out

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705280825,00.html

Their veggies have always tasted nasty to me as well. I belive it is
the seasoning that they use. Their steaks are awful as well. The meat
is so cheap they have to marinate it in chemical tenderizer which is
very obvious if you know what taste you are looking for. I have never
had a good meal there.

I am also baffled as to why there was a line waiting out the door to
eat dinner here. As I have posted before ( and a bunch of others agree
with me here) this restaurant is not worth the time or money to even
bother with. Might as well buy a frozen meal and microwave it for the
same taste and way less cost.

I work part-time at an Applebees (not the one you visited). I don't
know what was up with the food you were served, but I can assure you
that the broccoli, at least at my store, is always good, as are the
steaks. If you were overall really unhappy with your meals, you
should have brought it to the manager's attention. At my store, the
mgmt works hard to make sure that every guest leaves happy. That is,
in fact, an Applebee's motto and I am sure that its one the Broomall
location has as well.

That is sooner than *I* will return. I am planning to never return to
Applebees. I discovered after many bad experiences and only lip
service reponses to complaints that my business was not valued at
Applebees.

I am very happy eating elsewhere, and I encourage you to do the same.
"Pride and quality" are missing at Applebees, in my experience. Like
you, I had food items replaced (their management told me they throw
out a large amount of food - big surprise!) and the replacement was no
better than the original. The goal seems to be do the minimum
required until the customer leaves the restaurant. It should be quite
different.