I Expect An Enjoyable Experience at Applebee's

I'm sure someone else has probably already said this, but having had
the appetizers and food come at almost the same time once before, you
should have requested that your entree order not be entered until your
appetizer was brought out. That way, you would have plenty of time to
enjoy both.

That being said, Applebee's owes you nothing. You ate the food and
you didn't complain. In fact, your only real complaint in your letter
was that you felt rushed. If that's cause for monetary reward, then I
should be a millionaire by now. :-)

I have always had a warm spot in my heart for applebee's (Denver) in
Jume of 1995, my husband and I were there for lunch. We were enjoying
a very good meal when my water broke. I was freaking out because not
only did my water break in a public place but I was 5 weeks from my
due date. The husband got the waitress and told her what happened so
that she could bring us out check right away. She went and got the
manager and he told us not to worry about the ck, that he would take
care of it and even offered to call an ambulance. :-)

This is what I think is the problem with the way Applebee's times
orders:

The way courses are timed at most dining chains is that either a)app
and entree are entered into the computer at the SAME time, and the
computer does not "release" the entree to the kitchen until the app is
completed. OR b) the two courses are ordered separately, in which case
the server doesn't enter the entree order until they see the app has
been delivered to the table.
This allows the table to be enjoying their app while the entrees are
being COOKED. Any place I've ever worked cooks food on the
grill/sautee/etc.
HOWEVER, from what I understand, Applebees gets most of their food
already "prepared" and is then finished in the microwave. This cuts
way down on cook time, and causes the two courses to come too close
together or at the same time.

It's just my theory, but it makes sense. I always just thought the
whole microwave thing was gross, but now I'm seeing another problem
with it. They seriously need to add 5-10 minutes to their computer
and/or manual timing if they want to remedy this problem.

Me and my boyfriend have stopped going to Applebess, because of the
same complaints that you just mentioned. One thing that I have learned
now about eating out, is not to be afraid and speak up and ask for a
manager. They are alot more willing to fix the problems and make up
for it while you are there, rather than just complain about it
afterward. I hope everything works out for you.

IMO Applebees is one of those places that the manager is more than
willing to come talk to you and help you out with how you want your
food. I'm pretty sure if you expressed your dissatisfaction at that
time they would have done so much more for you and made things right.
I know that isn't always possible to do for everyone but this is one
restaurant that does seem to listen, in my experiences so far. Your
waitress definitely should not have rushed your meal.

I always order our appetizers and our meals at the same time.At that
time, I do tell them that we are not in a rush and would like the
appetizer first. That is usually enough for them to give us breathing
room.

The thing to remember, and I think its important, is if you are going
to take longer than the average patron, then you need to tip
accordingly. Servers at chain restaurants rely on turning their tables
quickly. That does not mean that you need to rush, but you shouldn't
kick up your feet either. So if you are not going to allow them to
turn the table you are taking up, then the tip that you leave should
make up for it.

If you placed the appetizer and the entree order at the same time,
what do you really expect?

While it may not be ideal, most kitchens work the orders from the
sequence they are placed in. It stands to reason that 2 orders placed
at the same time are going to come out pretty close together.

If you wanted more time, you could have ordered the appetizers with
your drinks and then taken your time to place your entree orders.
That would ensure there was no rush.

As for the quality of the food, that's so much easier to remedy when
you actually let them know at the time of your visit. After the fact,
there is no way of telling what happened to make it right for you. It
becomes just "someone" who thought the food was "not good."

After the fact, asking for comps andthen lumping several visits in the
same complaint makes it sound petty and impossible to meet your
expectations.

I've found a lot of chain restaurants will bring your order right
after the appetizer or even while the appetizer is still on the table.
I think chain restaurants rely on quick turnover which sometimes
leaves customers feeling rushed.

I think the suggestion below to order your food when the appetizer
comes is a good one.

But I'm on the fence about your request for reimbursement. It sounds
like your food was to your liking; it just came quicker than you would
have liked. However, I just can't see a reimbursement for the previous
meal, particularly if the food coming quickly after the appetizer was
the only problem.

Most likely, if you did get a refund, it would come in the form of a
gift card. Would you still be willing to go there again?

Oh C'mon..
You went on a SATURDAY EVENING..I'm sure the waitress wasn't rushing
you. It most likely was crowded and she and others had many other
orders to contend to. If you got your dinner in a timely matter,
that's what matters. You want it to be perfect and "relaxed"...go
during a weekday. You were better off going to Arby's.
Refund? You don't deserve jack.

All you need to do when they bring the meal is say "we're not quite
finished here. Can you please take that back and keep it warm for a
few more minutes?" And if the appetizer or meal is cold, have them
bring it back and warm it up some more. While I agree you didn't
receive stellar service, I don't believe you're entitled to a full
refund of two meals.

The time to complain about your issues is at the time of the incident
with the manager on duty. It's the only way to get things rectified.
Do I think you deserve a refund...no?
But everyone deserves hot food and courteous service as long as they
are within reasonable dining hours.

My recommendation for not getting your appetizer with your meal is to
order your food once you get your appetizer.

My boyfriend and I do this when we go to most resturants because
nowadays it does seem that the entree is being rushed out.

It also helps us because sometimes the appetizer can be filling and we
either don't order entrees or we order one meal to split.

I frankly don't care if I screw up their computer times.

Christopher, I was right with you until the refund part. I am sorry
but you don't deserve a refund. You ordered food, you consumed it on
premises. You therefore utilized a service and paid for it in full.
What makes you think it should be free? The time to call to question
your level of service was the time it was being rendered. Why did you
not speak to the manager about the level of service? Especially the
second time around, you should have been speaking to the manager on
duty and allow them an opportunity to address the problem, not asking
for a handout after you consumed the product and service.

Yes, the service could have been better, but based on the information
in your letter, I really think you might have been better off going to
Arby's. You wouldn't have felt rushed, and it would have been cheaper.
Arby's can be considered a treat, as well. It may not have the same
atmosphere as Applebee's, but it sounds like it would better fit your
budget.

I usually don't say this, but in your case I will. If this was the
second time you had the same problem, why didn't you mention it to a
manager? I highly doubt he or she would have refunded the cost of two
visits, but you might have received a discount on the second one...
maybe even enough to treat yourselves to Arby's!

Applebees *always* has a manager on duty. I know because I am a
weekly customer and I have asked to speak with a manager on many
occasions. They have always been responsive to whatever I wish to
discuss.

One thing that has come up is the timing of appetizers/entrees.

Applebees' computer has a target amount of time for you to consume
your appetizer. In the meantime it cues up the entree for the cook to
prepare. I find this allotment to be seriously lacking in relation to
the amount of time I need to complete my appetizer. Thus the entree
was frequently arriving prior to completion of the entree.

While management was clearly able to describe the procedure, they also
made it clear "this is how it is." I made it clear this is
unacceptable, and that I didn't wish my appy getting cold because my
entree arrived. I asked if I could order my entree after completing
the appetizer. The manager said "yes, but that will mess the computer
up."

Who the devil cares about the computer or "target times"? The heck
with that. So that is what I do now to avoid what happened to you.
It is a sure bet the appy will be done when the entree arrives.

You really should bring these things to management's attention while
you are there - it gives them a chance to verify your claim and
compensate you. At least you have a method of ordering that will
prevent a repeat occurence.