Waited for over 45 minutes to be seated and another 45 minutes just to only get half our food because they "forgot" to cook the other half. After waiting another 30 minutes of saying it's coming, it's coming we just paid for what we got and left. No silverware until 5 minutes before we left, my son got tired of waiting so he just ate his mac and cheese with his fingers. This location use to be good but now you can't get anything with some issue. read more

Three customers, un-bussed tables and booths, eleven servers laughing, unknown number of food preppers un behind the doors to the kitchen. The ABSOLUTE PISS POOERT (sic) service EVER!!!! Five un-bussee tables upon entry, three customer-groups left. The garbage on the radio is a slightly off foreign station that isn't quite there, and damn all you lazy staffers can't get up enough gumption to turn it off???! read more

Good food and good service. Had an excellent waiter named Marty. He was the best!!!

The food was fantastic but the service was kinda lacking. My drink needed refilling and I was never asked nor did I get any refill.

The food was good, and it also came out quickly. Our server, Tyler, was very good! Friendly, efficient, and attentive. Best service we have had in a while read more

On Saturday, November 1, 2025 my friend and I went to Applebee's in Hickory, NC. To say it was a complete disaster would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. Yes, I know it was a Saturday night, and they would be busy. We waited approximately 15 minutes for a table which is what we were told. It took over 15 minutes for the waiter to come and take our orders for our drinks. When he was there, we also placed our entrée orders. About 20 minutes later he brought our drinks. I ordered hot tea and asked for sugar for my tea. He looked at me strangely and said, "We have sweeteners." I said that I wanted real sugar. When he brought the tea he brought a small condiment cup with sugar in it, and no spoon. I finally flagged him down and asked for a spoon, again I got a strange look. He brought me a soup spoon... An Hour later he came with our food. My friend had ordered a steak medium well, and I had ordered the rib platter, both of us ordered mashed potatoes, with butter. He told us "There is no broccoli, we haven't had it for months and probably won't have it till after the holidays." So we both ordered coleslaw as our second side. I thought it was weird and weird he told us that. When our food finally arrived, my friend cut into her steak, and it was bloody! She said "I cannot eat this." I cut my ribs and they were barely warm. The butter delivered was melted. I again flagged him down and told him of our problems, and his comment was "What do you want me to do about it?" He said he could have the food reheated or he could bring us new food. I asked how long it would take to have new food, he said "Probably quite a while as we are so busy." There were empty tables throughout the restaurant. So we asked the food be reheated. He assured my friend her steak would be put on the grill and my ribs would be microwaved. About 10 minutes later he brought the food back. My friend's steak was the color of shoe leather throughout and very tough, it had obviously been microwaved. She could not eat it. My ribs were colder than when I sent them back. We flagged him down again and said the food was inedible. He finally said he would ask the manager if he could take it off the bill. I told him fine. But he requested we pay for our drinks $6.40. He never brought us a bill, and I paid him in cash, I'm pretty sure he pocketed the full amount, and no manger ever came to check on us. It amazes me that approximately $40 of food was sent back and the manager never came to see why, unless this is a regular thing at this restaurant. We ended up going across the street to Wendy's and had a decent meal. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Bad experience. Service and food have gone downhill. The manager tried to make it right but everything took forever. We don't plan to go back. read more

We have had this happen a few times at this location. Today may be the final straw. We were sat near the back and seemed to be an inconvenience for the three people at the host station. Tonight it was not busy and plenty of people standing around not doing anything. There were dirty tables and plenty of other things that you could see that needed to be done. We waited 10 minutes (asking twice who our waiter was twice) no one spoke to us at all. No one came to take our drink order. Nothing. So we left which didn't bother any of the employees. We were nice and didn't do anything to cause a scene. I guess our waiter/waitress just didn't want to work. Too bad. I always tip 25% and am happy as long as I get something to eat and drink. read more

Not all are created equal but always a nice "neighborhood," type atmosphere. Feeling like appetizers and drinks tonight after a couple of beat down basketball games. Had a "top shelf" long island ice tea, mozzarella sticks, and spinach artichoke dip. read more

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Absolutely horrible service! Carside pickup is a nightmare! You might want to bring a puzzle or Rubiks Cube while waiting for your order. Your order is not prepared properly or accurately. Servers and management are apathetic to mistakes, nor do they make any concessions for their poor performance! read more

We got the 2 for $25 and both had a side salad first that was all lettuce and wasn't asked what kind of dressing we wanted then when our food came it was supposed to have bacon, no bacon. We usually like Applebees but it is really going down hill. Managers need to be out on the floor watching and interacting with customers. read more

The waiter was great until I found some kind of wax paper looking stuff inside of my burger when I cut into it. Once I finally was able to get him to the table he seemed to act like it was something I had done. I showed him what came out of the burger and it still had cheese cooked onto it but he says well that looks like a napkin. I said no I don't think so, it came out of the middle of the burger and it doesn't tear easily. So he asks if I just want him to take the burger off or bring me something else. Stupid question considering I came to eat and didn't get to do that with the first burger. So I tell him to bring another burger and he makes a joke about this one not having plastic in it. I figured a manager may come by to talk to me about it or at the very least he would offer to take the burger off since I found something inedible in my food. But no, no manager came by, he never offered any kind of rectification other than bringing me another burger which I couldn't even enjoy because I was worried that I could have the same issue. Any other time in my life if I've had an issue with food a manager has come by or they offer some kind of discount, coupon or something. It's not about getting free food, it's about the complete lack of care he showed. I don't think I'll be returning to Applebees anytime soon. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Piece of what I'm guessing is wax paper that was cooked inside of my burger. - American Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Food and service was absolutely fantastic. The new 2 for 25 deal now includes a 6oz steak that was delicious. I will definitely be returning. read more

LISA THE WAITRESS IS A Absolutely horrible waitress, this is the 3rd time we've experienced this same waitress at this restaurant. She does not write anything down, she is always forgetting the order and not bringing utensils and food that we have been waiting on for entirely too long. She tells you all about her personal life, I really do not care at all about. I would much rather not know, I care more about a rock in the road then that. If you get this waitress please leave immediately!! Shame on this Applebees and the horrible manager who stares and laughes and does nothing. They all need to be fired, horrible scene and vibe. All in all, I would truly rather eat a can of dog food before going back to Applebees to be served by Lisa The Waitress. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Lisa the waitress at Applebees in hickory NC, HORRIBLE WAITRESS!!!!!!!!! - American Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

The waitress Sierra s. Was awesome. She went above and beyond what was necessary. She is one of the best services I have ever had. If in hickory n c stop by you won't regret it. I give her 20 stars. read more

This is the 2nd time we went directly after church. It was busy but we were seated in about 5 minutes. We got our order in and got our appetizer relatively timely. We did not get silverware. 2 others near us did not either, one poor man with a cane got up and got his own. I was NOT impressed with the kitchen staff. My husband has a garlic ALLERGY. We both got the Oriental salad. We requested his garlic bread stick to be on my plate. The dinners came out with his bread lying across his salad! At this point we still did not have silverware. Our waiter seemed just as distressed as we were about the allergy error. read more

This is literally one of the worst restaurants I've ever been to here in Hickory. The bright spot was the food was decent food, however the service was so bad that it overshadowed the food. The wait staff seemed very disinterested and dismissive. The young lady that brought my food nearly dropped it in my lap as she sat it on the corner of the table and walked away. Our waitress, when asked to bring more dressing, went to the bar and stood for nearly 7 minutes watching the bartenders talking to each other. I cannot describe literally how annoyingly bad this experience was. It's a certainty that I'll never eat here again. The vibe here is just very negative and the setting is not very friendly. If you choose to come here do so at your own risk. read more

Although the food and server were both wonderful, the overall establishment experience was not. It is tremendously hot inside the restaurant. Apparently the AC has been out for MONTHS and there's been no notion to get it fixed. I can only imagine how the servers and cooks feel. It's so bad that staff and customers are both suffering. read more

Very "mid" as the cool kids say lol it's Applebees nothing exciting. Good for cheap foods that's not fast food

Good food and great service Good prices also...,,,,Steak is always good garlic mashed potatoes are the bomb. Cheese sticks are good read more

wait time horrible! Over 25 minutes for appetizer, chicken quesadillas, couldn't even find the chicken. 50 minutes for meal. Seated right away. Place not packed, arrived at 745pm Had to grab our own silverware read more

The quality of this establishment has been dropping since the building was remodeled. The service staff is as far from "professional" as they can get. From a Host/Waiter walking around and yes, in and out of the kitchen, with his buttocks exposed to a manager/bartender with 9 inch nails. The food prep is inconsistent and less than acceptable. The drinks are also inconsistent and hardly worth the wait. Only one bartender there (Jelly) does a professional job. Unfortunately, the lack of concern by the entire staff prevents me from recommending this place. The fact is, the level of concern and professionalism shown by this staff is more likely to result in an illness than a pleasant dining experience. read more

food was ok, hot as heck, people acting like snails, steep steps to bathroom. when we were there waiting 30 dang minutes for our check a family came in and never got waited on so 5 minutes later they said "were going to olive garden".why applebees why read more

It's a 5..really only giving it a 4 cause the manager brought out our food and thought the combo app was right but it was missing the quesadillas and she didn't notice. But other than that.. I think our bartenders name was Lynne. She was SO awesome and attentive (even though super busy!) and nice! The food was dank too! Def recommend the new garlic Parmesan boneless wings! read more

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We had a reservation for 7:15 this evening, arrived on time, and stood in the "hostess/ greeting " area for almost 15 minutes with no greeting or even eye contact from any of the 5 employees we saw. We left and went to another restaurant. This Applebee's location needs more training for its employees. read more

Great food and service. Was there to grab a quick bite and was happy with both food and service.

Waited 1hour still no table when we were told 20-25 minutes. We left and people waiting. They had tables open and short on help.

Tyler is the best server/bartender there. He's very attentive and takes care of his patrons. I would recommend him and this restaurant highly! The food is good and the atmosphere is great! All the servers are great. read more

We were disappointed. Silverware was in short supply forcing server to take or order before setting the table.

On a weekend getaway stopped by Applebee's for dinner. Nice atmosphere. Our waitress Lindsey was amazing!! Food ok. Temperature could have been better. read more

Food was great. But very slow coming out. Manager apologized and comped part of our meals. There was a staff member with ridiculously long nails that really should not be carrying out food. read more

Food was alright. Steak was good. Dairy free options are limited. The service was kind and helpful. The carpet seems disgusting.

We decided to eat at this Applebees location yesterday since we were in hickory and I just want to say I will not be back! This place was horrible.. Not only were they out of just about every soda I wanted but the food wasn't the greatest. As If that wasn't enough the manager was yelling at the top of her lungs at one of the waitresses. All I could think about was that poor lady! No wonder they seemed short staffed, nobody deserves to be yelled at that way. read more

Haley is an outstanding server. She is attentive, has a great personality and never leaves your glass empty.

I think my main problem with Applebee's is that when I find something I like on the menu, it's either completely removed by my next visit, changed, or comes at a different price. The food can certainly be good, but going in every time to find an item you enjoyed removed from the menu is definitely a downer. The drinks are....okay. Applebee's prides itself on its $1 concoctions for the monthly special, but these are pretty much all mixer. When they're running the $3 Long Island special, I'm all there. Overall just a usually disappointing experience and somewhere I tend to avoid. If you're a huge Applebee's fan, if those exist, you probably won't be disappointed. read more

no chicken in my (chicken quesadilla) and i was wanting to have a little bit of check and ask but took the waitress 30 minutes just to show up with more quesadillas but still not chicken read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - bad experience i was supposed to have chicken and there is 2 pieces - American Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Lynn was working the bar area and provided us a great service and information. She is a homerun and worth going there again just to talk to her read more

I'm going to skip to the thesis, in case you don't have time to read the whole thing. We went to this Applebee's expecting decent casual food. The order was entirely messed up, and, well... I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. Basically, don't eat here if you expect good food. Now on to the full essay! My party had 5 members, and we were at an AirBnB. I'll call them me, Jack, Jill, Julian, and Jean. (These are not real names.) Anyway, Jack, Jill, and I had invited Julian and Jean to the house for a get-together. When dinnertime came, we had no food, so we planned to pick something up from a restaurant. We went through several options, but nothing seemed to stick. Then Jean decided she wanted Applebee's. We all looked at the menu. I pulled up the Yelp app on my phone. When I found the place, it had 2 1/2 stars. Not very promising. So I scrolled down to the reviews. One of them said the food was "undercooked" and the sauce was "rancid". Even after hearing this, Jean still wanted Applebee's. So we decided to order. Here was our order: I ordered chicken tenders to split with Jill. Jill ordered chicken fettuccine to split with me. Jack ordered blackened salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and mac n' cheese. Julian ordered ribs and broccoli. Jean ordered a taco wrap or something like that. Jill called it in on the phone. She spent a while on the phone talking to a robot. The robot then transferred her to a human because of some unknown error. She finished the order. Jack then went to the restaurant to pick it up. Here is a breakdown of our order when we get it: My chicken tenders are fine. They come from the kid's meal. I eat two and give one to Jill. Jill's fettuccine came, along with mozzarella sticks that came with it. It tasted fine to me, but she said it looked "so horrible that I didn't even try it". Jack's blackened salmon came. It was not very blackened, but it was salmon. As for sides, his mac and cheese came (which he didn't even really want). His garlic mashed potatoes (which he actually wanted) did not. He said that the mac and cheese was more like a soup than a solid. Julian's ribs came. However, his broccoli did not. But most shockingly, in a twist of cruel, tragic irony, Jean, the one who wanted Applebee's so much in the first place, DID NOT GET HER FOOD. It did not come. It apparently was not transferred, so we were not charged for it. So at least that was a silver lining. And Julian shared his ribs with her. All in all, it was a very disappointing experience. Our food was not rancid. At least, the food that came wasn't. (At least we got food. Looking at you, Golden Griddle Pancake House!) But if we ever go back to an Applebee's, it will not be this one. And I hope you don't go here either. BONUS: Our food came COLD. Guess they didn't put it in the microwave long enough ;p read more

After waiting for 40 minutes for a table we sat down. I ordered a salad and French Onion Soup, the salad was watered down and the soup was nothing but cheese and bread, it had no broth in it. I haven't been here in years and now I know why, horrible experience read more

Again tonight I kick myself for ordering "to go" from Applebee's. I ordered our dinner and specified "car-side delivery", MISTAKE! I followed instructions signaling "I'm on the way" and "I have arrived" and I sat for 15 minutes waiting. It turns out "car-side" means get out of your "car" and go in"side" to get your to-go order while the staff is sitting on their rear ends. And upon getting home ready to eat I discovered the order was wrong (third time this has happened). Shame on me! I think the third time is the charm and I WILL NOT order to-go again, and it will be a long time before Applebee's gets any business from me. read more