Our server Caitlin was amazing. My fish and chips as well as my husband's steak were both excellent. We weren't sure what to expect on a friday night but we were pleasantly surprised. Busy but not so much that we couldn't carry on a conversation. read more

We have long loved this Applebee's location because the food is good and the service is great. My family and I have dined in and order pick up orders on countless occasion. That changed with the pick up order we got tonight. We ordered nachos, quesadillas and a shrimp Tex mex bowl. The shrimp bowl was fine but that was it. The quesadillas were disgusting. Normally they are light and flavorful. Tonight they looked and tasted like they were deep fried. So gross. We love Applebee's nachos but not tonight. normally the nachos come with melted queso, peco de gallo, sour cream and jalapeño. Tonight we received a to go box with chips, ground beef, shredded cheese and nothing else. extremely disappointing. Most all of the nachos and quesadillas are going in the trash! Applebee's might want to check who is cooking and who is running service tonight because it was an extremely bad experience. It will be a long time before we consider visiting or ordering take out from this location again. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Deep fried quesadillas - Sports Bars Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

We go here quite a bit, always have excellent service, food is always hot. Great deals for a family of four. We tend to stay under $70 dollars with tip. 2 for $25 is a great deal. read more

We stopped at the Applebee's on Arteva Drive in Lakeland Florida, for a quick snack, got a couple of appetizers. The beef nachos were fine. However, after we had eaten a couple of the onion rings, we were horrified to discover a couple of onion rings in the pile that had already been dipped in ketchup. And we hadn't used any ketchup!! We were totally grossed out and disgusted. I showed the waiter and asked for the manager. He acted like he wasn't surprised at all! He grudgingly said he wouldn't charge us for the (used/recycled) onion rings. Like he was doing us a favor. I was so upset. I wanted to call the health department, or corporate, or someone. I figured that our onion rings had been on someone else's table, and when they didn't eat them all, they gave them to us. I can't think of any other explanation. I still can't believe it. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Applebee's used Onion Rings - Sports Bars Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

This location is close by to a bunch of hotels, including the one I was staying in (walking distance even!), so it was a plus that it stays open late. Got here at 10pm on a Saturday. It was packed, but the service provided by Nelson was great. Food arrived promptly. The french onion soup was deliciously CHEESY-- win!!! Had the oriental chicken salad and small portion riblet platter (per our server, the regular portion has coleslaw + 3 extra ribs), which were split between 2-3 of us in our party. The salad was absolutely refreshing with a decent amount of chicken. The riblet platter had a lovely smoked flavor and our choice of honey bbq sauce was not overwhelming. One star less as my water had some type of substance floating on top. I usually drink water after eating most of my meal so I discovered this later on. I'm certain our server would have replaced this immediately if I asked, however at that point our plan was to return to the hotel where we had bottled waters anyway. read more

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Sat at the bar and service was great. Food was fine but cleanliness sucked. Sent silverware back 2times for food on it and my second beer had something floating in it. Bartender was very good and corrected it but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. read more

Bad experience with seating host on Sunday at 8:40PM, Sep 7. We asked to sit outside and told the section was closing though all tables were set with condiments and other guests were just seated. When I asked again to be seated the host said no waitress would be willing to wait on us outside due to some kind of safety issue. I stepped back outside perplexed with this greeting. Decided to go back in to ask a waitress if she could wait on us outside. She said she'd be happy to. I shared that we were told the outside area was closing. She replied with "Oh, did the seating host tell you that". We got seated outside, the waitress was awesome and so was the food. I would have given 5 stars had it not been for the poor greeting/reception at the door. Seating host needs to be trained and clearly not ready to greet guests. read more

Came with our daughter and her family for dinner. The place was not busy so we were seated right away. Our waitress came and took our drink orders. When she came back she had all drinks except my hubby's and mine, bartender took a while to make our drinks. We went ahead and placed our order. Not sure why but it took a very long time for our order to come out. My daughter and her husband ordered from the 2/$25 menu and never got their appetizers. My meal was cold, literally the broccoli felt it came out the fridge and my mashed potatoes and salmon was Luke warm. I sent it back and it still came back like warm. The manager did come out and apologize for how long it took our food to come out. However, for the place not to be busy this was definitely not a good experience. read more

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Had a great experience here tonight the service was great our server Bertha was very pleasant and fast we did not have to wait for our food long, the manager was very friendly as well and not afraid to help bring food out and help any way he could. The food was very delicious and hot, the kitchen staff was excellent as well and no doubt working with a sense of pride. Will be coming back soon. read more

Tonight we came in and we had a waitress named ash and she was the best I have ever had we will for sure be back just because of her not to mention how quick she was constantly asking if we where good and if we needed anything we loved her so much and for sure believe that she needs at least a 3 dollar raise read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - This is our waitress - Sports Bars Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

Disappointed this time!!!! Usually my orders are almost perfect. Today, the chef on August 7, 2023, between 7-8PM needs to be replaced!!! I ordered the Cajun shrimp with fettuccine Alfredo and broccoli. The sauce is good, the broccoli OVERCOOKED and limp. Worst is the Cajun shrimp.... which has maybe 2% Cajun spices!!!! Extremely Disappointed!!!!! What's the point in ordering a Cajun dish when there is zero Cajun!!!!! read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Allegedly Cajun shrimp with fettuccine Alfredo and broccoli - Sports Bars Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

I come to this location quite frequently because it's the closest one to me. I have to say it's just upsetting that the service isn't the same on every visit. Within the last couple of visits I have had the worst service to the best service. Most recently was about 2 weeks before at Patrick's day and let me tell you that it was the best experience. We arrived around 10pm for the half hour appetizers and got the chicken quesadilla, wonton chicken, and mozzarella sticks. Everything was extremely fresh and cheesy. I feel like I'm playing food roulette when I go... will it be great or will it be bad.. read more

Food was great. Service was terrible. Samantha was our server. Samantha didn't bring out any of our food, drinks, or even our checks. Wasn't friendly whatsoever. read more

Busy. DJ sounds great. Karaoke night! Sweet dreams! My salmon was incredible and the mashed potatoes were ridiculous! I was forced to eat the broccoli by my doctor but I loved them read more

My friend and I was accompanied by server Jimmy. We walked in & directed to our booth. Mr. Jimmy kept us laughing and serviced us with care. He gave us a little of his background which was pleasant & told us about different foods sold there. The food was fresh & hot never on the down side. Overall visit & company with Jimmy 10/10. Ask for him. read more

First time in this location. Honesty was a great server. The food was good and quick. And the meals looked like what was displayed on the menu - nice work! No rush to get us in or out - we had all the time we needed. Lots of tvs helping everyone get ready for an afternoon of football. An elderly woman sat down next to us; the guest was out in her Sunday finest, and all her mobility issues weren't going to stop her from eating out. The manager comped her meal which really made that family's day. But the smell when you walk in the door - the place needs a deep clean, ya'll. read more

What initially started as delicious appetizers quickly turned into a scary experience as we continued on through our meal. We found a long piece of plastic in the stir fried rice entree. I have attached a photo of what appears to be a long piece of red plastic that was cooked into the rice. Thankfully it was not misunderstood as a red pepper and consumed. It absolutely was plastic though once we pulled it out of the rice and onto the appetizer plate to view. Our waiter was very on top of things throughout our visit. However sadly he had to take the dish back to his manager and waived the fee for the entree meal. I was not very impressed that the manager did not bother to come out and talk to us. While our waiter was apologetic, the manager did not bother to come speak to us. Finding plastic in food is not only gross but it's dangerous. This should've been an apology directly from the manager. In addition to the food experience there as music being played insanely loud. You had to practically yell to hear the person next to you. Our appetizers tasted good. Our waiter was friendly. But sadly that doesn't make up for plastic in food and a manager who didn't bother to speak to us personally. This is something that should simply be blown over. Update: The general manager personally called me after I sent an email, and was extremely apologetic about how last night was handled. They are looking into it further but are taking steps to avoid this type of experience in the future. The general manager was empathetic, kind, and felt bad for how our experience was last night. read more

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Stopped in on a Monday around 9pm. We were seated fairly quick at a high top per our request. The person that seated us was also our server. He was polite and attentive throughout our meal. Monday is burger night. Any burger on the menu for $6.99. We weren't super hungry, so we decided to split a brunch burger with a salad as our side. Food came out hot. The burger was cooked perfectly. We had asked for a house salad as our side. Instead we were brought fries, however our server corrected it immediately. Overall, great service and food. Will definitely go back when in the area. read more

we usually go for happy hour at another spot...we decided to try Applebees..Never again...... Applebees advertises ...happy hour all day ...Not true.. Margaritas where not included.( .I would have liked the two for one in top shelf We ordered our food..mash potatoes where a little stiff but tasty..one end of my Salomon was so thin, it look like jerky. we asked for cheese on our broccoli..when we got the bill..I noticed we were charged $7 for two slices of cheese.. I also noticed the staff was not cleaning the tables and booths between customers. (shame on you) There are several good restaurants in the area..I wouldn't recommend read more

Worst service ever. Took forever to even get the drinks... Horrible Never coming back! read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Bar Area Boneless Wings - Sports Bars Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

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We waited an hour and 30 minutes and this was the food that was delivered to us. I'm not upset I'm just really disappointed because this is $15 for the mac & cheese and two for 22 for the fiesta lime chicken. The Bourbon Street chicken and shrimp was kind of small. read more

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Typical fare for an Applebee's. This was the first time I've been here where they have the table kiosks. Apparently you can only order appetizers and desserts with them. It also has games on it which I thought would be free but is actually $.99. That kinda sucks. We shared the Spinach & Artichoke Dip which was very good. The chips were light and airy and salted just right. They weren't oily like they usually are. I don't remember the dip appetizer coming with salsa before but I guess now it does. The salsa tasted freshly made and I ate it all. We both ordered the Shrimp and Broccoli Cavatappi because what's not to love? Pasta under 500 calories with lotsa grilled shrimp, broccoli florets on a light cream sauce? Makes you not feel bad for not ordering a salad so late at night. We tried to use it to order refills but they never came. We had to use it to signal our server to come back to the table to get our refills. Other than that, it was a good experience on a busy Friday late night. read more

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Beware, prices on sodas not on menu. $4.99!!! for a 10 oz bottle of ginger ale. Food comes too soon after appetizers. Cannot enjoy your meal. Never came back to see if we wanted another serving of "all you can eat " boneless wings. Not a good dining experience. Been coming here for a few years and it just gets a little worse every time. read more

This is the nicest and cleanest Applebee's ever. The staff was very nice. The manager was helping his staff and was very approachable. Food was delicious and came very fast. Faith in Applebee's restored. read more

We went to Applebee's for late night Happy Hour on 6/4/22 & had Bertha as our server! She was friendly, great personality, very thorough & got our food & drink orders perfect! She was really busy with several other tables, but she never lost a beat & checked back with us frequently. She's definitely one of the Best servers that we had at that location. 5-stars all the way for Bertha!***** And just in case a Manager is reading this...I have to say we really thought twice before coming back to this Applebee's....because last time we were at this location on 5/20/22 approx 11pm, the host (tall, lanky dark-haired young guy) that was seating people was extremely rude, indifferent & had a horrible attitude! We asked if we could be seated at a booth....and without saying yes or no, or follow me,...he grabbed 2 menus & started walking towards a booth. We just assumed & followed him (??)...he had a cleaning rag & with a large sigh, he started wiping down the table at the booth...and let pieces of food & trash fall to the floor, as he carelessly wiped the table down...Still "not" saying a word...he put the menus on the table & walked off!!?? He didn't bother to let the server know he had just seated us....so about 20 minutes later, we flagged a server down, to see if we could order a few drinks. Whoever this host was....he does NOT belong in the food service industry, or for that matter...he really doesn't belong in a customer service position. Definitely needs coaching on professionalism, attitude & manners. read more

This is the worst Applebees I have ever been too. The host up front asked how many in our party, we said 4 adults and 1 baby. He then grabs 3 menus and didn't grab a high chair for the baby. I'm not sure if he tripped or what but he was walking and then just fell over and got back up after my friend nearly tripped over him. We noticed he didn't grab us a high chair and we asked a male server to bring us one. He does so quickly but he didn't look at it before bringing it to us because there was green beans and Mac and cheese still IN the high chair. We didn't put my god daughter in that chair and when our server finally came. She had a piss poor attitude and spoke to us like we were inconveniencing her conversation with the bartender. We notify her of the nasty high chair and she gets nasty with the host, so much so that my girlfriend told her that it wasn't his fault and she stormed off. As we are looking at the menus we noticed their is BBQ sauce on 1 and some sticky substance on the other 2. At this point are very annoyed and my friends wife looks at her silverware, It has salad debris on it and my silverware looked like still had steak juice on it. We get up to leave and the girls go to the bathroom before leaving. They come back to us quickly telling us that the bathroom smells, a toilet is clogged and their is TP and paper towel all over the floor. On the way out my girlfriend demanded to speak with the manager and after telling them what we experienced she just got a "sorry" and didn't seem to care. "Sorry" is how I would describe the management staff and two specific servers who are lucky I can't remember their names. Also, all of this happened in 10 minutes, Just imagine how the food would have come out if this was the opening minutes. read more

Moved here from Ohio & Just gave Applebees a try and atmosphere was relaxing, very clean and the friendliest service. Not to mention the great specials they have everyday on food & drinks. Lindsey & Amber were awesome!! read more

Food was good. Our bartender heather was amazing, full bar and was still able to get our drinks fast. We will be back .

Quick and Easy app to order. Picked our order up and it was hot outta the oven. Car side brought it right out.

This location has a problem. Service has been lower average to poor for about a year and a half now. Food coming out half or poorly cooked about half the time. Tonight started so well and ended with problem after problem. Waitresses not listening, not remembering, food half prepared. Promises made to correct and not carried out. Brought to the attention of young front-of-the-house staff who laughed it off. Seriously folks?! South Lakeland Applebee's is sooo much better with friendly staff who seem to care. No immature jokesters there. read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - View of the interior. - Sports Bars Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

I was extremely disappointed with the service from this Applebee's. We were seated promptly and were able to order drinks immediately, but a 10 minute gap between asking for a minute and ordering our food took place. My wife ordered the 9oz sirloin well done with garlic mash potatoes and broccoli for $15.49. My wife was disgusted by the steak. She complained about it being tasteless and extremely chewy. My wife normally never complains, but this time was different. She had me try a piece and it was definitely horrible. The steak tasted like it was warmed up in the microwave and was indeed tasteless. I ordered one of their new burgers. It was a blazin Texas burger with onions and jalapeños cooked into the burger patty topped with shredded pork, white cheddar, and a bbq type sauce. This burger was on point. My taste buds exploded from the flavor. I rarely finish my meal, but had to finish this one. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a small kick of spice mixed with a bbq style burger. The service was extremely annoying with wait times. I had my water filled about 10 minutes after I finished it. We only had our plates cleared when or triple chocolate melt came out from a different waitress. We waited about another 10 minutes after we finished for the waitress to apologize to us for the long wait. We then waited another 10 minutes for the hostess to present us with the check. We then waited about 15 minutes for the check to be picked up. The restaurant was not very busy for this type of service. The waitress was extremely kind, just seemed like she forgot about us half the time. I normally tip 20-25%, but I had to stick with only 15% on this one. read more

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I noticed their very few and very poor reviews. I was willing to give them a chance because I've always had positive experiences with Applebees. The hotel I stayed at raved this Applebees. I really wanted to give these guys a chance. I was just in the mood for chicken. I ordered the brewhouse chicken. It was a chicken breast littered with onion strings and set on a bed of mashed potatoes and gravy. It came out piping hot. I love hot food. The actual plate was hot - which tells me it was placed in the oven. Overall I had good service and attention. The 3 stars will actually bring up their average. Decent job Applebees read more

Applebee's Grill + Bar - Brewhouse chicken - Sports Bars Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

We had a great dinner here after we had walked out of that winery/brewery place and got tipsy or should I say drunk (huh huh)?? Anyhow, we walked in here and had a great time. I was still pretty..... much.... under the influence of that nice wine and beer as I decided against a salad and for a burger (not that I didn't have a burger for lunch already!!! ;))) I took the I don't know anymore burger but it had some kind of a hash browns patty and a fried egg in it and a pretty big beef patty! Awesome! The fried were also pretty awesome! Well, they say, stuff always tastes better when you're drunk but it was actually very good food. The place is also pretty inviting and so was the service, pretty attentive, friendly and just were doing there job right! I think the burger was like 11 bucks or so and the others told me, their food was pretty awesome as well. I had a bite of those deep fried shrimp they had and I liked them as well! I can def recommend it! Check it out!!! read more

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Amazing service, atmosphere and food quality. Our waiter was Nelson and he was absolutely spectacular!!!

Don't follow COVID restrictions at all. Employees eat from customer plates and in the same area food is prepped. Nobody washes hands. Trays for food hit every table and employees hands but only washed once a day. Manager named Travis says the customers don't matter as long as they still get money. Place is trashy and poorly run. You're better off eating dirt in the parking lot. read more

I generally like the Applebee's chain. It's never my first choice but I do seem to end up there every so often when dining out with other people choosing. Once you realize this is not a place to order a nice steak (unless you're one of the lucky ones that gets it cooked properly), and just order the most popular dishes on the menu, you'll be fine! The 2 for $20 deals are a good value if you're looking for cheap. The Double Crunch seemed to be a popular choice the last time I went -- but you can't really screw up fried food, right?! Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos = yum! I also ordered the Thai Shrimp Salad. It was good too, but dry and I had to ask for more dressing. Someone said the Riblets tasted "old" and not freshly cooked. Another person sent her steak back. The Grilled Shrimp 'n Spinach Salad is usually my go-to. Most of the Apps & Bar Snacks are tasty. The service wasn't great at this location either. They forgot a lot of stuff, didn't offer refills, we had to ask for take out containers and they didn't try to upsell us on dessert at all -- and a few of us would have ordered! We also had a birthday at the table and I told our waitress but nothing was done. We waited for a bit after we finished eating, but just ending up leaving. The hostess stand area seemed to be having some drama going on as we left. read more

Ok The 2 stars is for service. I will say there are some waitress and waiters that seen like hard workers, however, the manager didn't impress me one bit. I ordered through grub hub and arrived to pick up my meal about 20 minutes later. They didn't have my order. Then they insisted that it would be delivered. I finally got one of the servers to admit they had made a mistake and my order never confirmed. Even though paid for! The manager ignored me as I stood for over a half hour waiting. No offer to sit or to drink. No customer service at all. I will say the food was amazing. Unfortunately, I will not return because of the manager! I will not suggest to my co-workers to eat there either. Terrible customer service. read more

Ok, first off I have to say: if you come to an inexpensive chain restaurant, you have to expect inexpensive chain restaurant service & food. You cannot expect top notch servers or fresh farm-to-table food. That being said, I have never had a bad experience at this Applebee's location. My girlfriend and I come once every couple of weeks and sit at the bar, and are served as promptly as is possible given how busy it is and how many staff members are present at the time we are there. We almost always get 2 for 1 drinks or beers. Because we are regulars here now and always take care of our bartenders (20% or more depending on the bill), our drinks are strong and made how we like them. In terms of food: my favorites are the spinach artichoke dip, pretzels & beer cheese and boneless wings. If I'm feeling indulgent, I'll get the bourbon street chicken and shrimp. When the restaurant is particularly busy you can tell the food has sat in the window for a while (shrimp is a little over cooked or beer cheese has that plasticky layer to it), but again, this should be expected for an inexpensive restaurant like Applebee's. If there are ever problems with our food, there has never been an issue that hasn't been resolved appropriately. Overall, this Applebee's location exceeds my expectations for an inexpensive chain restaurant. I will continue to come here and take care of the servers as they take care of me. If you're looking for some indulgent "American" comfort food on a budget, and are not the impatient entitled type of restaurant-goer, this place will not disappoint you. read more

Just a quick shout-out and a big thank you to Angelica the manager at this location. She handled a major mistake by GrubHub with class and expedience. Thank you. We WILL be back ! read more

Service was great and Standard Applebee's food. I don't know why the rating is so low? Possibly people were expecting a 5 star restaurant!? Very convenient location Walking distance too my hotel. Might go back tonight read more