Applebee's - Davis Wiki

Location

1753 Research Park Drive (Off Richards Blvd., near Del Taco)

Hours

11 am – 11 pm Sun – Thurs. 11am - 1am Friday and Saturday

Phone

(530) 747-0414

Website

http://www.applebees.com/

Applebee's is a chain restaurant that serves Americana type food and sports a bar. It is currently the largest casual dining restaurant chain in the world. Their prices range from $5.99 lunch combos to $16 rib/steak dinners. Some dispute this particular Applebee's quality compared to other chain restaurants, but quality may change due to the acquisition of the Applebee's chain by IHOP Corp. on November 29, 2007.

An article written for the Sacramento News & Review took place at the Davis Applebee's. The reporter was there to infiltrate a local group of white supremacists who met for dinner there. The article generated a very mild scandal as to how it was presented.

Like all Applebee's restaurants, part of their shtick is that they have lots of random junk on the walls, like posters, sports equipment, musical instruments, etc. Some of this is obviously provided by the chain headquarters (many different restaurant locations have most of the exact same decor), but each chain also has a lot of "local" memorabilia. This includes photos of the fire department, davis police department, and the high school football team.

Reviews

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2005-05-23 11:48:03 Not-so-affectionately known as "Crapplebees". The few times I have been there, the food arrived lukewarm and the service was about the same. —AlexPomeranz

2005-05-23 12:18:08 Why is it, that whenever chains are introduced into Davis, they always pick the worst one? Hmm... TGI Fridays? Chilis? No, let's do Applebees...! —JaimeRaba

2005-05-24 02:43:53 I have no reference, but I swear that the print version of the interview was longer and made it clear that the supremacists he interviewed lived several hours away, up in the foothills or mountains. They aren't local - at least no more so than someone from Chico is local (it's all relative). —JabberWokky

2005-05-24 08:38:48 Kinda, JW— there was a request for a retraction—CraigBrozinsky

2005-05-24 12:54:15 I was under the impression (from reading the hard copy) that the "dumpy girl" was a UCD student, possibly the poster girl as well. —ArlenAbraham

2005-12-12 13:18:45 We actually had a good experience we were 3 adults and a kid with bueger, steak, salad and kids menu (and desert) it was defintly a good experience, actually better than we expected... —GilCo

2005-12-12 14:46:28 Been there once. Not keen on the flavor or presentation. —JudithTruman

2005-12-12 17:59:12 It is not the best AppleBee's in the world, but many people have reported that it's much improved since it opened. Anyone know if they have any happy hour specials? Or perhaps they do well enough drawing on the freeway crowd. —JaimeRaba

2005-12-16 10:15:50 It's meh here... It's what you would expect from a chain restaurant. I rarely eat here. —JoAnnaRich

2006-03-05 20:43:14 Wow, not happy with this place. This is my first (and last) time eating at this Applebee's, and it's certainly soured any future experience with the chain. (1) Chili's is better. And cheaper. 'Nuff said. (2) I got the babyback ribs, and they came with fries, cole slaw, and baked beans. Only problem: while eating said cole slaw, I found a "best-by" date sticker. And it was expired. The tag read "Best By Feb 24 06" but I was eating it on March 3rd. (3) I told the waitress, she told the manager, the manager came out and embarrassed me in front of all my friends, making a big scene about "Were you the one who got the suprise?" He then very creepily said that I should wait and there'd be a surprise for me. This surprise was apparently an unordered-iced-tea charge on the bill, and only $3.00 off from my meal. I promptly talked to the waitress, and she removed the charge for my dinner. (4) Pathetic. —JulieEickhof

2006-03-06 19:19:08 don't eat here, it's bad for your soul —AviBirns

2006-04-02 10:03:30 Ahhh, Applebee's. Every time I go there, they never fail to disappoint me. The latest is no exception. So you are probably asking, "So why do you go there if you are always disappointed?" The answer is..."I just don't know." Perhaps it is the fact that maybe the last time was a fluke and that there was only one less than satisfactory meal servered that day and that kharma decided that I were to be the recipient of "said" meal. Or perhaps that I have a tendency to block out any unpleasant event from my memory allowing me to constantly learn from my mistakes...and then forget. Here is the run-down:

To begin with, our waitress was fantastic. Very nice, refilled my soft drink without asking, and didn't stop by the table for the obligatory "so how is your meal" question while our mouths were full. No complaints on service. Unfortunately, she committed the cardinal error of suggested selling. First she recommended two different tasty and ice-cold drinks, then she recommended two different delicious appetizers, then two different delicious main courses, and finally two different delicious desserts. By using the word "delicious," I was thinking she was recommending items from a different restaurant.
I ordered the Black and Blue burger with fries thinking, "how hard would it be to mess-up a burger???" Apparently, not that hard at all for Applebee's. It seems that Applebee's has been able to alter the time-space continuum. For no sooner than the waitress walked back to deliver the order to the kitchen, the order arrived at our table. Since I was with a group of people, and nobody mentioned a fainting incident to me, I felt that the order arrived way too fast to be fresh. They could give lessons to McDonald's. It was easy to tell that the only thing on the plate that was fresh was the toasting on the bun. Everything else had that pre-cooked and kept-warm taste, texture, and appearance. The burger was dry and tasteless. The only thing that prevented the burger patty from being used as a hockey puck was that it was a little too soft for a hockey puck. The "black" part of the burger (spicy seasonings???) were nowhere to be found. The blue cheese sauce resembled and tasted like lumpy mayonnaise. The one-inch thick slice of red onion made the burger taste like an onion sandwich rather than a hamburger. I had to constantly add ketchup (catsup) to choke the thing down. The french fries were just as dated as the burger. Not enough ketchup at the table to make them taste good.

Overall, another disappointing visit to Applebee's. I recommend that if you want a good burger, go elsewhere. Try The Graduate for a better burger experience. -GruntledMonkey

2006-04-02 10:53:49 drinks here are expensive! I would say you're better off going to Denny's. —RohiniJasavala

2006-06-23 13:58:01 If you absolutely MUST eat at an Applebees, go to the one in Woodland (in the same shopping center as WalMart (1790 E. Main Street)). It's much better. I had lunch at the one in Woodland with my company and the food was not only edible, but it was actually half-way decent. I can't say that about the three or so time I've been to the Davis one. —AlexPomeranz

2006-09-11 13:20:04 How 'bout we go get kicked out of an Applebee's? —AmyGoogenspa

2006-10-01 16:37:49 Half price appetizers after 9 o'clock. Appetizers are nothing special but worth the reduced prices I think. —RyanBaldini

2006-11-08 20:47:12 I dont know why but we had the baby back ribs here, and they flavored it realy weird. different from any other applenees ribs I have ever had. anyway, it was barely edible —AnnThiNguyen

2007-03-09 10:36:33 I know for a fact that Applebee's never makes food ahead of time, or "pre-cooked". A bad burger just happens sometimes, but all the food I've eaten here has been fresh and good. Ordering food to go there is way better than waiting half an hour and paying more at Murder Burger. Sometimes the waitstaff isn't great, but the management is really nice and helpful. —SonnyStack

2007-04-03 21:02:26 I like Applebee's in Davis, very nice :-) —jamesqi

2007-05-09 00:47:01 If you have to go there, get the riblets platter! —MikeHubby

2007-05-11 19:16:30 I like this place. Occasionally the food isn't perfect, but the half off appetizers and dollar beers after 9 are great. Once I got cold wings, once I had shredded chips. They fixed both in a timely manner. It's not super expensive, and I like their boneless wings much more than Chili's. Although you have no choice in server, Chadwick and Lauren are the greatest. My only beef with Applebees was the healthy sounding burger on Chibatta bread with some green sauce that was terrible. Whatever tho, appetizers rock. Bring back 1/2 off appetizers on weekends!!! ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! —William.Peacock

2007-05-21 20:35:52 Go to IHOP, jesus this place is horrible. —AlexKang

2007-07-16 22:22:59 I have been going there for 4 years about 3 times per year and food is ok different, Hey is it me or does Horatio sanz work three every time i go there there is a waiter that looks just like Horatio sanz ? —dickjones

2007-07-16 23:02:16 Haha, I've noticed that before too (a guy that looks like Horatio Sanz). I'm not a big fan of Applebees overall. I went once in a large group, about 22 to 25 people, and had a surprisingly good waiter - the guy actually managed/offered to do individual tabs. I think we ended up with 5 different tabs for our group (split it by table to make it easy for us). Never saw that guy again though. The food is alright, nothing special. A bit pricey overall. I swear they charge different prices for drinks though - when it was just me and my girlfriend, her Midori Sour cost over a dollar less compared to when ordered in that big group. We haven't gone there much in the last 4 or 5 years, much less order that many drinks (a few times during happy hour), but had gone enough to notice that everyones drink seemed to be marked up. It was $7.something for a Midori Sour, yeah right! —EdWins

2007-07-17 13:33:40 yes haratio sanz is there this guy would win a look alike contest easy , as for the Drinks same thing happened to us a few times different charges strange , just a average place it is very hard to get good service there it seams like anyway i will go there again for the Indochinese chicken salad that is very good and sweet —dickjones

2007-07-18 16:11:04 Applebees was recently purchased by IHOP. Not that it will change anything. —AlexPomeranz

2007-07-18 21:42:36 I went here with a group of fellow Unitrans people. Similar to another review written here, the food arrived lukewarm. My friend's fruitshake showed up with the water separated from the pulverized fruit. Obviously, they had left it standing for a very long time before they brought it out. The crab cakes I ordered were burnt and crummy. The ribs my other friend ordered were ridiculously mushy like baby food. I'm just glad Unitrans paid for the meal in full. I will not and would not return. —AlexQuan

2007-08-03 15:35:02 This place is great just to stay local average food but like i said if want to stay local it is good i love the chicken salad —Brians

2007-09-02 01:44:10 I kind of feel that half the description on this page being about the scandal hurts the reputation of this place. I mean, how was Applebee's supposed to know that they were going to come there? It seems unrelated to the establishment itself. In any case I usually get milk shakes or ice cream here. —SteveOstrowski

2007-09-14 13:23:21 does anyone know if they still have half off appetizers after 9? —MattHh

2007-10-13 23:09:10 The last time we were there the waitress dropped silverware on the ground, waited for the customer to walk by and then put it back with the clean ones. Our drink order (which was tea and water) took fifteen minutes. The appetizers were still cold in the middle and our plates had food from the last patrons...........mmmm clean. Every time we tried to get the waiters attention to ask for more water we were ignored or maybe just not heard (intentionally). The obvious disdain for sanitation far outweighed their dislike of customers. I don’t think I will ever go here again or in good conscience let my friends. —Hen

2007-11-29 15:10:35 I've loved this place for years. After 9pm, 1/2 off appetizers on weeknights.

Also, they changed managers a little while back and suddenly, the last time I went there, the food was even better than usual. I see a lot of hate on this page, but I've only had one bad experience out of the many many times over the past few years that I've gone there, and the waitress fixed it immediately. Try the maple brownie thing... I forgot the name, but it is uhhhhhmazing. —William.Peacock

2007-12-16 11:43:01 I have been happy with this place except once when a friend and I went there for steak, I ordered the ny strip steak, but the size advertised in the menu did not resemble the actual item. I told the waiter and he did nothing. Being a frequent customer, I was shocked at the service that night. Other than this night I have been happy with the food. My favorites on the list include the sampler platter, artichoke and cheese dip, shrimp dishes, pasta, and mozarella sticks. The best thing here are the mixed drinks and the triple choc meltdown with icecream. —ElizabethBarthel

2007-12-23 15:09:56 The staff here are ridiculously slow, I was in a few months back and that was the last time, me and my party waited 15minutes to be seated and the place was empty and then after waiting 20minutes at our table we left due to no one being interested in serving us! The drinks are over priced and have no alcohol in them. Chilis all the way, might be a 20minute drive but thats what you wait at applebees before you even get looked at. —DavisResident23

2008-02-17 18:54:09 It was alright, but keep in mind that I never really liked Applebee's to begin with. The food is mediocre and overly priced. I usually like that one side dish, the mashed potatoes with cheese, but they've ruined that for me.

I've also tried their combo meals - the ones that are supposed to be a "deal" but when you see the actual dish it's a lot smaller portioned than they make it out to be. —feichu-huya

2008-03-30 14:35:34 Is it just me or does the place just keep getting worse? It seems like every time I go there, the service gets worse, food is less tasty, the portions are smaller, etc, etc. I like their booths, but the food is bland and boring. And it's rather expensive for what you're getting. —CurlyGirl26

2008-06-23 21:33:04 A group of four of us went there for dinner on a Monday night. We had average service (can't expect too much from Applebees). I ordered the the NY Strip and asked for it to be cooked RARE. It came out MEDIUM. I know it wasn't the server's fault and made sure that they knew that. I returned it and said that I would wait for a RARE steak. The manager (I beleive his name was Rayn who shouldn't be a manager and you will find out why with what happened next) ended up bringing out the steak. I started cutting into the steak and what do you know? It was still MEDIUM. I told him that this wasn't RARE. Before I could say anything else, he chimes in with these exact words, "I'm sorry (he wasn't sorry, just sorry that he got me as a guest) but with the health code laws we are not allowed to cook rare." First of all that was a line of bulls@*t (you big dooshbag)!! Second of all, if that were true, which it isn't, then don't have your servers ask if we want "rare, medium rare, medium, or well done" you effen retard! I then asked him what he was going to do about me not getting my steak the way I wanted it. He replies "I'm sorry (again). I can offer you a free dessert?" I'm thinking, "what the f does this have to do with dessert?" I then walked out. —sytucd

2008-06-23 21:45:25 Actually, there is in fact a fairly widespread requirement that meat be cooked to a certain internal temperature. This is designed to prevent the spread of E. Coli and other foodborne illnesses. I think that the people at Applebees responded in an acceptable manner, given the situation they are in as a chain restaurant with their own set of internal regulations. —JoePomidor

Ignoring that that is for Sacramento County, there are no regulations (even on that page) for steak, which should be okay to serve raw. Note also that sushi is verboten according to that document, which makes me suspect that it is not at all a legal document. My wife and I have eaten rare beef all over Northern California with no issues other than one very amusing incident, so unless things have changed recently, I'm guessing the manager was just trying to save another steak or leaning on an internal rule that they never normally enforce (as the server put it in rare, and requested it again — specifically rare — and had it come out both times claiming to be rare). —Evan 'JabberWokky' Edwards

2008-06-24 12:57:18 Upon revisiting the site, I found that that requirement is for pork, poultry, and ground beef. In any event, it was meant to illustrate that there are such requirements. —JoePomidor

I require you to send me $1000. Of course, that has no enforcement or legal standing. Neither do these, as far as I can tell. In fact, the way this document is linked to on the FAQ entry seems to indicate that this is phrased as "what we think is required to be safe", not "what is required by law that restaurants must follow". I am not at all saying I have special knowledge about this, just that that document really looks like suggested guidelines, not a statutory requirement of restaurants (consumer law or public health attorneys should feel free to correct me). In fact, places that grind their own beef routinely advertise and make a big deal that they will serve rare burgers (since it's the cross contamination with other ground meats that's the issue, not the beef itself), including restaurants in Sacramento county. Again, it says seafood must be cooked as well... which, if this were a legal requirement, would outlaw all sushi restaurants. In short, I think that's a "temperatures required to kill germs that we suggest you use" and not "temperatures restaurants are required to use". —Evan 'JabberWokky' Edwards

I see what you mean now. Given that, I have still seen many restaurants that refuse to cook below a certain level of done-ness, and I am not surprised that Applebee's is one of them. I think their response to this customer was not unreasonable, although if they do list 'rare' as an option, as sytucd says, then that is definitely a little sketchy. —JoePomidor

The big non-steakhouse chains are most likely to not allow meat to be served rare, so it wouldn't surprise me if there is an in store regulation (that way they can tolerate a little sloppiness in the supply chain). The thing that's off with this story is the fact that the order went in twice as rare and was accepted as such. —Evan 'JabberWokky' Edwards

2008-06-30 19:39:11 I like Applebees but for this particular location, I think the tastiness of the food is a hit or miss. But still a good place to go when you want to eat out. —sweetsoni

2008-07-05 19:10:06 I detect some Davis snobbery in these posts. This place has great burgers. The beef is seasoned well, and it's as juicy as they come. Fries are tasty but are usually lukewarm. It's kind of pricey though. A burger and fries will set you back 10 bucks. —JimBob

2008-07-12 13:05:04 I have a friends who likes this place, so I end up here pretty regularly, and I wholly recommend the Teriyaki Buffalo Wings. They are made almost entirely from deliciousness. —JoePomidor

2008-07-20 01:12:36 It's not the best place in Davis to eat, but it can relieve you from hunger. I recommend their ultimate trio, it's a pretty good deal. —cnk.midori

2008-10-21 13:35:35 sundeep is the man —ChrisWaterstraat

2008-11-16 20:37:47 a decent long island i guess. They can pour 'em kinda weak. on thursdays they have "happy hour all night" which means cheaper drinks, draughts & appetizers and it can be fun then —Chrissapher

2009-02-04 15:29:32 Niel (one of the main bartenders) is awesome. We always try to get there before happy hour ends which is like 6pm so we rush on in and Niel is always hurrying to get in our order so we get the happy hour deals. And he always remembers our drinks. He's got his own regulars there. I love the food too! —Rachelottlinger

2009-05-19 12:43:26 Our visits are all about one man...Stephan. best freaking waiter ever. —patrick82

2009-05-31 09:08:50 I come here pretty often, it's right next to my work and open late, both of which are good for me. Some of my favorites are the fried shrimp, the fajita roll-up, the blondie dessert, and the strawberry sparkling limeade. The fried chicken salad and apple chicken salad are both very good too, make for a nice meal after a late shift.
The staff is very friendly, though sometimes they seem a bit hurried. It can also be very slow if you come late, just before closing (unless it's a Friday with happy hour and whatnot)... but they're really nice about letting people stay late.
If you're looking for fancy eats, not the place. But it's convenient and a nice place to get together with friends, even on a budget. —KBathory

2009-07-27 17:58:27 Food: it's typical American food (w/ some strange take on Asian food) Tasteness: medium - something we can all cook if we weren't so lazy.
Service: get ready to wait! (I use to think once my party and I order our food they would then go outside and harvest the food)
Would I return: Not anytime soon.
rating: 6/10 —FoodGloriousFood

2009-10-17 03:35:38 This is one of the worst places i have ever went to for dinner. my housemates and myself were hungry and decided to eat at applebees'. not only did they get our orders wrong, but they got it wrong TWICE!! they thought we ordered 1 dish when we ordered 3 and when they fixed it, they only gave us 2 of that order. not only was the service bad, but the food itself was not very pleasant. it looked like food that had been left over night and microwaved. after i ate half of my order, i just couldnt continue eating. in fact, none of my housemates finished their meals either. after that, i started feeling sick and had to use the bathroom TWICE in an hour or two. i am definitely NEVER returning to Applebee EVER AGAIN. this will be my FIRST and LAST time eating at Applebee's. —Jacko