I think that’s just the thing for me. They’re all over the place. We have one just down the road. Applebee’s. Guys like Tyler Florence pitch their new dishes, and I’ll admit, on the commercials, their food does look good.
But we never have good luck there. The food always tastes like it came out of some combination of a toaster oven and a microwave. We’ve been to at least four different Applebee’s over the years probably all told about a dozen times. Not once have we received what I would call even decent service. We waited 15 minutes one time just to have a chance to wave to our waitress as she blew by us. Another few minutes later, we managed to stop her long enough to order drinks. In all of the times we’ve been to an Applebee’s, we’ve never received what we’ve ordered on the first try. Either our appetizer comes out after the entrees, something comes out that we didn’t order, or probably worse, we don’t get all of the food we ordered. More often than not, what we do get isn’t prepared correctly. I’ll never forget the time they tried to serve my daughter scrambled eggs that were still liquidy… not just undercooked, but like… drinkable. It was gross. It never fails that whatever I order, they don’t have. “I’ll have a beer. What do you have on tap?” Waitress lists them off. “I’ll have ‘X’.”
And the inevitable reply, “Sorry, we don’t have that.” Gah!!! Why did you list it… when… nevermind.
I can hear you asking, “Well, then, why do you go back?” Good question. It used to be because we thought it was just bad luck. We’d have a bad experience, and then without fail someone would talk about what a good time they had at Applebee’s. Really? It was that fun? The food was that good? Really? Hmm… maybe it’s just us. So we’d go back.
Now, though, Applebee’s is where I like to take the family when I’m pissed off about something, but have no outlet. I want to justify my irritation. I want to be able to let go of some portion of my ire on someone who deserves it. And Applebee’s never lets me down.
Today, I really need that. I went to the doctor this morning and the verdict is that the right side of my back has pretty well seized up. Massive back spasms that have clenched up my right side. So, he gave me a prescription for some vicodin, some 800 mg ibuprofin and sent me to physical therapy. I don’t take a lot of medicine, so the vicodin makes me a little loopy. And, as I sat around today trying to avoid thinking about my back, my thoughts kept circling around all of the things I could have done.
I could have stretched more, because I’ve been told that my hamstrings are causing a lot of problems for my back. I know that, but I haven’t done anything about it.
I could have worked as hard to strengthen my back as I have my abs. A strong back leads to a balanced core. I know that. But I’ve always told myself that I was doing enough.
I could finally lose this last 10-15 lbs that I’ve been carrying around. It doesn’t seem like much, but when I pick up a 15 lbs weight, it suddenly begins to make sense.
I certainly could have done these things and more, and I’m committed to doing them now. But tonight, I’m going to Applebee’s, and hopefully I can justify blaming some part of my bad mood on them.
Thanks to everyone who’s posted ideas and kind words in the comments. I really, really appreciate them all. There’s only one chiropractor I’d ever let near my back, and that’s Sean at chirofit. He’s a good guy, but most importantly, I trust him. I don’t trust Chiropractors, as a general rule. I’ve had multiple bad experiences, and even as I type this, even though I trust Sean, it’s hard to think about going through that again.
I’m a big fan of massage, and think that I’ll need to work that into my schedule on a regular basis. I’ve never felt better than when I was going to the local massage school for a 1 hr massage every two weeks. But in the meantime, I’ll see what the PT has to say and take it from there.
i hate tell ya this bro…I used to work at Applebee's when I was really strapped for cash and needed another job to make ends meet….their food is 70% microwave. From the veggies to the rice to the steaks before their are "grilled"…everything else is deep fried.
I used to think the same about chiropractors as well. I had a lingering rib injury from rugby that doctor visits and PT couldn't fix, which lead to a curve in my spine. So after a few years of suffering, finally had an adjustment and it was a world of difference.
I think you should come over for a buffalo burger and a beer and just kick it
when you are done swing by Starbucks and maybe they'll double cup your drink. Hang in there bud
Go on, get in there and let rip Gordon Ramsey style. Thank God for crap restaurants.
Steve,
I am so sorry to hear about your visits with Applebee's – definitely not what anyone should expect. Hopefully your visit last night was better.
Guest feedback is very important to us, and I would like to see the issues you brought up are addressed and resolved. In order to do this would you please contact us at your convenience, the call should take less than 5 minutes.
You can reach us by calling 888-59-APPLE (888-592-7753) between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday. All times listed are central time.
Alex with Applebee's Guest Relations
** I hope your back is feeling better!
@Mike: Dude, I completely believe you. Everything they serve TASTES like it came out of the microwave. When my back gets a little better, I am totally down for a beer and a burger at your place!
@Anon: That's as bad as when they call me amigo at Azteca!
@Meerkat: That would be awesome. "Come on, you donkey. Taste this. TASTE THIS! IT'S RAAAW, you Donut! You stupid COW!"
@Alex: I genuinely appreciate the offer.
Hi Steve – Sorry to hear about your back.
I am not a fan of Chiropractors either. However…I credit my Physical Therapist for getting me back in the dojo after my knee injury.
I used to be a breakfast cook at Friendly's. The worst mistake I could make was sending out runny eggs. Yuck.
I hope you feel better soon!
Darn! Applebees staff read BJJ blogs, ok, that gets a vote of approval then.
Whoa, kudoes to whoever at Applebee's is working the google searches. Nice.
I hear you on the extra 15 lbs. Or 20, as the case may be here in Austin.
Thanks for writing about this. There’s a heap of solid tech info on the internet. You’ve got a lot of that info here on your website. I’m impressed – I try to keep a couple blogs somewhat current, but it’s a struggle sometimes. You’ve done a great job with this one. How do you do it?
Pavelu, thanks for the kind words. It’s funny that you’re giving me a compliment on keeping my site current when I’ve been beating myself up for doing just the opposite.
I’ve had lots of post ideas, but no time to get them written. Things are calming down for me now, though, so hopefully I’ll be able to get back into my blog.