The Applebee's Drinks Customers Love That Employees Won't Touch

Few people are brave enough to ask the staff of a bar or restaurant: "What's so bad that you should never order it?" Fortunately for its patrons, some Applebee's employees have voiced their honest feelings about the drink specials customers love that they wouldn't necessarily order themselves. Applebee's drink specials are known for their affordability, but also their alleged weakness and low quality. While we here at Tasting Table don't necessarily turn up our nose at cocktails served in a fishbowl, we do trust that those in the service industry know what they're talking about (which is why the drink specials appear on our list of the menu items Applebee's staff won't eat).

In a thread on the r/restaurantowners subreddit discussing Applebee's, one commenter contended:  "Nothing there is top shelf. Their well boozes would not see shelf space in most establishments." Another respondent argued: "The quality of other ingredients in the drinks is very poor, and overly sugared to mask the poor ingredients." In a further Reddit post asking workers what they would never order from their respective franchises, a Redditor identifying as a former Applebee's bartender referred to a viral video that appears to show an Applebee's employee preparing a batch of the chain's $1 margarita — known as the "Dollarita" — in a bucket (though Applebee's claimed the video does not accurately portray the drink's preparation). The poster suggested anyone who purchased a Dollarita would receive "maybe 2-3 sips of s***ty weak margarita for your dollar."

Despite the feelings of those who prepare them, many Applebee's customers seem to love the chain's drink specials, or at least love how cheap they are. Following the launch of the Dollarita, Applebee's began its Neighborhood Drink program, which unveiled new $1 to $3 drinks each month. By 2019, Applebee's had sold over 55 million Neighborhood Drinks, but these specials prompted further irritation from some Applebee's staff, who often had to deal with mobs of customers whenever a new special began. As one former employee on Reddit recalled, "Imagine you have standing room only in a room filled with angry poor people trying to get wasted on nothing ... Soooooo many complaints about the lousy cheap as dirt drinks." Thankfully, the worst Applebee's cocktail is not around all year long.

Some commentators have speculated that the drink specials' kitschy nature and unashamed low quality are part of the appeal, while others believe people just like a good deal. As for the customers themselves, many seem fairly philosophical about what they expect. One patron on the subreddit r/alcohol said, "I had the Long Island special and woah was it awful. I mean $1 Long Island what do you expect right? ... Took 3+ to catch a buzz and by then I wanted to throw up for all the wrong reasons." If such reviews don't put you off and you're watching your budget, be sure to check out whether Chili's or Applebee's has the cheaper happy hour.