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Working at Applebee's: Company Overview and Reviews
Applebee's
14266 reviews
Applebee's Ratings
3.6
Average rating of 14266 reviews on Indeed
| 3.4 | Work-Life Balance | |
| 2.8 | Pay & Benefits | |
| 3.1 | Job Security & Advancement | |
| 3.2 | Management | |
| 3.4 | Culture |
Headquarter
Glendale, CA
Employee
10,000+
Revenue
More than $10B (USD)
Industry
Restaurants, Travel and Leisure
Website
Popular jobs at Applebee's
| Average Salary | Salary Range | |
|---|---|---|
Cook 1286 Salaries reported | $11.91 per hour | $7.25-$22.25 |
Restaurant Manager 20 Salaries reported | $14.85 per hour | $7.40-$23.15 |
Server 336 Salaries reported | $14.89 per hour | $7.25-$29.25 |
Line Cook 606 Salaries reported | $12.79 per hour | $7.25-$19.60 |
Host/Hostess 426 Salaries reported | $11.40 per hour | $7.25-$22.80 |
Salary Satisfaction
Of the employees are satisfied about their pay
Based on 10602 reviews
Benefits
Health Care
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
401k
Paid Time Off
Stock Options
Discounts
Overall Reviews at Applebee's
Cook/Dishwasher | Buffalo, NY | Apr 14, 2018
Big Management Problem
I have worked for the company. for about 3-5 years on and off. Started as a host, became a G/U and move up to line cook about 3 years in. At all my locations. The work environment is pretty much what you would expect from a popular fast paced, fast food/fine dinning type establishment.I usually get along with my co-workers. able to with stand the rush of orders that come our way as we endure "Prios, and Recooks being barked at us from the front of the house".but then there's that little bit of downtime where we all catch our bearings and getting ready for round two. you get to know your line and build the support system you will need on the line. However There is a major problem I have run into working with this company. And that seems to be management. Certain ones in my area. Are not bad. I wouldn't mind working under them again. But there are some who take their job as manager, to the level of overlord. except they often fail to properly take care of the needs of the store, and in turn their employees. No, instead. all they care about is meeting some type of hour quota and staff micro-management. which I understand is suppose to help in certain situations. but it doesn't seem to in this one. Not only that there is a hugh problem with favoritism, if you are not on their green list, you're on their black list. and that can create unfair and unjust working conditions for employees. which often lead to Terminations or quitings because of lack of management's empathy for their
ProsModerate Pay, Friendly Environment, Decent Hours.
ConsManagement. Lack of compassion for staff. Ridged rules
Host/Hostess | New Braunfels, TX | Jun 26, 2019
Never Work here EVER!
The whole company is really bad, My interview was 5/29/19 at 4:30pm, i showed up 15mins before, and the host went back to get the manager, she later came back and said he was on a smoke break and he wouldnt be done for a while, so my interview didnt start till closer to 4:35ish. The interview lasted less then 2mins, and he asked one question about work, then proceeded to talk and ask me about my personal life. From the start that was a bit sketchy to me, but I started 5/31/19 again at 4:30pm for orientation. I walked in and he took me to the office, put me in, gave a 10 second tour of the back, and told me to go do my job. Being this was my first job working in food, I had no clue how I was meant to be doing my job, I was expecting training and a proper orientation.
I got some help from a host who started a few weeks before, and she said similar things to what i stated above, She showed me where she keeps sanitation for wiping the tables, the water was black, and she said she changed it around two weeks ago. Nasty.
My family came in around 8pm to eat dinner, most of their food was way under cooked, made some of my family sick the following days, When they complained, the waitress kept pushing for them to get something else, she even told my father, oh give it to your son (me, working) for when he gets home. Keep in mind my parents already kindly brought me a meal, for me to eat on my break, but the waitress put it as a sit in rather then to go, so I got yelled at, for
ProsNone
ConsNO BREAKS, WORST MANAGEMENT
Host/Hostess | Wenatchee, WA | Jun 18, 2019
Fast pace, unequal, underpaid
I was a host at Applebees for a year and the servers and managers are great. However, we do not have bussers at this restaurant so it “falls” on the servers to do. The servers know if they do no clean the tables, that it falls on the host, so the servers NEVER clean their tables and the hosts will get yelled at by the managers. I constantly saw servers grab their tips off the dirty table and leave their table dirty for 20 minutes until the manager reprimanded the hosts for not cleaning it. Host only make 1% of the servers tips, yet we do about 50% of their work. They take the order and bring the food, but we buss the table and wipe it down along with the seats along with also sometimes bringing the customers their food/drinks/condiments. I wouldn’t mind cleaning their tables if I got paid more for it. I made minimum wage, yet I basically had the responsibilities of a host AND a busser. All the servers have to say is that they are “busy” and can’t clean them. Yet those servers will have 3-4 tables and I’ve seen servers with 6 tables clean EVERY SINGLE ONE of them. Hosts are completely taken advantage of and we were the ones that would have to pick up everyone else’s slack, we were thrown the jobs that no one wanted to do. I’d say about 95% of the time the servers don’t clean off their tables, then complain that the hosts aren’t seating them like they expected us to sit someone at a cup and plate filled table.
As a host you are suppose to seat people, make children’s silverwa
Pros50% off food
ConsVery short breaks, very fast fasted, multiple jobs but paid for one, lazy servers, hard to advance
Fry Cook | Hooksett, NH | Aug 26, 2018
HORRIBLE Corporate Model
This awful business model is everything that’s wrong with Corporate Kitchens. Trying to sell foods like Steaks and Grilled Chicken as if it’s fast food....impossible to do this and uphold quality standards. “Baked Potatoes” aren’t baked they are steamed. “Baked Haddock” isn’t baked either. People eating this food are being led to believe that the preparation is something other than what it really is. WAY under staffed ! The Mgmt. literally manages by the numbers the computer gives them such as man hours vs. sales % etc.... most mgrs are not qualified to BE mgrs to begin with. They make ONE line cook close the entire line because they send all the cooks home to make the “numbers” better. Then that poor line cook has to deal with late rushes all by themselves and trust me , when the movie theater up the street lets out and the second shift at the mfg plant down the street hits you all at once it gets stupid in a big hurry. Top it all off with having sent the dishwasher home 3 or 4 hours before and there is nobody left to close the dish pit down except ..... YEP you guessed it That poor single line cook!!! So if you think you wanna dish or line cook at Applebee’s you better think long and hard. If your a dishwasher you come in to the whole days prep pots and pans and dishes piled up from lunchtime until 4pm or 5pm. I am serious......it is the most absurd way to run a kitchen I have EVER seen. I am not a kid. I am 50 yrs old and have worked in kitchens since I was 15 yrs old. Thi
ProsNONE, not unless you call abusing yourself for a paycheck a Positive Thing
ConsPOOR Mgmt !!!!!!! Sub Par Microwaved Food, Horrible Hours, Short Staffed Daily !
Host/Server | Gainesville, FL | May 13, 2019
Decent money, horrible clients
Depending on the position you are working, you can make pretty decent money. It's definitely better than minimum wage, and I will absolutely never go back to minimum wage. As a server, I can usually average around $15 an hour. On a busy night with good clients, I have gotten around $20. Other times, I wouldn't really make anything.
You get stiffed pretty often. Applebees offers cheap deals, which attracts garbage clients. Clients are rude and horrible at tipping. The restaurant doesn't care about their employees, which really hardly gives me any incentive to keep working for them. They supply employees with cheap material and poor training. I basically had to train myself in serving. You get $5 off of your food only if you worked that day, and you get free beverages. Alcohol is NOT free and NOT discounted. You do not get any discounts at restaurants you do not work at. If your food is less than $5, they don't even give it for free. They do 50% off.
As a host, I averaged around $11 an hour after tip share.
As a host, 3.5% of all of your sales get tipped out. 2.5% goes to host, 1% goes to bar. This is the restaurant's way to maximize their profits stiff their employees.
Overall, I make ok money, but absolutely hate the job. I'm always looking for other opportunities with employers who actually care about their employees.
Also, uneaten food that gets returned goes into the garbage. Applebees should be ashamed of themselves for throwing away perfe
ProsBetter than minimum wage
ConsHorrible clients, garbage discounts, typical profit maximizing company
Server | Santa Maria, CA | Sep 19, 2018
Good Place to Work for Young Adults
I enjoyed working at Applebee's for the first few months until I noticed a pattern that I didn't really like. Servers typically only get 2-3 shifts a week, and it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to pick up shifts because EVERYONE is trying to pick up shifts. It's almost as if there's too many servers there. I got daily texts from other employees begging for my shifts because they need the money, however, all of us weren't getting enough hours. When you DO have a shift, say it's at 4pm on a Friday, you do not get out of there until about midnight. My past experience as a server, I was used to working 4-6 hour shifts, but Applebee's keeps you there forever. Not only that, but once you're "cut" at around 11pm or midnight, then you have to stay for about another hour-hour and a half doing a ridiculous amount of side work. You have to clean your own section which means flipping every table over and sweeping under it, wiping the top of the table down, wiping down the booth seats, re-filling all of the sugars, ketchup, and salt and pepper containers, and make sure there is silverware on all of the tables. That's not all, you then have to roll 2 baskets of silverware and clean the kitchen alley before you can leave. Also, while you're trying to roll your silverware to get the heck out of there, the managers will ask you to run food so it just takes even longer. Way too much work for $11/hour and only $150 a night in tips for only 2 days a week, when you could work at another restaurant making
ProsGreat managers, cool employees
ConsToo much work, not enough pay, very few hours
Bartender | Bossier City, LA | May 8, 2019
Gone down hill
I first started at Applebee’s in 2008. Working there was exciting, the money was great, management was great, the quality of clientele was sub par, and employees were held accountable. I moved from part time server to bartender within a year, which was a difficult task back then. Managers weren’t just bosses they were teammates and coaches. All of the stores in the franchise competed with one another to be the best, everyone cared about their performance, from the server assistant to the general manager, and all took pride in their work. I worked at all 3 stores in the area, because I was sometimes asked to fill in. After three years I was fired from the company because another bartender physically assaulted me in the FOH, we were both fired, myself wrongfully terminated. About two years later I reapplied and spoke to HR and was hired. Went back to same location and the quality of service was not the same. Management wasn’t as involved, from what i observed they were extremely over worked. Employees were trained properly, expectations were lowered.
I transferred locations eventually because the clientele wasn’t what it was before. I was still able to support my family but i worked twice as hard for less money. After a few year I resigned due to poor management. Third time is a charm, right? No, after returning briefly this year I wouldn’t suggest working here unless you are in high school or don’t have bills to pay. Management terrible, it’s a free for all, no one held acco
ProsGood friends, great plugs, you can do whatever you want, can still have a job while missing work and not calling in
ConsNo money, poor management, stress, workplace bullying, complete chaos.
Host/Server | Harrisonburg, VA | Mar 3, 2020
Words do not match actions
This restaurant used to be one of the better performing ones in the area, but in the last one to two years it has declined drastically. The managers often say one thing and then do another, especially when it comes to communication and hiring and training new employees. The managers often do not talk to each other about what is going on. If you speak to one about requesting a day off, they will probably approve it. But if that manager does not work the day being requested off, they most likely will not tell any of the other managers that this decision has been made, leading to someone being scheduled when they are not supposed to be or a kitchen/restaurant that is understaffed. There have also been numerous times where applicants have come in to interview for positions and been sent away because the managers could not find the time to meet with them. There have been times where the manager was busy due to the restaurant being understaffed, but that is also their responsibility to schedule and hire the correct number of people. If someone is able to actually get through the applicant process and obtains the job, this applebee's provides minimal to no training. They often throw new employees to the wolves, often starting them during a Friday night dinner or Saturday lunch shift. Their promises of respecting students class schedule is also not true as I have witnessed the managers trying to guilt students into working even though they are in class or have assignments/tests
Kitchen Manager | Kentucky | Apr 11, 2018
Been here for 12 years :)
I literally started working as a Carside To-Go associate at the age of 19 - 12 years later I’m still here :) I worked in FOH for 3 years, and have been in management for about 9 years now and I love my job. I am currently a Kitchen Manager, but have been everything from a server, a bartender, an expedite, a bar manager, a server manager and a GM. What I love most about my job is that it’s something different every single day. I never get bored and am constantly challenged. It gets very hard sometimes (especially for someone with OCD) but I truly enjoy what I do. The pay and benefits are competative with the market average. Yes, budgets change often. Yes, you have to make tough choices when it comes to purchasing and scheduling - but it’s doable. Instead of two average cooks on a shift, you learn to schedule two strong cooks. Instead of ordering everything your store needs all at once, you learn to prioritize, split the purchases and examine which period they will hit. Chances are if you are unable to adapt, it’s because you are either unwilling to do so or are still searching for the right people. I am a top manager in my area, and feel like I know this business better than most. Applebee’s and RMH have ALWAYS taken care of me - through FMLA leave for a serious medical condition, to two diffficult pregnancies, and now having a severely Autistic daughter. Those who have said they have a poor quality of life, have probably worked for a less than compassionate DO or GM. I’ve had
Bartender | Kansas | Jun 26, 2019
no career advancements, no health benifits, bad people place
the mangement is very scattered. there is a GM and an Assistant GM and 5 floor managers. the GM and Assistant GM are married. They met there and both ended their past marriages to be married while ones wife was active in the military and the other was working the expo there. The general manager has a very brittle temper, always yelling cussing and putting his team down. Complete lack of leadership. he ignores employee availability school or another job he will not care. he'll work you 10 hours 5 days a week and complain when you are tired he will even go as far as saying "stop the drugs" I've seen him say this to someone who's never used drugs. he blames all poor work on drugs. however applebees is litered with drugs. I've seen the assistant gm use and sell. They constantly fight and it sometimes turns into one of them or both leaving during the shift and 1 of the 5 floor mangers will be stuck cleaning up. they fake ticket times and are very unresponsive to guest needs and employee needs, save yourself the trouble. this job will drain you degrade you and make you super stressed it's not worth it. they will constantly be hypocritical and judgmental also very sexist. I don't think anyone deserves that kind of treatment. the place needs a definite house clean starting with the GMs. Also people have been caught fornicating in the fridge along with listed GMs.
Prosnone
ConsPoor benifits, poor pay, poor higher up mangement, poor culture, poor attitude, poor leadership, gross kitchen, poor problem solving
Questions And Answers about Applebee's
Why did you leave your job at Applebee's?
Asked Mar 16, 2017
I used to work at applebbes for three years i did everything there but the favoritism was bad and same people were lazy but not all of them. I would work sometime 6 days a week.for them and i never felt like they appreciate me and when i had a problem with a co worker i would go to management about it and it would never be fixed. Sometime they way the treat people there is just wow not good
Answered Mar 6, 2020
Other workers wanted to try and pick on me and start with me for no reason so they wrongfully terminated me so now they want to rehire me but I got a hold on my rehire
Answered Jan 7, 2020
Do you keep your tips or share?
Asked Aug 4, 2016
5% of weekdays to bartender, 15% to serving assistant on weekends.
Answered Jan 13, 2020
Yes we did tip share
Answered Jul 21, 2019
What would you suggest Applebee's management do to prevent others from leaving?
Asked Mar 16, 2017
Corporate office should step in and remove all the manager staff because it obvious they wasn't trained properly including the GM.
Answered Mar 12, 2020
Remodel restaurant & get rid of the ROACHES crawling through uncooked and cooked foods, ROACHES inside of ice machines frozen drinks pureed w/ ROACHES as well as mixed drinks with ROACHES (baby roaches) in the ICE and Drink. ALL DRINKS
Answered Mar 8, 2020
How did you get your first interview at Applebee's?
Asked Feb 25, 2016
Applied through indeed and they set up an interview that day. went in for the interview and was asked during the interview to come back the next day for an interview with the GM. got hired during my interview with her
Answered Feb 27, 2020
I did my app online. They hired me on the spot. I start Monday at 2
Answered Jun 7, 2019
What is the best part of working at Applebee's?
Asked Nov 26, 2019
Individuals I worked with bringing each other up. Positive atmosphere and bringing the meaning of teamwork.
Answered Apr 3, 2020
Sorry to say...but clocking out
Answered Mar 31, 2020