The fact that an Applebee’s opened in my town about a year ago and we have been there once may say it all. Or perhaps it could be my bias toward the very similar, in my opinion, Ruby Tuesday.

On this particular weekday in May at about 1:00 an online friend whom I had never met suggested we meet at Applebee’s in the Cincinnati, OH area. It wouldn’t have been my choice but we were on her turf so I agreed. In the past years I have been to many Applebee’s. I thought their food to be adequate. Over the years and with the advent of many similar chains, I have found a lot that Applebee's is not my choice of chains. However they have added a specialty to their menu. Ruby Tuesday has gone low-carb; Applebee’s has gone Weight Watchers. The specific restaurant in which we ate is located at:

5980 Meijer Drive, Milford, OH, 513, 965-8240. There is plenty of free parking at this location. I can’t remember anywhere parking was a problem though I have noticed them more and more in downtown areas where there is no parking lot for the restaurant itself.

The décor and service:

I think Ruby Tuesday is really cute. I can spend hours looking at all their paraphernalia on the walls and the cute carousel and decorations. Applebee’s does a poor job in attempting to catch that ambiance. In my opinion, they fall way short. To me all the Applebee’s look the same, my experiences have been quite similar but I will focus on my Ohio experience.

As usual we were greeted by a friendly hostess who asked us more than once if we wanted a booth or a bar table. When you first walk in there is a small lobby. As you enter the restaurant you’ll see a bar and not too far from the bar are high tables with stool type chairs. The chairs have backs making them safe to sit on but they were never my choice of table. We finally got it across to her that we wanted a booth in the non-smoking area. Just as an aside, once we left Massachusetts, non-smoking restaurants have been a thing of the past. As you can see we are on a 3 month journey. We sat in a comfortable booth along glass windows. I didn’t smell any smoke, perhaps because it was very quiet and not at all busy so there weren’t many people in Applebee’s.

Our waitress was very nice. She introduced herself and gave us as much time as we wanted to order and eat. We asked her to take our picture and she was happy to. She thought it was really neat that we had never met.

The restaurant isn’t totally devoid of decorations. There are a few plants and wall decorations but it is hard for me not to compare it to the much more fun Ruby Tuesday.

Applebee’s takes all major credit cards but doesn’t take reservations unless there is a party coming in. Its large size and separate sections makes it a popular place for friends to get together. I’ve been there when there have been work functions in particular.

There are over 1500 restaurants in 49 states so they must be doing something right! And they are there are some redeeming qualities.

Our service was excellent. As I said our waitress was not only friendly but attentive. She filled up my Iced Tea until I thought I would float away and never had to ask for her for more.

One odd thing was the bill paying. We asked that the check be split and we each gave her our credit cards. Rather than splitting the bill, she put Ann’s food on her charge card and my food on mine. It was actually fine since I spent twice as much as Ann and felt badly splitting it, but I’m not sure if she didn’t understand what we had asked or that is just what she usually thinks of as splitting the bill.

The food:

I have eaten a variety of items on the menu. My favorite has always been The Oriental Chicken Salad. It can be ordered as half a size for $5.29 or the regular size for $7.29. The regular size has consistently been good, full of chicken, almonds and noodles. Perhaps it was because Ann ordered the half size that her dish looked lame. Really it was somewhat embarrassing when the waitress put her salad in front of her. I was wondering where the Oriental was in it!

I ordered the Honey Grilled Salmon which is advertised as "A fabulous flame-grilled Atlantic salmon glazed with Applebee's Honey Pepper Sauce, and served with almond rice pilaf, seasonal vegetables and garlic toast for $8.99." I asked that it be grilled in as little butter as possible, got a double order of vegetables rather than rice and skipped the garlic toast. All those requests were honored without fanfare.

It was pretty good. In another state in another restaurant I ordered a similar dish and it was dry. Applebee’s dish was moist and fairly tasty, though certainly not the best salmon I’ve had. For the price and for a chain, it was acceptable. They cooked it well. The marinade wasn't spicy or peppery. The vegetables were fresh and steamed. There was a plentiful portion of both the salmon and veggies. Unlike Ann’s dish, mine I thought to be an adequate size.

Applebee’s puts hearts next to their signature items and write “new” next to new items. Their Oriental Chicken Salad is a signature meal. They also have what they call Take Two. For $11.99 you can create your own combination of two of their dishes. For example you can put the House Sirloin with the Honey Grilled Chicken which comes with garlic mashed potatoes, veggies and garlic toast. Watch the mashed potatoes. I have had them in the past and they can be highly seasoned. Unless you like a lot of garlic you might want to ask to try them before you order them.

They have a nice choice of 11 appetizers such as Boneless Buffalo Wings for $6.79 or Onion Peels for $3.99. You can also get a variety of rollups, sandwiches and burgers for an average price of $7.00.

Alcoholic mixed drinks and beer are available.

What has become popular at Ruby Tuesday and Applebee’s is the “Carside to Go” concept. You call in what you want, drive over, pull into a dedicated spot that says Carside to Go and they bring out the food to you. It’s a great idea since it competes somewhat with the drive through restaurants.

The second new idea since the last time I was at this chain is their Weight Watcher menu. They have 10 items, two of which are desserts that have the number of points next to them. For example the Sizzling Chicken Skillet for $8.99 we are told has 7 points and the Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake has 4 points. Although I am not currently counting points I am a fan of Weight Watchers and may change my rating from a 3 to a 4 after writing this review because of this addition to the menu.

Jo’s Final Thoughts:

Applebee’s is a decent sit down, almost fast food like chain with better quality food than most drive through chains. Their prices are reasonable and their portions are very good unless you get the half size. I’ve had many dishes over the years including the Honey Grilled Chicken. I can’t say anything was bad. I can say some items are not delicious. I’ve had chicken that was cooked too long, for example. This particular day, though, my salmon, although farm raised, wasn’t bad.

Would I go back? Should I recommend it? Well I said I was going to perhaps give Applebee’s 4 stars but after thinking about it I am sticking with 3 stars. There are few if any real vegetarian options. I think the restaurant itself is fairly boring, especially compared to Ruby Tuesday which I would recommend way over Applebee’s. The service was very good; the prices are very good so I will recommend it to you especially if you are on a Weight Watcher diet.

Please feel free to leave me a question or comment.

I am chronicling our 3-month coast to coast trip and will leave the reviews as I write them.

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Recommended: Yes