Applebees in New York City? What?- Page 2

[lildogs]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 9:52am

It is absolutely insane for anyone to eat at an Applebee's in one of the food capitals of the world. The food is at best pedestrian and the prices are quite high considering you're eating food that is being defrosted or out of a plastic bag.
Of course, foregn tourists I'm sure are intrigued; I can't imagine a family from Duluth eating there on vacation, but they do!

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 9:57am

I grew up in NJ, so going to Applebee's in Manhattan is kinda nostalgic. I do it a few times a year.

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 9:59am

Ugh, this bugs me to no end! Like lildogs said, tourists come to the food capital of the US, and all they look for is familiarity- Applebees, TGIF, Red Lobster, and Olive Garden. All can be found within the Times Sq. area, and it seems many tourists don't seem to realize that there's more to NYC than Times Sq.

Their loss for not wanting to walk through the West Village, etc. where there are loads of excellent little cafes and restaurants.

Why they'd pay top dollar for greasy onion rings and O'Douls is way beyond my comprehension.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 11:42am

My friends went to NYC last week and promptly went to Applebee's, despite there being an Applebee's five minutes from where we live where they eat all the time.

[lildogs]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 11:48am

Of course they did JohnPapa! They paid more for the same food they get back home, and more than a really good, fun NYC place that would be unique and much more of an experience!

But you know, some people are very afraid when it comes to ordering new things in restaurants and prefer to order something they know they will like...I am not one of those people but I understand the thinking behind it...

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 11:55am

For the record, I wouldn't go to Applebees if I lived in a trailer park and it was the only option.

[Justice]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 11:56am

I worked at the Applebee's on 50th for almost 2 years. It was a great place to work...until they got some a$$wipe General Manager who was trying to turn the place from casual to white table cloth...taking out all the fun...which was the whole point of being there...to have fun (Yes, they told us this in training.)
Needless to say, I left that place and moved here to Cali, hoping to get a supposed transfer...didn't happen. I'm getting emails from friends who are still there and ready to quit.

Posted: 7/27/05 at 11:58am

When I took my Boyfriend for his first trip to NYC, he announced that we would not eat at any restaurant that existed within 50 miles of our apartment back home! I was so proud!

He did break down and we stopped and got diet cokes and Croissants at the Au Bon Pain!

I don't know why people who travel to see new things and go new plaes, becomes completely timid when it comes to food on vacation. I'm always raring to try new things.

Of course, on my first trip to NYC I was so blindsided by the prices that I can forgive people for gravitating to the old familiar, but even the Appleby's can give you sticker shock. I'm still reeling from my first $15 Reuben in NYC.

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 12:01pm

I hate having to hand over $10 for a salad, but we pick our battles. I'll just stay away from the $6 Frapuccinos.

Dojo's saved my life during college. You can get a full meal there for under $5.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 12:05pm

A while after the first Olive Garden opened in Times Square area, my friends and I decided to go there since we'd never been to one. Well, the wait was going to be over an HOUR because it was FILLED with tourists. I just couldn't get my mind around that.

[Justice]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 12:07pm

The thing is...for people who are going to NYC for the first time, they'll want something familiar, where they know that the food they're spending this money on will be good.

A group of people are out venturing in NYC after a day of walking, someone in the group says:
Man 1: It's about time for dinner.
Man2: What's everyone in the mood for?
Woman 1: I'm game for anything...but I could do a salad...
Man 1: Well, where should we go?
Woman 1 :I don't know. I'm not familiar with this city to know any of the restaurants. Any ideas, Jake?
Man 2: Anywhere that has a burger will be fine...
Woman 1: Yes, but we don't know what serves burgers, now, do we? Certainly not this Italian restaurant here!
Man 2: I'm sorry - Why don't I pull out my mental restaurant map and direct you to the right place!!
Woman 1: Well, why don't you?
Man 2: You know, you can be such a...(brief pause)
Woman 1; What? Go on. Say it!
Man 1: Guys! Stop fighting! There's an Applebee's right down the street.
Woman 1: Oh, Applebee's. I can do that. They have great salads.
Man 2: Yeah. Applebee's sounds great.

And everyone has a pleasant trip.

Posted: 7/27/05 at 12:07pm

I can sympathize-- Living in the city with the greatest pizza in the world, I am astounded that a Domino's can survive here.

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 12:08pm

Last year, my friend told me she wanted to do the tackiest thing possible for her birthday. So, I took her to lunch at Red Lobster in Times Sq. We were the only non-tourists, and we didn't stop laughing for 2 hrs. straight.

The speciality drink is called a Lobsterita (classy!) and it was SO GINORMOUS that the waitress had to carry one at a time.

Obesity in America? Gee, I wonder why????

[lildogs]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 12:15pm

Wow Justice, you just wrote a commercial.

It just seems like a waste of money and time to me...I wouldn't travel all the way to Paris just so I could eat Taco Bell.

But I'm way adventurous when it comes to food--I usually order the wildest thing on the menu!

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 12:24pm

Well then, lildogs, you should check out The Sunburnt Cow in the E Vill. It's an Australian place, and they have odd things like ostrich and emu on the menu.

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:45pm

Both times I've been to New York, I had so much fun researching restaurants beforehand and planning where to go. As a lover of pho, an amazing Vietnamese soup, NYC is a godsend. I haven't lived near a good Vietnamese restaurant in about ten years.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:48pm

Whenever I'm in NY we, literally, just look around when we get hungry and eat at the closest restaurant that looks interesting. Usually don't even know the names of the places but man have I had some stellar meals.

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:51pm

Yeah, it's really not difficult to find good food here. As long as you venture at least a block away in any direction from Times Sq.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:57pm

i've never been to an applebees but i'm not surprised. new york looks like one big strip mall that repeats itself every 20 blocks.

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 3:58pm

We're turning into LA without the perfect weather.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 4:02pm

I'll be honest, when I've gone to Europe I have eaten at McDonalds a time or two. It's more about the curiosity of "what do they have that we don't"? Possibly people eat at Applebees hoping that the experience will be different than what they have at home.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 4:31pm

JohnPopa, I have the same strategy when I visit New York. I have no idea what the names of any of the places were, but I had good food and that's all that mattered. I wouldn't go to a chain restaurant in Times Square if you paid me. I don't like them at home, so why would I like them there?

The argument that they don't know what the non-chain restaurants have to eat is pathetic, there are so places that have a menu or a chalkboard or something outside so you can check it out before you go in. Some people are just lazy.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 4:35pm

Jilani, don't worry about it. I do live in New York so really, that IS home Applebees for us.

[lildogs]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 4:45pm

I agree orangeskittles...I mean it's not like Applebee's prepares some wild ethnic cuisine--it's your very basic stuff: burgers, skins, wings, salads...I just don't understand paying that kind of money for that kind of food when you have literally THOUSANDS of options. It seems silly to plan a trip to NYC and not plan some fun meals at exciting restaurants...

You wouldn't just wander into a show you didn't know anything about, so why should a meal be any different? And yes, here in NYC, the meal is usually MORE than the theatre ticket.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 7/27/05 at 5:07pm

Well, considering how often people leave shows like Rent during intermission, too many people go to shows without knowing what they're about.

Chain restaurants do tend to congregate around tourist attractions. If the Statue of Liberty wasn't considered national park land, I'm sure they would have plopped a McDonalds down there long ago. I read somewhere there are like 80000 restaurants in NYC, though, so I just can't understand why anyone would want to limit themselves to such a small fraction of them.