

Full-service chain bar & grill providing hearty American eats in an informal setting.
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Applebee’s Grill + Bar Restaurant in Puyallup, WA, 98375
Applebee’s Grill + Bar Restaurant in Puyallup, WA, 98373
Applebee’s Grill + Bar in Puyallup, WA
Reviews
Lately, most of my visits have been to pick up delivery orders. From that perspective, this location usually does a good job with speed and order accuracy. I am not typically waiting too long, and the food quality seems solid most of the time.
The main reason for my lower rating is the customer interaction. I have social anxiety, and this location feels more awkward for me than most others. Staff will often make eye contact and then quickly look away or walk past without any acknowledgment at all. Even a brief hello or simple acknowledgment would make a big difference.
When I am picking up deliveries, I try to stay friendly, smile, and keep things polite, but the lack of response makes the experience uncomfortable and makes me want to leave as quickly as possible. It is unfortunate because otherwise this location does many things well.
Overall, the food quality and speed are good, but improving customer engagement would greatly improve the experience for people like me.
Dined here 2/21/26 around 12:30pm with some family – we are all visiting from out of town. While we were waiting to get a table we overheard one of the managers (I’m assuming it was one of the managers) totally grilling/yelling at the host. Her volume and tone was shocking. Seemed like maybe the host was new and sat too many tables in a certain section or accidentally made a mistake. Either way, I felt so bad for the host. It seemed super inappropriate to do right in the front at the hostess stand in front of all of us, there was 2 other groups of people there as well. I worked in the restaurant industry for over 15 years. If anyone talked to me that way I’d walk out the door. Note for management: pull your team away from customers/out of ear shot if you need to have a chat with them and also, don’t be so aggressive! Totally ruined the vibe or our meal. Aside from that, our waitress, think her name was Ashley, was great. The food was fine. But come on, treat your employees better. It’s just fries and burgers. Nobody needs to be talked to that way. Also, to the host, you seemed to handle it really well! Hang In there!
We always get the bourbon chicken and shrimp, without mushrooms and without parsley, add sautéed onion. (My daughter does not like mushroom or parsley.) I got this for my daughter, and today, she refused to eat it because it had parsley all over it. I ended up eating it and had to get her something else. I saw the parsley and brought the food back in, and I was given a “new” (really not new) plate. The gal who handed me the food told me, here is the food with no parsley. I didn’t think to check it again.
When we got home, there was parsley on top and underneath the chicken. They removed the mashed potatoes, added new mashed potatoes, added a ton of sauce, and the sauce was to hide the parsley that was there. The chicken, shrimp, and sautéed onion were not remade so there was still parsley all over the food. It is very frustrating not to get what you ordered and paid for.
Mushroom Burger: The burger tasted off, was oily and pink despite requesting it be fully cooked. This was both unappetizing and concerning. The mashed potatoes served alongside were cold and downright inedible.
Boneless Wings: I specifically ordered Buffalo-style boneless wings, expecting some heat, but they lacked any spice or flavor. It was as though the sauce was watered down or completely missing.
Classic Burger with Fries: I ordered a classic burger with an extra patty with extra cheese and opted for the Wedgie Burger lettuce wrap option. They forgot my extra patty, the lettuce was wilted, and completely unusable for a burger. It was a mess. To make matters worse, the fries were cold and stale—like they had been sitting out for hours.
Spending this much money, I expected much better quality and attention to detail. Every item felt like it was carelessly thrown together with no regard for freshness, taste, or presentation. I won’t be returning anytime soon unless Applebee’s seriously addresses these issues.
“Update” they refunded my money for the entire meal. I have to give them props for that, I just hope their quality control is improved on in the future.
Today, my friends and I stopped by this Applebee’s after a workout. We were seated and having a serious conversation, slightly animated at moments, but not loud, disruptive, or inappropriate. Our server was kind and attentive, and no other staff or guests indicated there was an issue.
However, the manager, Pamela, as we noticed, repeatedly hovered around our table, even sitting directly behind us for a moment. Without any prior warning or respectful inquiry, she abruptly stood up and, in a harsh and condescending tone, said, “Ladies, stop. You need to tone it down!” We were genuinely taken aback and confused, as we were simply having a conversation in a public restaurant and were not bothering anyone.
If there truly had been a concern, a professional approach would have been to check in respectfully with something like, “Hey ladies, I just wanted to check in and ask if you could lower your voices a bit if it’s bothering nearby guests.” Instead, the interaction felt unnecessary, aggressive, and humiliating, especially as it was done in front of other customers.
What made the situation worse was the feeling that we were being singled out. I have been to this exact location many times where other people were loud, intoxicated, or disruptive and were never addressed in this manner. The way this was handled made us feel uncomfortable and unfairly targeted, to the point that we decided it was best to leave.
As we exited quietly, Pamela stood nearby and said, “Thank you for leaving,” again in a dismissive and condescending tone. That moment solidified the experience as not just poor customer service, but deeply unprofessional leadership.
Applebee’s has always been a place where we’ve felt comfortable and welcomed, until today. This interaction left us feeling embarrassed, disrespected, and nearly racially profiled, which is not something anyone should experience while simply trying to enjoy a meal and having a conversation.
I truly hope this feedback is taken seriously and that management receives proper training on respectful communication, de-escalation, and unbiased customer service. No guest should ever be made to feel this way.