Applebee's

[trents]

I'm scheduled to eat with my department from work at Applebee's tonight. Farewell gathering for a fellow employee. I found their menu on line for the local franchise (Chehalis, WA). I circled three items on the Weight Wathcher's menu that looked both appetizing and potentially gluten free. I then called the manager and asked him to investigate the specific ingredients in the dressings, seasonings and sauces. He and I came up with two that looked like they would be safe: Cajun Lime Tilapia and Southwest Cobb Salad. At first he said the Cajun Lime Tilapia might be out because there was "whey" in the rice pilaf but then I explained that whey is not a grain product but a dairy product. That shook my confidence a little but we will see.

Steve

[Lisa]

Good luck Steve, I'll be thinking about you.

You could try to bring your own salad dressing and order a simple salad. Applebee's a hard one.

Lisa

[happygirl]

Please be careful! I used to waitress at an Applebee's and basically ALL of their chicken in their normal foods has either straight up wheat, or a soy sauce in the marinade (they come like that). They do have some "plain" chicken breasts but those have to be specially ordered, so please be careful.

Let's just say that I worked there for 3 years during college. I was diagnosed a year later, and when I go home, I still go up to visit my friends there (plus, my sister has worked there since around the time I left)....and I have yet to find something safe to eat there, or something that I feel comfortable with their practices. They are NOT trained at ALL in allergies or cross contamination (versus, say, Outback). That isn't to say that some stores don't have a special interest in it. Also, their salad ingredients are kept in bins in an open freezer, essentially, and the croutons are right there, and get mixed in with everything (take a bunch of deep tupperware containers, but deeper, and put them on ice, and stack them up next to each other, in two rows, including: tomatoes, eggs, cukes, caesar salad dressing (the others are kept in containers, but this one is OPEN with a ladle, and it spills everywhere, over the other ingredients), croutons, etc. Not safe in terms of cross contamination!!!!!!!!!!

[luvs2eat]

I had such a bad experience at Applebees (not celiac related... just service and food quality) recently that I sent them an email and they sent me a $25 gift certificate. The next time we went to use the cert ... the food was just as bad... babe of a husband will be hardpressed to get me to go back... he'll have to find his beloved hot wings elsewhere!

[mjmooers]

My experience at Applebees was not a good one. The waitress insisted she new what I needed

but nothing I was served was gluten free. I thought I was getting a plain steak, garlic mashed with butter and milk, and steamed veggies - no seasonings. The steak was marinated. The potatoes had a fake butter mix. There is also a disclaimer on their menu that they do not take any responsibility for any food allergy. That should tell us that they are clearly

not interested in serving responsibly. I couldn't find anything on the menu other than salad

that was gluten free.

[Lisa]

applebee's sucks!

[blueeyedmanda]

I am not an Applebees fan, and this was from long before my celiac days. The service was always bad.