We've always been very happy with the food at Applebees until we visited the Applebee's in Marshal town IA. The service was very poor. Not a very friendly waitress at the bar. Had to ask her for silverware. She never asked how the food was. We tasted it and it was very dry noodles as though they'd been sitting about for some time. Noodles were all stuck together and chewy. I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed that I complained about food, but I'd bet it was 40 years ago The manager removed the entrees from our bill, but no one goes out to eat to wait for bad food that they don't eat or pay for. We had 2 drinks and 1 entree which were not great but only ok and the bill was 35. Bad enough experience to write this review. I typically save my reviews for good experiences but this bad experience was noteworthy.
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Excerpts
We've always been very happy with the food at Applebees until we visited the Applebee's in Marshal town IA. The service was very poor. Not a very friendly waitress at the bar. Had to ask her for silverware. She never asked how the food was. We tasted it and it was very dry noodles as though they'd been sitting about for some time. Noodles were all stuck together and chewy. I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed that I complained about food, but I'd bet it was 40 years ago The manager removed the entrees from our bill, but no one goes out to eat to wait for bad food that they don't eat or pay for. We had 2 drinks and 1 entree which were not great but only ok and the bill was 35. Bad enough experience to write this review. I typically save my reviews for good experiences but this bad experience was noteworthy.
Applebee’s in Marshalltown, where the food is just okay, but the people make it awesome. Let’s start with the MVPs: Troy and the whole crew of servers, bartenders, and support staff absolutely crushed it. Even though the kitchen must’ve been low on staff or staff in the kitchen were on strike, the team out front kept the energy high, the drinks flowing, and the smiles coming. Troy was engaging, funny, and made me feel like a regular even though I’m not. The bartenders deserve a raise too they had great personalities, kept things moving, and made the extremely long wait for food feel like part of the fun. Now, let’s be honest the food? Meh. It’s Applebee’s. Nothing to brag about, nothing to write home about. But here’s the magic: good service can make average food taste like a five-star meal. And that’s exactly what happened. You can serve me the best food in the world with bad service, and I’ll leave grumpy. But give me average food with people who genuinely care, laugh, and make you feel welcome that’s the kind of meal that sticks with you. One thing I wish Applebee's would do differently is allow sound on the games that are important to the local community. I know if there is a game I want to watch, DO NOT EVEN THINK OF GOING TO APPLEBEE'S, THEY WONT TURN ON THE VOLUME. Just go to any local sports bar and your guaranteed to get the volume on if you ask. Applebee's has something against people coming to their place to enjoy a game. So, hats off to Troy and the Marshalltown Applebee’s crew. You turned an ordinary dinner into a genuinely great night out (at Applebee's).
Applebee’s in Marshalltown, where the food is just okay, but the people make it awesome. Let’s start with the MVPs: Troy and the whole crew of servers, bartenders, and support staff absolutely crushed it. Even though the kitchen must’ve been low on staff or staff in the kitchen were on strike, the team out front kept the energy high, the drinks flowing, and the smiles coming. Troy was engaging, funny, and made me feel like a regular even though I’m not. The bartenders deserve a raise too they had great personalities, kept things moving, and made the extremely long wait for food feel like part of the fun. Now, let’s be honest the food? Meh. It’s Applebee’s. Nothing to brag about, nothing to write home about. But here’s the magic: good service can make average food taste like a five-star meal. And that’s exactly what happened. You can serve me the best food in the world with bad service, and I’ll leave grumpy. But give me average food with people who genuinely care, laugh, and make you feel welcome that’s the kind of meal that sticks with you. One thing I wish Applebee's would do differently is allow sound on the games that are important to the local community. I know if there is a game I want to watch, DO NOT EVEN THINK OF GOING TO APPLEBEE'S, THEY WONT TURN ON THE VOLUME. Just go to any local sports bar and your guaranteed to get the volume on if you ask. Applebee's has something against people coming to their place to enjoy a game. So, hats off to Troy and the Marshalltown Applebee’s crew. You turned an ordinary dinner into a genuinely great night out (at Applebee's).
Baelah was an excellent host! She was very kind, responsive, and easy to communicate with. The place was clean, cozy, and exactly like the listing. Everything went perfectly. Highly recommend!