Applebees — ~1,600 locations

49.2%

of customer reviews mention operational issues

The #1 complaint: Speed (44.2% of reviews)

24
locations audited
16
US metros
120
reviews classified
3.9
avg Google rating

National Audit Methodology

24
locations audited
16
US metros covered
8
states represented
120
reviews classified

Markets Sampled

New YorkLos AngelesChicagoHoustonPhoenixAtlantaSeattleMiamiDenverAustinPortlandSacramentoLas VegasTucsonCharlotteColumbus

States

CA, IL, IN, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TX

How we collected this: We searched Google Places across 16 major US metro areas, selected 24 geographically diverse locations, and analyzed 120 customer reviews. These locations represent 68,344 total Google reviews. Complaints were classified using keyword pattern matching across 4 operational categories. This is a representative national sample — the same patterns appear consistently across markets.

Complaint Breakdown

SpeedWait time complaints
44.2%
CapacityPeak-time breakdown
2.5%
QualityFood quality issues
1.7%
AccuracyOrder errors
0.8%

What Their Customers Are Saying

Real reviews from Google — unedited

Capacity

The restaurant was NOT busy they are just simply understaffed and lazy

Hodgkins, IL

Speed

Services very very slow but nice waitress

Crestwood, IL

Quality

Pasta was overcooked, not sure they put any sort of cheese sauce because it was dry

Merrillville, IN

Speed

Poor service, waited with my neighbor for our food for over 45 minutes

Applebee's Grill + Bar

Speed

No wait at the door but it took our waitress 20 min just to come and ask us about drinks, and another 20 minutes for an appetizer

Houston, TX

Speed

We waited a very long time for our server to come and take our order, then had to remind her 4 times for a simple cup of ice

Hodgkins, IL

Speed

Took forever for food to be served which I didn't understand because it wasn't a lot of customers in the restaurant

Crestwood, IL

Location-Level Breakdown

92%
of sampled locations show complaints
78%
avg complaint rate in worst 30% of locations
22/24
locations with operational issues

If this pattern holds across your 1,600 locations, an estimated 1,472 locations are generating operational complaints right now.

LocationRatingReviewsSpeedAccuracyCapacityQuality
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Hodgkins, IL
3.81,79460%20%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Signal Hill, CA
4.22,62480%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Crestwood, IL
3.22,43580%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
3.55,16180%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Portage, IN
41,80080%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
3.63,20780%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Munster, IN
3.62,87580%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
4.33,77220%20%20%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Fontana, CA
4.32,68460%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Valparaiso, IN
4.11,60060%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Merrillville, IN
3.62,13540%20%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Joliet, IL
3.51,80860%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Pasadena, TX
42,88340%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
New York, NY
47,34120%20%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Bridgewater, NJ
41,52840%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Azusa, CA
4.31,67820%20%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Houston, TX
3.82,13540%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Elgin, IL
3.91,81540%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
New York, NY
47,89220%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Benton Harbor, MI
4.12,05720%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Westampton Township, NJ
42,35920%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Houston, TX
3.93,22420%
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Manalapan Township, NJ
4.31,297
Applebee's Grill + Bar
Montclair, CA
4.22,240
Bottom 30% — highest complaint concentration

What This Costs Applebees

$1.2B

estimated annual revenue at risk from operational complaints

1,600
locations
236,160
affected orders/day
49.2%
complaint rate
30%
churn after bad exp.

Based on 300 orders/day/location, $12 avg ticket, 30% churn rate, and 4 annual visits. Industry estimates from QSR Magazine & Deloitte.

How Curbit Fixes This

+33%
Goldilocks Rate
CAVA
Orders delivered at the perfect moment
+30%
Kitchen Throughput
Dave's Hot Chicken
More orders through the same kitchen
+35%
Speed of Service
Caliber Fresh Grill
Faster without sacrificing quality
0.2★
Google Rating Lift
Avg across customers
Measurable brand health improvement

Next Step

See What's Behind the Numbers

We see the problem in your public reviews. Let us quantify it.

Quote Time Analysis
Quoted vs. actual performance across every location
🎯
Goldilocks Rate
What % of orders arrive at the perfect moment
📊
Capacity Intelligence
Where throttling costs you orders during peak
💰
Revenue Impact
Guest attrition and throughput loss, quantified

“We'll benchmark it. We'll show you the problem. We'll show you the improvement.”

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Results in days, not months
No hardware required
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