Who wants Applebee's 3-Course Meal!?

Um...no. I could go for some spinach dip though.

No good ??

Me.

Never been to one, but I'm hungry right now, so any 3-course meal sounds great!

I'm more of a 99 guy.

I used to have one just a few blocks down the street and regularly enjoyed the Bourbon Street Steak along with some Sam Adams Octoberfest.

So the deal includes a salad, an appetizer and an entree, and is priced in tiers ranging for 12 bucks to 20 bucks, with 12 bucks being the bait, depending on your choice of entree and where you live? Nope. Pass. Why? Because I know something about, first, dining and, second, about the restaurant business. To me, here in the US of A, three courses means appetizer, entree, dessert. Applebee’s package offers no dessert. In EUROPE, three courses means appetizer, salad (Applebee’s first course in this package) and entree—followed by a dessert course, which may be a confection or an aged Port wine, and so on. Once again, Applebee’s (no surprise) falls short. I’m not even going to go into the issue of Chef Microwave that chains like Applebee’s have, where diners’ special requests can’t be honored because the frozen entree can’t have items added to it or removed from it. Pass. Yuck.

Not for nothing, the salad costs them pennies, and the alcohol you order with your “bargain” 12-buck din-din for the 2, or more, of you makes them a fortune.

You want a real dining value? Find a privately-owned local restaurant that’s been in business for A LONG TIME, which means they get repeat business, make a reservation, because she and they will respect you for it, sit down, say, “This is our first time here. Can you please tell us what’s good? We’d like three courses, please.” Your server will ask you whether or not you want dessert, does anyone in your party have food allergies, how would you like your food cooked, would you like help with the wine menu, and so on. There is a very good chance, if your server is smart and wants a good tip, that s/he will bring the manager over to greet and thank you, and place her/himself at your disposal. Good luck finding that level of kindness, caring, professionalism and customer service at a high-turnover chain like Applebee’s. But you can (seemingly) save a buck at a chain “restaurant.”

I want to help MC posters have spectacular dining experiences, which don’t have to be costly; just well-considered. And probably not from a chain.