Applebee's: Fallen too far from the tree

Last Saturday night, we didn't feel like going out. A $50 Applebee's gift card came to the rescue.

My last experiences at Applebee's haven't been that phenomenal, so we were hesitant to go and eat in the actual restaurant....take out seemed like a safer option.

Who knew that a $50 gift card could go so far. Four appetizers later, we still had more than enough money to leave a tip. To our surprise, the service was good, the food was hot and flavorful and I am tempted to go back and get the chicken quesadillas again!

The only part that I could have done without was a short visit to their new website to get a menu, where I was greeted by the new Applebee's "spokesapple". It appears that Applebee's is no longer eating good in the neighborhood, but now a restaurant represented by a fruit with attitude.

I hope I'm not the only one who thinks the new commercials featuring the spokesapple are a bit....off. It might just be me, but it's odd to see an apple with no mouth talking to someone about where they should go to eat dinner. We already have a lizard talking about insurance, I don't think we need to hear the expert opinion of a juicy red fruit.


In a press release issued by Applebee's dated this past September, they explain their reason for rebranding is to target consumers who are eager to build connections again around the dinner table. Applebee's is aligning their position to offer "a third place" where friends can come together. It is difficult to determine if this objective is sold through the use of a talking apple. I believe they could have been more succesful by capitalizing on a format that focuses on the human connection that is achieved while eating dinner. Instead of an apple telling us why it's important, Applebee's needs to show us. In addition to their new spokesapple, they also have updated their logo to be more "sophisticated", although in reality it just appears to be more standard, plane and lifeless.

It will be interesting to see if the rebranding of Appleebee's takes off, from my initial reaction I think this one may have fallen to far from the tree.