Applebee’s in Utica, Michigan
Almost every Applebee’s in Michigan offers “Carside To Go”, which is essentially ordering a meal take-out, but never having to leave your vehicle. You simply let them know what make and color your car is and park in the Carside parking spots. Quick responding To Go workers will observe your arrival on a surveilance monitor and bring your order right out to your car.
I have been to several Applebee’s restaurants in the last few years and recently visited the Applebee’s in Utica for the first time. It was a Friday night, though not overly packed. We did have to wait. However, ten minutes later, when we were to be seated, we decided to sit at the bar instead. My husband order his usual, the Take Two, which is your choice of two items: Applebee’s House Sirloin, Applebee’s Riblets, Crispy Buttermilk Shrimp, Roasted Garlic and Asiago Chicken, and Honey-Grilled Salmon. My husband is very particular when it comes to ribs – they absolutely must be moist, tender and easily fall off the bone. He is never disappointed by Applebee’s Riblets and wasn’t on this occasion, either. For once, I tried something new – the Applebee’s Cuban Ciabatta, which is sliced ham with Swiss, Applewood smoked bacon and spicy mustard and dill pickle and served on a toasted ciabatta roll. I had them remove the spicy mustard. The Cuban Ciabatta was larger than I pictured and came with fries. While the bread probably would have tasted better with some butter on the top, it was good and filling. Removing the spicy mustard from the sandwich made it a bit dry, so I would recommend replacing the mustard with mayo or some other condiment. The dill pickle was an interesting choice for the sandwich.
Sitting at the bar in Applebee’s can offer quicker service than sitting in a booth. The bartender is right there, quickly assessing the need for more pop or beverages (my husband has a HUGE thing about servers never letting the cup become empty). Effectively, we were well attended to and treated as though no request was too big. The food was delivered to us quickly and the bartender was very attentive to our needs despite having a full bar. We were very pleased and ended up leaving him a ten dollar tip on a thirty dollar bill. My husband and I are generous tippers, so long as you are courteous, observant, and don’t act as like a grumpy, uncaring zombie. Applebee’s almost always leaves us completely satisfied with both service and our meals. On this occasion, the bartender met our standards and went far beyond.
Applebee’s cannot fit it’s menu into a genre, really. Some restaurants are ‘steakhouses’ or ‘mexican food’. Applebee’s really does offer such variety amongst their menu items. The price is great for the quality of the food and the service you receive. Their only strike, to me, is that they only serve Pepsi products, rather than Coke. But then, that’s really a personal preference.
For more information on Applebee’s in Utica, visit Applebees.com or call (586) 997-0230. They are located off of Hall Road in Utica.
Small note – The website says that the store on Van Dyke in Sterling Heights does not offer Carside To Go. I would like to personally correct that. They were one of the first restaurants in the state to upgrade to Carside and it is available at that store.
