Is Applebee's a good company to work for?

Applebee's has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 10,433 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 58% of employees would recommend working at Applebee's to a friend and 47% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Applebee's have been left by employees working as Software Engineer , Chef and Sales Associate/Cashier .

Does Applebee's pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Applebee's employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Applebee's. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Applebee's?

58% of Applebee's employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Applebee's 3.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Applebee's?

Server (1914) , Server/Waiter (968) , Hostess (514) , Line Cook (383) , Host (374) , Server/Bartender (321) , Bartender (296) , Manager (245) , Server/Waitress (189) , Food Server (171) , Waitress (161) , Assistant Manager (150) , General Manager (142) , Cook (122) , Host/Hostess (120)

What are the pros of working at Applebee's according to real employee reviews?

"Good money because you get checks every 2 weeks and about a $100 in cash a week for tips." ((in 563 reviews)); "I met some really great people there and I would have to say that is the only pro about this company!" ((in 509 reviews)); "Great coworkers who made a new job very easy and seamless to get used to." ((in 396 reviews)); "The staff was great and it was very busy." ((in 246 reviews)); "Flexible schedule and fairly easy to takeoff" ((in 195 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Applebee's according to real employee reviews?

"Poor management and lack of skill growth" ((in 836 reviews)); "Long hours are a must and if you have a family don't plan on spending any time with them" ((in 484 reviews)); "Low Pay and dirty sometimes" ((in 402 reviews)); "No benefits to speak of and no breaks either" ((in 110 reviews)); "most of the managers showed extreme favoritism or were two" ((in 70 reviews))

What are employees saying about Applebee's layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Applebee's layoffs and their outlook for job security at Applebee's in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Applebee's locations?

New York , Kansas City , Atlanta , Los Angeles , Dallas , Houston , Chicago , Brooklyn , Philadelphia , Las Vegas , Orlando , San Diego , Boston , Saint Louis , Minneapolis , Tampa , Albuquerque , Austin , Phoenix , Charlotte , Milwaukee , Raleigh , El Paso , San Antonio , Miami , Grand Rapids , Indianapolis , San Jose , Omaha , Tallahassee

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Applebee's

Applebee's reviews

3.7

58% would recommend to a friend

(9,791 total reviews)

Tony Marolejo

67% approve of CEO

47% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.4

Work/Life balance

3.3

Culture & values

3.2

Senior management

3.2

Career opportunities

3.1

Compensation and benefits

Applebee's has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 9,791 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Applebee's employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

10K reviews

2.0

Mar 23, 2012

Great place...to start

Restaurant manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

decent pay, benefits, great resume addition, great training

Cons

hours, expectations, bonus achievability, micromanagement

3.0

Mar 21, 2012

Exhausting but great ppl to work with

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great bribes for selling- Free food and apple rewards for contests. Great ppl to work with.

Cons

Exhausting and nothing to do with the serving... They really ask you to push a lot and (for the location I am at) for not really worth it and your job will depend on it. You start with a drink prop to push their featured alcoholic drink. Is their a child? Gotta find out their name and put it on a sticker for them. Then you have to push upsells. Then maybe I have to push Make-a-Wish (great org but some ppl get angry at you for asking). Then I need to push a survey that doesn't really give the guest anything except a chance to win-not helping guests do it Applebee's...... I have to try to get them to not only do a survey but to leave a WOW comment. And if you don't do all of this especially the surveys you don't have a job eventually. Ugh. On another note, a lot of microwaving and when guests are unhappy about their food. Not so great for the servers...

4.0

Mar 17, 2012

A very huge learning experience in the cooperate world.

Bar manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Cooperation experince, fun, networking, meeting greet staff and guest.

Cons

Sometimes being great in position is a curse I brought alot of money to the bottom line through hardwork and thinking outside the box. I was with the company for almost ten years and wish results on paper and in actions were the key to becoming a GM instead of who you knew or a single few's opinion.

Viewing 9619 - 9621 of 9,791 Reviews

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Jobs at Applebee's