View Full Version : Applebees in Edmond



jbkrems
05-22-2017, 09:42 PM
Applebees in Edmond on Broadway has closed permanently as of today. Anyone know why or what happened?

Plutonic Panda
05-23-2017, 12:53 AM
Not sure.

Next up is Outback Steakhouse.

jerrywall
05-23-2017, 09:14 AM
That Outback and the Chili's seem to always be packed. The Applebee's? Not so much. It was always dead.

Pete
05-23-2017, 09:23 AM
Quite sure that Outback will simply be replaced by the new one being built on Memorial Road.

traxx
05-24-2017, 09:39 AM
Anyone know why or what happened?

It's Applebees.


Seriously, though....I just don't think these types of places are as popular as they used to be. I could be wrong, but I think that, and market pressure from newer restaurants is the issue. Places like Applebees and Chilis will see more success in smaller towns like Durant or Lawton where that type of restaurant is one of the better choices.

Roger S
05-24-2017, 09:52 AM
Seriously, though....I just don't think these types of places are as popular as they used to be. I could be wrong, but I think that, and market pressure from newer restaurants is the issue. Places like Applebees and Chilis will see more success in smaller towns like Durant or Lawton where that type of restaurant is one of the better choices.

I think the rural mindset sees these places as big city options compared to locally owned mom & pop places. They don't have as many chains so it's new and exciting to them.

Ardmore used to have 3 solid options for BBQ and then Rib Crib came to town and now Rib Crib is always packed and there is one local option remaining..... The Applebee's still appears to do good business and a Chili's has opened recently too... Several other chains have come to Ardmore in the past couple of years as well... Chick-Fil-A , Freddy's, Cotton Patch, Billy Sim's.

My wife's relatives from Enid always want to go to Red Lobster or Outback when they come to OKC despite me trying to steer them to some of the new local options we have.

traxx
05-24-2017, 10:14 AM
^^Agree

d-usa
05-24-2017, 11:03 AM
I think one of the things keeping the chains alive is their bar.

jerrywall
05-24-2017, 11:23 AM
I think one of the things keeping the chains alive is their bar.

That may be true, which would explain why these chains are having more problems in Edmond, considering the quality bars that have opened in recent years.

d-usa
05-24-2017, 05:45 PM
It just came to mind because we were driving by On The Border the other day and I mentioned to my wife that I'm still surprised they are around. We haven't gone there in years, and when we did go once a year or so the quality seemed worse every year. She mentioned that people really like their giant drinks, and she wouldn't be surprised if the drinking is keeping the place floating.

SoonerDave
05-25-2017, 10:29 AM
It's Applebees.


Seriously, though....I just don't think these types of places are as popular as they used to be. I could be wrong, but I think that, and market pressure from newer restaurants is the issue. Places like Applebees and Chilis will see more success in smaller towns like Durant or Lawton where that type of restaurant is one of the better choices.

I think an even larger issue at play here is the sheer expense of eating out regularly at even a "casual" dinner place like an Applebee's. You get basic entrees in the $12-15 range and a couple of glasses of iced tea and a family of four is looking at a ~$65 tab before taxes and a tip.

Applebees has its own consistency and management problems - one or two are bad, some are good, and what you get is a crapshoot. I've had good luck with the one in Moore, and others have cursed the one in Mustang. Part of the problem with franchised operations, and I'm assuming they're franchised...maybe not...

Robert_M
05-26-2017, 09:37 AM
Applebees has its own consistency and management problems - one or two are bad, some are good, and what you get is a crapshoot. I've had good luck with the one in Moore, and others have cursed the one in Mustang. Part of the problem with franchised operations, and I'm assuming they're franchised...maybe not...

Consistency is definitely their problem. Last three times I went to the Moore location were poor food quality, long wait times for food, and out of several menu items that were wanted causing wait staff to come back and change orders several minutes later.

BBatesokc
05-26-2017, 11:21 AM
I can honestly say I've never eaten at a Applebees. Haven't been in a Chilis or Outback in probably 10 years or more. Those just don't seem like good options whenever we talk "hey, where do you want to eat?" In their price range there are pretty of better, more local, or even healthier options IMO. It's always seemed like just a small step and a big price jump over fast food (which we rarely eat). I do get a chuckle out of some of the comments above (and can relate)..... I know several people who seriously think going to Applebees, Chilis, Red Lobster or Olive Garden is truly, "eating out at a nice restaurant."

SoonerDave
05-26-2017, 01:09 PM
I can honestly say I've never eaten at a Applebees. Haven't been in a Chilis or Outback in probably 10 years or more. Those just don't seem like good options whenever we talk "hey, where do you want to eat?" In their price range there are pretty of better, more local, or even healthier options IMO. It's always seemed like just a small step and a big price jump over fast food (which we rarely eat). I do get a chuckle out of some of the comments above (and can relate)..... I know several people who seriously think going to Applebees, Chilis, Red Lobster or Olive Garden is truly, "eating out at a nice restaurant."

Now I think everyone has to be careful about this kind of statement. What defines a "nice" restaurant differs wildly among people based on income, experience, kids, you name it. For a family of four watching their pennies and enjoying a steady diet of economical, made-at-home meals, a "nice" restaurant isn't about haute cuisine; it's a chance for someone *else* to wait on *you* for a change. Maybe, for another family, a "nice" restaurant is one where it gives you a chance to visit with family on a Sunday after church, even if the entree selection won't get that place a Michelin star anytime soon. For still another family, it's an option that means *not* cooking on a tired weekday evening. And that can *almost* make the burrito special at 7-Eleven seem "nice." :)

Now, at the opposite end of that extreme, I was very frustrated a few years ago while I was in Florida and asked the desk rep for a good local seafood restaurant. He told me, "Well, there's a Red Lobster about a mile up the road..." And he was deadly serious. I explained to him that we were looking for some fresh seafood options that were popular with locals, and somehow he relayed me to someone who DID know the local restaurant options and sent us to a really good place. For us, "nice" meant "non-chain/non-processed fresh seafood," all of which means *not* Red Lobster that I can get any time right here in OKC. Same goes for steak places; there's Texas Road House, and there's Mahogany. I like TRH just fine for a dinner out, but I'm sure plenty of people would look down their nose at it compared to Mahogany. And, truth be told, sometimes the Mahogany crowd (and I pick that name arbitrarily) are kinda wanting to let everyone else know they...just went to Mahogany.

The point is that we just have to be very careful about tossing around unilateral proclamations about what constitutes "nice." People run the risk of sounding like food snobs when they don't mean to. There are family, causal places, privately owned places, big, small, cheap, expensive, you name it, and in many cases "nice" is in the eye of the beholder (however, I must admit, after so many bad experiences at Olive Garden, that place is a stretch to include the umbrella LOL)

BBatesokc
05-26-2017, 01:25 PM
Now I think everyone has to be careful about this kind of statement. What defines a "nice" restaurant differs wildly among people based on income, experience, kids, you name it. ...

I've never been one known to "be careful about what I say" (LOL). I will clarify however; When I say "nice restaurant," I in no way am referring exclusively (or even primarily) to cost.

Those who know me almost universally regard me as extremely frugal.

I've eaten at many "expensive" restaurants only to find the food marginal or at least not matching the final bill.

I just don't find these mega chains, with their often frozen, packaged, assembly line prepped, overly corporate or pre-prepared dishes, 'nice.'

For what they often get for a meal I can add a few bucks and go to a locally owned restaurant or smaller chain and get food that I most often find is fresher and the overall atmosphere not so packaged. Give me Fish City, Signature Grill, Covell Park, Red Rock, Paseo Grill, Cheever's, 324, etc. over a Red Lobster, Olive Garden or Applebees any day that I am seeking a 'nice restaurant.' And I say that with the reality the wife and I 90% of the time will share an entree and only order water to drink.

Filthy
05-30-2017, 08:26 AM
This is a hard pill to swallow. Ever since the Memorial Rd location closed, the Edmond Applebee's had really been my go to place to take out of town clients that were here visiting. My continued search for semi-fine dining/entertainment has just gotten a bit tougher. This is a huge loss for the area.

traxx
05-30-2017, 09:30 AM
What defines a "nice" restaurant differs wildly among people based on income, experience, kids
Definitely this.

I don't care how "nice" a place is, if you go there with children who don't like anything on the menu, it does not make for a nice dining experience.

jbkrems
05-30-2017, 12:22 PM
Filthy... would you not take your out of town guests to Charleston's?

MaryB
04-24-2018, 11:37 AM
I often drive past the old Applebee's location on the way to work. Lately, I've noticed there's not a 'for lease' sign up. Anybody know what's going in there?