A TikToker who says she was a server "for years" made a video dedicated to "all the places" she "would never eat."
While TikToker @marque.love does say she would not eat at any place with a dirty floor or bathroom, she only outright names one place in particular: Applebee's.
"People love this place, and if you love it, you eat it, OK? But I'm telling you, the cooks do an incredible job, it's a hard job, and they fry, they cook, you know they grill, great. But the food that they're being sent by corporate is not quality food. Everything is frozen. Everything is in baggies," she says in a video that was viewed over 250,000 times.
@marque.love We all have our guilty pleasures though. So you do you, bb 😘 #serverlife #restaurants #serverstories #whatiwouldntdo ♬ original sound - marque.love
The former server further explains, via text overlay, the food allegedly comes "*in plastic bags, which are then microwaved."
"They're forced to microwave certain things for time because they're not given the equipment that they need. Um, it's just yeah, not Applebee's," she reiterates.
She dives into a more general assertion, claiming that "If a place can't clean its floor, or keep its booth seats clean, for example, it's not a place you should be eating. So if the bathroom's dirty, the floors are dirty, perhaps consider somewhere else unless you know you love the food, and you're willing to risk it."
Even though @marque.love doesn't explicitly state why eating at a restaurant with a dirty floor and/or dirty booth seats is a big no-no on her list, it's not difficult to imagine why. Aside from being unsightly, having exposed food products, especially resting on the floor, a dirty floor is basically an open invitation for rodents and other critters to come straight into an establishment, according to Total Food.
As for the Applebee's slander @marque.love served up in her now-viral TikTok, this isn't the first time the chain has been called out for its use of microwaves. In a 2015 Reddit post, for example, a user asked why so many folks seem to relish in verbally dunking on Applebee's, and one user obliged. "Applebee's is a lot like other such chain restaurants in many ways, but for now, it's because of how they prepare food. They microwave… basically everything. Cooks will attest to it, servers see it, customers notice it, etc. They microwave-cook almost every hot item on the menu," they alleged.
In July of 2022, an Applebee's employee deleted a viral TikTok clip that garnered millions of views online. He demonstrated how the chain's pasta is made, which featured a slew of prepared and pre-packaged ingredients.
And Applebee's is not alone. Recently, an Outback Steakhouse cook showed in a viral clip the franchise's lobster is actually prepared in an industrial microwave.
Throngs of other TikTokers shared their own exasperation at the fact that "Applebee's still exists." Others relayed stories of unsatisfactory experiences at casual restaurants. Many also claimed they were more than willing to "risk it" to get the food that they love from places like Waffle House.
"Cause imma still get that all star special from Waffle House even if I have to leave my shoe cause it’s stuck to the floor," one said.
"I trained at an Applebee's and the whole kitchen line was predominantly microwaves," another said, co-signing the TikToker's allegation.
"DENNYS y’all. Please don’t eat at dennys," another begged.
"The floor basically represents Texas Roadhouse," a fourth claimed.
Other notable mentions made by commenters include Chili's and Olive Garden.
In a follow-up TikTok, @marque.love took a more positive spin on her now-viral video, delineating exactly what she looks for in a restaurant when she goes out to eat as a former server. The first thing she mentions is cleanliness.
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