Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar

Why would anyone come to Applebees in Valdosta?

An economist's answer: "There are no better alternatives given the avaliable substitues."

A foodie's answer:  "Man, this grilled jalapeño-lime shrimp is bland and oversauced. Who would ever come here? Excuse me, single-mother-of-two can I have my twelve bucks back?"

A Valdostan's (likely) answer: "Cuz them wings is good and them Dawg's is 'awn y'all"

My answer: "Because Shock Top is two for one, my friends are two hours behind on our trip to the Keys, San Antonio is in the playoffs, and I am not lecherous enough to watch the game at the Hooters across the street."

It's not my neighborhood, but it's neighborhood enough.

Let's face it.  You don't go to Applebee's because you're craving an awesome meal.  Food is mediocre at best and when you add tax and tip, you're money is almost always better spent elsewhere.

That being said, if you can take advantage of the specials, it may be worth a visit.  The deals vary depending on the location but you can expect there to be drink specials and deals on appetizers throughout the week.  Monday night was 39 cent wing night with $5.99 domestic 50 oz pitchers.  That's $1.50 a beer--hard to beat.  The traditional wings are a little dry but the boneless are pretty good.  The rest of the week features 1/2 price apps after 10p and a bunch of ladies night specials on Wednesdays.  

Service was pretty slow.  Bartender seemed to know what he was doing.

WTF, right? A Yelp review of an Applebee's?  

Bear with me!  

I recently took a road trip from Chicago to Ft. Myers Beach, Florida and one of my overnight stops along the way was in Valdosta, Georgia.  I'd been eating crappy drive through food for the entire trip and really just wanted someplace that had a bar I could sit down at, order a few cocktails and eat something that didn't come out of a paper bag.

Hence, Applebee's.  It was right across the street from my hotel :uberconvienant after sitting behind the wheel of a car for 10 hours: and they had an open bar. Score!

Jeremy was my bartender.  Can't believe I remember his name? That's how awesome he was.  Friendly, but not overly so.  Heavy handed, but in a respectable corporate owned restaurant kind of way.  Generous, in a I'm gonna give you a second drink and not ring it on your check.

I don't know if I'll ever go there again, but only because I probably won't ever be in Valdosta again...but if for some reason I ever had to go to Valdosta again, and needed a place to have a cocktail and chillax - well, I'd go visit Jeremy.