Applebee's in Ewa Beach

I've been to Applebee's a couple of times - the most recent being three years ago in Washington.  On both of our visits, the family-friendly chain offered great food and service, therefore I was excited to find out they'd be opening in Hawaii.

After the first location opened up in Ewa Beach, I heard and read mostly negative things, so I was not planning on going for months.  However, my husband suggested we try it.  He figured if we get there as soon as it opened, the chances of something going wrong would be low.

So we took a chance.

We arrived at 11:05am, 5 minutes after the restaurant opened, and we were immediately greeted by very friendly staff members.  We were seated right away, and a few minutes later our server came by.  She was also very friendly, but one of the first things she told us was "Let me tell you what we don't have today," and I knew that was a red flag.

She mentioned several items not available (e.g. Triple Bacon Burger, Spinach & Artichoke Dip), and shortly thereafter took our orders.

While waiting for our food, I noticed our server repeatedly going to other tables apologizing for the long wait, so I anticipated a lengthy wait as well.

Twenty-one minutes after ordering (this is another great reason to take photos of food at restaurants - the timestamp!), the kids meals arrived, which wasn't so bad in terms of time to wait.

KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese with French Fries

Corn Dog

Mozzarella Sticks

Fried Shrimp

Kids meals are just $5.49, or $1 extra for slightly bigger meals (Hungry vs Super Hungry). Each meal comes with a side and drink (free refills).

The manager came by and said she wanted to make sure the kids got their food first (which I was appreciative of), but she also had to deliver some bad news to my husband - the burger he ordered, The Blazin' Texan, was one of the menu items not available that day, but he could order the Triple Bacon Burger, which they did have (an item we were originally told was not available). So he ordered the Bacon Burger instead. The manager apologized for the confusion, and offered us a complimentary dessert!

Finally, after 45 minutes from the time we ordered, the grownups' meals arrived! Since the kids were done eating a while ago, the manager offered to bring some complimentary Chips & Salsa for the kids to munch on while the adults finally got to eat lunch.

Chips & Salsa

Crispy Brewhouse Chicken

Triple Bacon Burger

I ordered the Crispy Brewhouse Chicken, which was very delicious.  I was ravenous, and I almost ate the entire dish!  The crispy, juicy piece of chicken went well with the mashed potatoes, crispy onions, and stout gravy.  Talk about comfort food!

The Triple Bacon Burger has bacon in the burger, on the burger, and a BBQ bacon ranch sauce on top. It was a lot smaller than I had expected it to be, but my husband liked it.

For our complimentary dessert, we opted for the Triple Chocolate Meltdown.

Triple Chocolate Meltdown

The Triple Chocolate Meltdown - a fudge-filled chocolate cake drizzled with hot fudge and served with vanilla ice cream, was good, but the entire dining experience already had me upset.

And our server, who started out as super friendly and attentive, was still pleasant by the time we left, but she was rarely seen once the kids got their meals.  

The staff is very nice, the food is really good, and I appreciate that the manager didn't hesitate to offer us a complimentary dessert and snack for the kids, but there are still numerous issues that still have to be resolved (we even had an error on our bill that needed to get fixed!), before I dine there again.

Applebee's
91-1401 Fort Weaver Rd

Ewa Beach, HI 96706