• Sami@lemmy.zip
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    20 days ago

    Lebanon had an Applebees but it closed a decade ago because it was dogshit. Funnily enough it was also next to a US embassy office or something and taking pics nearby would get you questioned.

        • NotJohnSmith@feddit.uk
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          20 days ago

          Got me thinking, I have heard of Applebees before but have never cared enough to think what it is - Is it a diner or some kind?

          • LangleyDominos [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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            20 days ago

            It’s a restaurant with a bar, not really a diner. It’s more of a place that middle-class workers would go after work to have a few drinks and eat cheaply sourced food. It also doubled as a place for families to go during the day. We have several of these kinds of restaurant chains that all serve microwaved food and have a bunch of memorabilia on the walls. TGI Friday’s, Applebee’s, Chili’s, Fudrucker’s, etc.

            The original was Max & Erma’s. They were the first “casual dining” restaurant that appealed to baby boomer nostalgia in their design/layout. Imagine the bar from Cheer’s but with antiques, collectables, and vintage signage all over the walls. It became a chain and was so successful everyone started copying it.

            • NotJohnSmith@feddit.uk
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              20 days ago

              Oh that’s interesting, I forget how much of this gets imported into our (UK) country and culture

          • ColonelKataffy [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            20 days ago

            food mass produced offsite, packaged in bags, sent to restaurant where it is either microwaved or the bag is put in a hot bath to heat up. to be honest, i don’t think i’ve ever eaten there (because i have dignity and im-vegan ) but it’s known for being low-tier amerislop for boomers without tastebuds

          • Flyberius [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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            20 days ago

            As far as I know yeah. I guess Harvester might be there closest thing we have, but that’s more like shitty pub grub. I think Applebee’s is just shitty food in general.

        • MolotovHalfEmpty [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          20 days ago

          Frankie & Benny’s or TGI Fridays would probably be the closest in more recent decades, especially the fact that they had a bar and were very much for the office worker crowd back when I remember them being big / new.

          Most of ours are roadside places really, but none fit exactly. Little Chef was probably the most like it in terms of not having a ‘theme’, but the kinds of food and cheaper vibe was more like Happy Eater’s maybe, with the buffet counters and salad bar etc.

          (For any non-Brits go look up Happy Eater restaurants. The logo was a Pacman seemingly trying to make itself throw up, I shit you not)