Definition
Applebee’s is an American casual dining restaurant chain with over 1,500 locations, known for its mid-priced American fare (burgers, ribs, chicken wings, and the iconic “2 for $20” deal), its dimly lit, vaguely sports-bar atmosphere, and its status as a cultural punchline. Founded in 1980, Applebee’s became a staple of suburban American dining, but in the 2010s and 2020s, it became something else: a meme, a symbol of millennial cultural decline, and the subject of one of the most famous internet rumors of all time. The phrase “Applebee’s has rats” entered internet culture through a viral video clip of a man claiming to have found a rat in an Applebee’s salad, and the subsequent legal threats and denials only fueled the meme. Applebee’s also became a symbol of the “casual dining apocalypse” — the decline of chain restaurants as millennials and Gen Z prefer fast-casual or delivery options. But the chain’s greatest internet moment came in 2021, when a TikTok trend turned the restaurant into an ironic nightlife destination, with millennials posting photos of themselves at Applebee’s as a joke, only to discover that the drinks were cheap and the atmosphere was unpretentious.
Why It Matters
Applebee’s is the internet’s favorite mediocre restaurant. It is not good. It is not bad. It is precisely, perfectly, aggressively average. And that averageness is its cultural power. The internet loves Applebee’s because it is a shared reference point: everyone has been there, no one is impressed by it, and everyone has an opinion. The “Applebee’s has rats” meme is a perfect example of how the internet turns mundane corporate institutions into folklore: the rumor may or may not be true, but the meme is more real than the fact. Applebee’s also matters because it represents the decline of a specific American dream: the chain restaurant as the center of suburban social life. In the 1990s, Applebee’s was where you went for a birthday, a date, or a post-little-league dinner. In the 2020s, it is where you go for an ironic TikTok, a cheap margarita, and the existential realization that American middle-class dining is a performance of nostalgia for a culture that no longer exists. Applebee’s is not a restaurant. It is a museum of American mediocrity. And the admission is $20 for two entrees.
Example
“He went to Applebee’s for his birthday. He was 28. His friends were 28. They ordered the 2 for $20. They drank the $1 margaritas. They posted the photos. The caption was ‘Living my best life.’ It was ironic. It was not ironic. They were not sure. The food was fine. The drinks were strong. The atmosphere was sad and comforting. They stayed for three hours. They talked about their jobs. They talked about their parents. They talked about how Applebee’s used to be for families, and now it was for them. They were the families now. They were the ones who needed a place to go. Applebee’s was open. Applebee’s did not judge. Applebee’s had rats. Probably. But the rats were family too.”
Related Terms
- Casual Dining — The restaurant category that Applebee’s represents and is declining
- Millennial — The generation that both mocks and patronizes Applebee’s
- TikTok — The platform that turned Applebee’s into an ironic nightlife destination
- Suburban America — The cultural context that produced Applebee’s and its mythology
- Meme Culture — The force that transformed Applebee’s from a restaurant into internet folklore