Who Goes to Applebee's?

I live in the Highlands in Louisville. It's the Greenwich Village-type area, with loads of independent restaurants, coffee shops, hippies, hipsters, farmers' markets, record stores, great parks etc. There is one Starbuck's, but it's always empty. People in Louisville, especially the Highlands, are dangerously proud of their indie shops.

Of course, there are still some fast food restaurants because people still need tacos at 4 am.

There is one anomaly in my neighborhood that's been there for about twenty years, and I cannot for the life of me understand how it stays in business: Applebee's. Who goes to Applebee's?

I went there a lot when I was sixteen because it was the only place that wasn't a bar that was open until 4 am. Meredith and I would -- I kid you not -- bring our biology textbooks up there the nights before exams and quiz each other over Virgin Mudslides and Veggie Patch Pizzas. Then one time they put bacon on my Veggie Patch Pizza, and I vowed never to return.

Somehow, people are always there. They are not Highlanders. They are imports, and I wonder if they are Highlands tourists looking for an interesting dining experience. Maybe it's like when we're on tour and we end up at a Starbucks because at least we know the coffee will be good. And I can get a fruit cup. But, come on, Applebee's?

3 comments

  1. Well as someone who, when travelling, tries to live by the rule of never eating anywhere you can eat at at home I did eat at an Applebees. So maybe it is always full of Aussie tourists. You should check sometime. If not, I have no idea why else you would go to a chain over an independant.

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  2. Drew and I were just talking about that Applebee's. It's a puzzle.

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  3. I like Applebees, but that is just because I was just exposed to it on the West Coast the last few years, it's still new to me. I know of a few people who go to chain restaurants because they always know what to expect. I personally am not one of them.

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