Applebee's Grill + Bar
Restaurant · 205 W 50th St, New York, NY 10019, United States · United States
★ 4.1 on Google · 7,695 reviews · View on Google Maps
Manipulation score
Review DriveCompleted Jul 15, 2026 · 401 reviews flagged
How this score works
The score estimates how strongly this place's review record matches known manipulation patterns, from 0 (no signs) to 100. Verdicts: Clean below 40, Suspicious from 40, Likely Manipulated from 70; Review Drive when the flags are mostly staff asking customers for named reviews. It rises with the share of reviews flagged and how suspicious each one is.
- Burst
- — an abnormal spike of five-star reviews in a single day compared to the place's usual pace.
- Low activity account
- — the reviewer has almost no other reviews, photos, or Local Guide history; throwaway accounts look like this.
- Duplicate text
- — the wording is nearly identical to another review of the same place.
Verdicts are statistical estimates based on public review patterns, not accusations. Full methodology, signal definitions and known limits →
Case conclusion
What the numbers say
1,000 reviews examined
- Google rating
- 4.1★
- Not-flagged average
- 4.4★
- Flagged
- 40%
- Coverage
- 13%
All reviews shown by Google
599 examined reviews
401 of 1,000
1,000 of 7,695 Google reviews
“Not flagged” means no configured Revdict signal matched; it does not prove a review is genuine. Data fetched Jul 15, 2026.
Review brief
What reviews not flagged by Revdict say
Reviewers report that this Times Square restaurant offers a familiar chain menu and a convenient location near the theater district. While many guests highlight fast service and friendly staff members, others experience long waits, high prices, and inconsistent food quality.
+ Repeated strengths
Attentive and Friendly Service
Multiple reviewers praise specific servers for being polite, welcoming, and attentive throughout their meals.
2 supporting reviews
5★ · 2025-07-04
The food was delicious and the service was excellent. Lipu served us and he was extremely friendly and efficient. If all restaurant staff were this good, every visit to a restaurant would be a real pleasure.
5★ · 2025-08-07
Good food, reasonable price and excellent service. Adrianna went above and beyond.
Convenient Location and Views
Reviewers note that the multi-story setup provides easy access near Broadway and offers nice street views from upper floors.
3 supporting reviews
5★ · 2025-07-15
Applebee's' delicious as always! I was there for lunch Monday just before noon and they just presented me a brand-new summer menu, with a lunch special (mon-fri) for great value, also there's another special on watermelon margaritas (see pi...
4★ · 2025-08-27
Located in the heart of Manhattan, on Broadway. The restaurant has 3 floors (with elevator). Clean, spacious and with a window overlooking Broadway. Same menu as all its sister restaurants except for the price! We're in Manhattan, we pay mo...
5★ · 2026-06-21
The Apple Bees in the theater district is amazing. It has two floors with window seating, views to Broadway and also 50 St. Air conditioning and with a great morual of iconic scenes in NYC great for group photos or selfie. Lipu was our serv...
Quick and Tasty Bar Options
Guests frequently mention enjoying quick drinks, happy hour deals, and popular appetizers like wings and dips.
2 supporting reviews
4★ · 2025-06-06
A great spot for food when in the area, yes it’s a chain but a wide menu with bar eating deals and really quick service. Considering its location to Times Square at 7pm there was available bar seating to enjoy a meal, look out for the spina...
5★ · 2026-05-05
I came here for happy hour, and I was a bit concerned because it was really full in the lounge. However, they made room for my friend and I. The customer service was off the charts which sometimes gets lost in Manhattan franchise restaurant...
− Repeated complaints
High Pricing and Mandatory Gratuity
Reviewers complain about steep Manhattan prices, expensive menu items, and large automatic tip suggestions.
3 supporting reviews
3★ · 2025-05-23
Staff were okay, but the lowest tip suggestion was huge! 18%
3★ · 2025-06-14
This is an Applebee's. The quality is what you would expect. But the price is insulting. I guess what you'd expect for midtown...
3★ · 2025-11-22
Food was delicious. Service was pretty good. However, prices are outrageous and the proposed tips are ridiculous. The dish I had was about $23. Where i am from it is $14.99. NY prices are crazy.
Slow or Inattentive Service
Some guests report long waits, disorganized seating, and unresponsive staff when the restaurant gets busy.
3 supporting reviews
2★ · 2025-05-22
Bathrooms “out of order”. Staff doesn’t come to help you. Waited for a long time just o be seated and left when no one showed after a long time. Loud. Crowded. Nope.
5★ · 2025-10-28
Allyssa is a great waitress. She is very sweet and accommodating. The service was great and the food was really good.
1★ · 2026-05-31
The place was almost empty and it took over 10 mins to get someone to take our order. All i saw was the wait staff chitchatting, and i am not even sure who my waitress was since every time we ordered, received food, had questions or pay it...
Subpar Food Quality
A number of reviews state that certain dishes arrive dry, cold, or lacking in flavor.
3 supporting reviews
1★ · 2025-06-16
Avoid this place! The food was bland and of poor quality across all the dishes we ordered (unless you enjoy reheated chicken). But I've saved the best for last: they came to clear our table with a cart to put away our plates and leftover fo...
2★ · 2025-06-26
In short: unfortunately not recommended. It was very spartan, the choice of food was very clear and standard, it was super cold in the restaurant, other guests had complained, but the air conditioning was not reduced. We finally ate with ja...
1★ · 2026-04-01
I had the chicken burger and this was by far the worst chicken I've ever tasted, it was dry and tasteless my wife had the chicken and pasta this was also very dry and tasteless, worst food I've experienced in New York also when we asked for...
Good for
- Pre-theater meals near Broadway
- Casual drinks and appetizers
- Families looking for familiar options
Avoid if
- You are looking for budget-friendly meals
- You expect high-end culinary quality
- You dislike crowded and noisy environments
Review anatomy
Reviews per month
| Month | Reviews | Flagged |
|---|---|---|
| May ’25 | 61 | 20 |
| Jun ’25 | 77 | 27 |
| Jul ’25 | 70 | 24 |
| Aug ’25 | 59 | 15 |
| Sep ’25 | 31 | 4 |
| Oct ’25 | 82 | 37 |
| Nov ’25 | 117 | 51 |
| Dec ’25 | 65 | 24 |
| Jan ’26 | 64 | 34 |
| Feb ’26 | 47 | 18 |
| Mar ’26 | 109 | 59 |
| Apr ’26 | 78 | 30 |
| May ’26 | 82 | 40 |
| Jun ’26 | 32 | 7 |
| Jul ’26 | 26 | 11 |
Rating distribution
Evidence
-
review drive
7 occurrences — worst: 16 five-star reviews on 2026-03-01 vs avg 1.7/day, 8 of them name a staff member
weight 0.5
Show all 7
- 7 five-star reviews on 2025-10-25 vs avg 1.2/day, 4 of them name a staff member
- 9 five-star reviews on 2025-10-27 vs avg 1.8/day, 5 of them name a staff member
- 12 five-star reviews on 2026-01-17 vs avg 2.0/day, 8 of them name a staff member
- 7 five-star reviews on 2026-02-22 vs avg 1.3/day, 5 of them name a staff member
- 16 five-star reviews on 2026-03-01 vs avg 1.7/day, 8 of them name a staff member
- 13 five-star reviews on 2026-03-02 vs avg 2.2/day, 7 of them name a staff member
- 10 five-star reviews on 2026-04-21 vs avg 1.9/day, 5 of them name a staff member
- burst 19 five-star reviews on 2025-11-21 vs avg 3.3/day; 13 five-star reviews on 2025-12-27 vs avg 1.8/day weight 1
- low activity account 340 reviews flagged weight 0.8
- generic account 1 reviews flagged weight 1
Flagged reviews
Showing the 10 most suspicious of 401 flagged reviews.
Ricky Padua
2 reviews
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Service was amazing. Hostess was welcoming and funny, saying that our server was the best and she did not lie. Keith was an amazing server. He was very transparent even though they were out of broccoli, immediate gave a solution. Made sure that our food was right, and was just cheerful overall. Will...
Jacqueline Martinez
1 review
★★★★★
2025-11-21
The service here was amazing!!! Especially Keith !! He was super attentive and super caring, Will def come back !!
Xa Xa
2 reviews
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Hussain Was a GREATTT Server I can’t wait to come back and choose him as my waiter definitely made sure we were okay the whole night !!!
Kenia Decoteau
2 reviews
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Hussain gave great customer service
Kx .Luxury
2 reviews
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Amazing lipu was the absolute best 🩷🩷🩷
Patricia Eugenio
2 reviews
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Ambience is good, food is delicious, and servers, especially Lipu, are very accommodating and attentive.
Samantha Peña
1 review
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Hussain is the BEST server of all time! Was very attentive to us and made sure our order was perfect! Best applebee’s in NYC!
Amy Stern
1 review
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Ashhh b
1 review
★★★★★
2025-11-21
Great for a late night bite. In the heart of Times Square, ambience is so friendly and warm. Lipu was our server and he was exceptional! Great service.
Isela Gutierrez
2 reviews
★★★★★
2025-11-21
I had so much fun with the girlies after a night out. Our server Lipu is so kind and took great care of us! Great service! Had a lot of fun
Report generated Jul 15, 2026. Reviews change — you can request a fresh investigation.
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