Corporate offices are struggling with culture, work load and direction - Anonymous employee Applebee's Employee Review

1.0
27 Nov 2012
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very good pay. Applebee's corporate offices will pay better than most KC employers. Benefits are also solid. Plus, leadership makes sure that all bonus-eligible employees actually get their bonuses -- 100 percent, every year. Director and below positions are filled with a lot of smart, very dedicated people.

Cons

The cons outweigh even a big paycheck, sorry to say. The culture is toxic. Almost no one enjoys working here, which is tough to face day in and day out. The work force has been cut back so badly that we are all doing more than one job. (Proportionally, we're underpaid.) But it's not the long hours and lack of work-life balance that gets most people. It's the culture. It's very hierarchal, with random decisions being made from the parent company, DineEquity. Dine does an incredibly poor job of communicating anything to Applebee's. As a result, roles are not clearly defined. Allegiances shift constantly because the entire workforce is always unsure what the direction is on any given day. A lot of wasted work happens at the parent company and Applebee's. Very, very frustrating.

Explore other reviews about Applebee's

5.0
19 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of shift opportunities to make additional money

Cons

Fast paced and very overwhelming

3.0
1 Jul 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Meeting great staff FOH and BOH

Cons

No monthly salary as discussed during orientation. Bonuses totaled around 700 for year 2024. I was basically an overpaid line cook. No exaggeration. Weekly inventory and truck orders was all there was to do for managers. The rest of the day consisted of being a prep as the open mgr(we literally didn’t have a prep), hosting, bagging orders, and being the best line could you could ever want to be. Get comfortable on broil!

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