“That’s ridiculous”: Man expected half-price Applebee’s appetizers after 10 PM, then was shocked to learn the deal didn’t apply at his table

An Applebee’s customer was seemingly left disappointed after he was handed the bill for the food he ordered. As reported by Brobible, a man thought he’d get his appetizers for half price if he ordered after 10 PM. He reportedly visited the Times Square branch of Applebee’s with his friend, ordered the appetizers, but claimed the branch is a “tourist trap” after he got a much higher bill. Apparently, the half-price deal didn’t work for him, as he was seated at a different spot in the restaurant.

The TikTok user Michael Marino (@mikeymarinoo) posted a video about this experience. Marino claimed that he and his friend assumed that “everybody knows” that Applebee’s offers appetizers at half the price after 10 PM. They seemingly followed a similar strategy and ended up ordering pretzels, a burger, and boneless wings. However, it appears the bill, which read $90, left him disappointed, as apparently they didn’t get the discount they were hoping for.

As a customer unhappy with the price, he asked the server about the higher bill. The server then told him the half-price offer was only available at the bar. Apparently, Michael also asked whether there was a difference between the food served at his spot and at the bar, and the employee reportedly said there wasn’t any. In his TikTok, Marino also claimed that this has never happened to him at any other Applebee’s branch, as the amount is “automatically deducted if you get half-price apps.”

It appears that the manager also stepped in

There’s no sign of a confrontation with the customer in this TikToker’s case, but the manager allegedly stepped in at one point. “That’s ridiculous,” said the TikToker. Because of the $90 price tag, Michael claimed he told the server he would not pay it. Following this, it appears that the manager also checked in and seemingly made it clear that the TikToker should have asked about the half-price appetizers beforehand.

“Why is it the customer’s job to tell the employee, hey, I want my meal cut in half?” said Marino. He also seemed unenthusiastic about the idea of Applebee’s manually deducting the price on every appetizer order. In the caption, he wrote “scam,” reflecting his frustration with the whole scene. Apart from the TikToker’s opinion, the audience also wrote their own in the comment section.

One of them wrote, seemingly questioning why Michael chose to visit the chain, “Why would anyone go to Applebees in NYC ? you’re in the food capital of the USA.” Another viewer said, “Time square rent is expensive. I’m not surprised.” Similarly, some questioned the TikToker that he would have asked. One seemed sarcastic and wrote, “As a New Yorker every Apple bees I went to I had to ask for the half off apps we are not like other states (laughing emoji) u have to ASK.”

Another user explained, “You went to Times Square Applebees what did you expect (laughing emoji) also the promotion says on the website ‘price and participation may vary ‘ meaning you should’ve asked cuz some busy locations may exclude the promotion.” His TikTok audience seems divided, with some siding with him while others suggest that it would have been ideal to ask Applebee’s before ordering.

As of yet, there’s no follow-up video or the chain’s response that provides more insight into the matter.