Applebee's Recycling Problem

I have to be honest and say that I have been an Applebee's customer and fan for years and years. Not just here in Missouri where I now live but back in New England as well. When they say you are in the neighborhood, you are in the neighborhood! The food is awesome, the layout of the restaurants are consistent no matter where you visit the Applebee's in your neighborhood. One thing that the entire chain has mastered is how to friend customers even if you see them just once. The get to know you approach is like someone from your own neighborhood and that is why I almost always choose Applebee's when we go out to eat or meet a few friends or family.

I joke with my girlfriend that if you want the best salad then you go to a steak house. It has been a rule of thumb that has never let me down. On occasion when I want that awesome salad we always go to the same steak house chain and the service sucks beyond belief. Even sitting at the bar you are at the mercy of the staff if they feel like servicing you when they are good and damn well ready. Not so at Applebee's. We found out by simply asking for special consideration one night because of my girlfriends need for a specialized diet. The manager came over to the table to take her order as she needed it made. He went to make my girlfriend her salad himself in the kitchen to make her visit enjoyable. He did the same thing three times after that one visit till his staff knew what kind of salad needed to be made to please just one customer. Try that at any other restaurant and see what happens.

Anywho, we got to know the staff at our local Applebee's in the St Louis, MO area and we like them like family. I saw something this past week where some glass bottles from the bar and empty beer bottles were tossed in the trash and it lit a fuse in my head. That lead me to asking one of the staff if the company recycled glass and other products? I was kind of shocked at the answer. "Everything goes in the trash." I was shocked! I asked again to be clear if they recycled anything? The staff member stated that several of the wait staff have complained and that corporate did not want to hear about it. They even went so far to state that several of the employees take bags of glass home to put in the recycle bins in their own neighborhoods.

I'm shocked that this is common practice in my favorite neighborhood eating establishment? I checked the corporate website by Googling "Applebee's Recycling" and all it came up with is that the corporate headquarters has an intense recycling program but it is up to the individual locations to recycle. That does not make sense? Even if the individual locations are franchised then it is cheaper to recycle than pay to haul it away.

This is a corporate policy that needs to be reconciled if the company policy is to be part of everyone's neighborhood. Next time you are at Applebee's you can ask if they recycle from that location. If they so no, then please ask for the manager and ask him to forward a request to corporate from a neighbor dining in the establishment. My girlfriend and I visit several locations during the course of a month and plan on doing just that same thing. They just might get the idea that recycling is good for the neighborhood we all share. Enjoy your visits to Applebee's! I love the food and folks that work there! Change starts with one voice and when it is many loyal customers requesting change and if it still falls on deaf ears then that is wrong.

I'm hoping that the folks at corporate Applebee's get wind of this soon. The sooner the better for the environment in everyone's neighborhood.

Post a comment on what you think about this and it might be a good idea to check other eating establishments to see what they are doing about local store or restaurant recycling?

Papamoka