A New York woman says her visit to Applebee’s all-you-can-eat deal turned into a frustrating experience after long waits between rounds and food she described as unappetizing. TikTok creator Lizi Gomez, who goes by @lizi.gomezz, shared the experience in a video that has since gathered over 50,600 views on the platform.
Gomez said she and her husband went to Applebee’s to try the chain’s limited-time All You Can Eat deal, which is priced at $15.99 per person and includes boneless wings, riblets, Double Crunch Shrimp, and endless fries. The deal is available for dine-in customers only, according to Applebee’s.
In the video, Gomez said they waited a full hour before receiving their first round of food. Both she and her husband said they were aiming to eat four plates each. After the first plate, which included boneless wings and fried shrimp, Gomez described the food as tasting “like middle-class America,” adding, “Kind of dry, but I’m not mad. $15, what can I expect?”
Gomez said the long gaps between rounds made her feel the restaurant was stalling on purpose
The wait between rounds, she claimed, is what started to sour the experience. “I feel like they’re trying to make us lose by not bringing the rounds fast enough, but I’m not leaving,” Gomez said in the video. She also said the two of them were “obsessively watching the door,” waiting for the next plates to arrive.
By the time they had been at the restaurant for an hour and a half, Gomez said only one plate had been finished. “Feeling like an absolute fool right now for waiting an hour and a half for the $15.99 Applebee’s riblets, shrimp, boneless wings special,” she said.
When the second round finally arrived, Gomez said she found it “extremely unappetizing.” She then tried a riblet and gave her verdict plainly: “It’s horrible.” Her husband, according to her account, did not finish his riblets either.
Gomez said she gave up on reaching her goal of four plates. “I know I said four plates, but I’ve suffered enough,” she said. “I’m just taking my loss and going home.” She added that she would have preferred spending the same $15 at McDonald’s instead. The video ends with her standing outside where she delivered her final rating: “Applebee’s needs to count their days ’cause I was literally assaulted by that meal. 0 out of 10.”
In the comments under Gomez’s video, reactions were largely critical of the chain. One commenter suggested the long waits were intentional, writing, “They take forever on purpose so you leave. Olive Garden brings it before you even finish.”
Another commenter warned others against trying the deal, writing, “I can’t stress this enough. Do not get it. It’s not worth it. Terrible service.” One commenter did offer a partial defense of the chain, writing, “The only thing good at Applebees is the burger.” Similar complaints about poor service have surfaced in other cities, like this Atlanta restaurant’s empty dining room.
Other customers have shared similar complaints about the same deal. Under an Applebee’s promotional TikTok video for the offer, one commenter claimed, “Don’t forget you have to wait 20-25 minutes in between orders. And that staff are trained to take their time visiting your table.”
Another commenter alleged that portion sizes shrink after the first plate, writing, “Riblets look nothing like this in store and after first plate they only give you like 4 wings with a 20 minute wait between each order.” Debates over value are common in viral dining complaints, such as this girl dinner overcharging accusation.
Applebee’s has not publicly responded to the complaints mentioned in Gomez’s video or the comments surrounding it, as of the time of this writing.
Published: Jul 9, 2026 09:03 am