Glenn's family went to Applebee's last night and discovered that the restaurant is cutting back. Really cutting back. You have to bring your own candles now for their birthday cakes, because "Applebee's doesn't supply birthday candles anymore."
So we took our five year old to an Applebees in Charlotte, NC last night for his fifth birthday. He ordered their "mac & cheese" and when it arrived we noticed that it did not have the usual breadstick. We asked why and were told that corporate felt that "they weren't healthy for kids" so they have been dropped from the menu. So the dinner cost the same as before, just that the kids get less. Very nice.Our advice to Applebee's customers in Charlotte: if you have a kid, bring a couple of phone books with you next time. You know, just in case they've sold off the booster seats.Then the real kicker. He wanted chocolate cake for dessert. I told the waitress that it was his birthday but when they started coming out with the cake there was no candle. I asked that they put one in. They went back into the kitchen and came back out five minutes later - again no candle. They sang the song and he ate his cake. I asked "why no candle?" and was told that "Applebees doesn't supply birthday candles anymore. If you want a candle in your cake, you have to bring your own." Amazing. Things are so tight that they can't put a candle in a five-year olds' cake. I guess every penny counts today.
(Thanks to Glenn!)
(Photo: jemsweb)
