Applebee's International Inc.

Chelsea Welch, Fired Applebee's Waitress, Talks Unemployment; Applebee's PR Melts Down

After Pastor Alois Bell left the message "I give God 10% Why do you get 18" on a credit card slip for her waitress, another server named Chelsea Welch posted a picture of it on Reddit. Outraged internet sleuths managed to decipher Bell's name and outed her online. But by exposing Bell, web vigilant ... More >>

St. Louis Pastor Asks Why Server Deserves Bigger Tip Than God on Receipt

The message a local pastor left in lieu of tip has been setting the internet afire all week. Pastor Alois Bell went to Applebee's last Friday night with her congregation. She was apparently so full of the holy spirit that she shared some with their server after seeing the table had been automatical ... More >>

Schadenfreude Overdose: National Restaurants Anti-"Obamacare" Policies Hurt Business

Last month, following the reelection of President Barack Obama, Gut Check examined five national restaurant chains sticking to anti-"Obamacare" policies. Papa John's chief executive John Schnatter threatened to raise pizza prices and cut employee hours to part-time to side-step paying for health ins ... More >>

21 Holiday Food and Restaurant Specials, Deals and Freebies

For Gut Check there's no better way to say "Season's Eatings" than with restaurant specials and deals. Much is made about overeating and weight gain during the holiday season, but really you'd be a fool not to eat free food when it's shoveled at you in the form of restaurant gift cards, BOGO special ... More >>

The Gap Ruins Four Food Trends in One Leap

On Friday we thought Applebee's killed the food truck trend dead. But it was only the beginning. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydishThe Gap puts tacos in jeans. ​ Meet Pico de Gap, a taco truck operated by The Gap in Los Angeles. Because having a trillion brick and mortar stores isn ... More >>

Applebee's Sends Food Truck Trend Over Shark, Into Nuked Fridge

​That's it, folks. Park all the food trucks inside a garage and then burn the place down. The trend has reached a nadir from which it can't possibly recover.Westword, our sister paper in Denver, reports that Applebee's has launched a food truck. The truck is sneakily designed with a logo for Neigh ... More >>

# 88 Quesadilla Azteca from Tower Tacos

Liz MillerYou won't find Tower Tacos' Quesadilla Azteca on the menu at Applebee's.​The many restaurants that line Cherokee Street feature menus full of sizzling fajitas, deliciously cheap tacos and other Mexican standards. One dish, the quesadilla, tends to be passed over at these authentic es ... More >>

Ian takes a flyer on sauerbraten at River City Casino's Beerhouse

#100: Spinach Artichoke Dip at Cafe Eau

Spinach Artichoke Dip at Cafe Eau -- a rainy day delight.​ You may have tried a spinach artichoke dip at Applebees. Or Olive Garden. For whatever reason, this calorie-rich delight has become a standard option at the sort of chain restaurant that blooms near the mall.But you haven't really had spin ... More >>

The Peppercorn Bacon Burger at the Corner Pub & Grill

Ian FroebThe "Peppercorn Bacon Burger" at the Corner Pub & Grill​I've wanted to visit The Corner Pub & Grill (13645 Big Bend Road, Valley Park; 636-225-1300)* ever since I reviewed the terrific new restaurant from the same owners (and located in the same shopping plaza), The Tavern Kitchen ... More >>

Applebee's Gets Toddler Drunk: Six Kiddie Cocktails They Should Try

​An Applebee's in suburban Detroit accidentally gave a two-year-old a margarita in a sippy cup instead of the apple juice his mom ordered, a mistake that wasn't discovered until the kid's blood alcohol level was .10 -- beyond the legal limit for drivers. The kid was okay, after a trip to the d ... More >>

Sample Murphy Lee and Kyjuan's "Freaky" Muscato Tonight and This Weekend

Jennifer Silverberg​Murphy Lee is a Renaissance man. When he's not recording and releasing music (such as the recent Wine, Weed & Women mixtape and an irresistible new video/song, "I'm Da Damn Man, Ma'am Damn, Yes I Am"), he and fellow St. Lunatic Kyjuan are promoting good eating habits via a ... More >>

Get Your Bubbly On with St. Lunatics Murphy Lee and Kyjuan

Jennifer Silverberg​Murphy Lee is a Renaissance man. When he's not recording and releasing music (such as the recent Wine, Weed & Women mixtape and an irresistible new video/song, "I'm Da Damn Man, Ma'am Damn, Yes I Am"), he and fellow St. Lunatic Kyjuan are promoting good eating habits via a ... More >>

Thirteen Terrifying Tales: Jon Scorfina Talks Spirits of St. Louis

Adam DavenportZombie Lindbergh ​Ink & Drink Comics started out as a social gathering for St. Louis comic creators to meet up and drink beer while talking about comics. However, the group's enthusiasm soon outgrew simple conversation -- and they decided to pool their talents and start making co ... More >>

America's Fifteen Favorite Casual-Dining Chain Restaurants

Image via​You know what Gut Check loves more than anything else?Chain restaurants.OK, that's a blatant lie. But Americans do love chain restaurants, otherwise the damn things wouldn't sprout in every shopping mall, strip mall and big-box-store parking lot like mushrooms after a hard spring rain.In ... More >>

Photo Dump: Inside Rock Hill's Plush Pig Barbeque

There's a picture of John Wayne on that wall. There are license plates tacked to the ceiling above your head. Also on the walls? A Cardinals banner, a few Beanie Babies, a mounted deer head, ribbons and a novelty oversize beer bottle cap. It's not quite like Applebee's, though, where the kitsch cove ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 4.8

The government thinks the FDA needs to step up food inspections. Despite a rash of recalls in the past six years, the FDA has inspected less than half of the organizations it regulates with the number dropping annually. The food safety legislation currently in Congress would provide more resources ... More >>

Gut Check's Week in Tweets

​Don't you know? Gut Check has a Twitter account. You can follow me @gutcheckstl.Here's some of what you missed on my Twitter feed this week:Sketchin' out Top Ten Dishes 2009 review. Lookin' back, a strange year. Some easy calls. Some tough. 4:38 PM Nov 30thNY Times finds first food thread, comple ... More >>

Chad Garrison wages a lonely protest, while a newlywed takes a bummer of an acid trip in a Fenton park

Even in Recession, Bread Co. Continues To Take Over the World

flickr.com/photos/jd87​The St. Louis Bread Co. -- known to the outside world as Panera -- is the subject of a story in today's Wall Street Journal, which explains how the chain managed to increase its profits in the second quarter by 28 percent, or $20 million.It's actually quite a novel strategy: ... More >>

Smoking Ban Opponents Launch Advertising Campaign -- On Christian Radio?

keepstlouisfree.blogspot.com​Keep St. Louis Free, a group opposed to local smoking-ban efforts, launched this week an advertising campaign to try to block such a ban from going up for public vote in St. Louis County. Bill Hannegan -- spokesman and founder of Keep St. Louis Free -- mentioned the ad ... More >>

Gut Check's Schwag Bag: Greg's Hemp Oil Salad Dressing

This product comes from Greg Perez, the ex-chef and owner at the now-shuttered Grateful Inn, formerly located on Manchester Road in Maplewood. Since the restaurant, which featured several hemp-based dishes on the menu, closed in March of last year, Perez has focused on expanding his salad dressing ... More >>

Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For? Best of Craigslist Missed Connections, December 1-7

(Welcome to Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For? Each Monday, we'll scour the local Missed Connections section of Craigslist, in search of the best posts. Here are some that caught our eye this week.)What? No dessert?: To The Person Who Put A Steak And Mashed Potatoes On My Windshield - 21 (Red Lobst ... More >>

Señor Circuit: Ian discovers Señor Pique's in a league of its own

Ultimate Margarita

T.G.I. Friday’s
5262 South Lindbergh Boulevard
314-849-4556

Smaller Portions, Smaller Plates and Other Ways the Restaurant Biz Is Dealing With Food Costs

Feel a Draught?: Tigín opens an outpost in a Hampton Inn downtown? O'Really!

Small Plates: Monday, 7/16

What's Cooking in This Week's Issue

Perfect Margarita and Apple Juice

An Applebee's

The Road to Ravioli

The latest stop on Ian’s Illinois vacation hits close to home.

Medium Well

Ian has a Legendary™ beef with Stoney River.

Pass the Salsa, Start the Revolution

Jasoom goes all-Mexican! ¡Viva la revolución!

There Goes the Eruv

You'll dig the delightfully unorthodox (yet totally Orthodox) food at Shmeers

Classic Cosmopolitan

An American Place, 822 Washington Avenue; 314-418-5800

Creation Science

Unreal learns where dinos fit into the Bible, meets a plow-truck innovator and crunches numbers for St. Louis County. Plus: John Goodman makes an appearance in the Local Blog o' the Week!

Lardee's

Unreal kicks it with a 64-year-old college student, attends a Jell-O-shot-fueled party at the Tri-City Speedway and peruses a local mom's Blog o' the Week; plus, why eat a Thickburger when you can have Butter on a Stick?

Back on Tip Top

Tanner B's is a worthy heir to the cozy tavern on Shenandoah

Shackle Up

Stir Crazy Café and SanSai Japanese Grill make it OK to embrace a corporate trend

Best Hair on a Local TV Personality (Female)

Vickie Newton
KMOV-TV (Channel 4)

Chesterfield Trip

Yia Yia's proves chain-owned restaurants don't need to be bland

Built for Comfort

Tim Mallett strikes again

Will Quirk for Food

Does Wild Flower's loyal clientele come for the food or the atmosphere?

Margaritas

Hacienda

The Most Incredible Circumstances Surrounding Somebody's Being Canned From a Job?

Week of January 9, 2002

Onion Rings

Outback Steakhouse

Salads

Pasta House Co.

Best Fast Food

Steak n' Shake

Praising the Bar

High marks for the Serbian fare at the Shenandoah Bar and Grill

Hit Parade