A Night at the Brightest Applebee’s
It was a Tuesday around lunchtime when I sent out a text: “Would anyone like to go on a late-night excursion to the Applebee’s at 610 and W 18th Street this week?” I consider myself lucky that I have close friends who can reply with a simple, “Yes. When.”
Freeway Foodies is a journey into the unique dining experiences found along Texas highways and byways. With roughly 1,600 Applebee’s locations across the U.S., seven of them are in the Greater Houston area. But there appears to be only one Applebee’s that stands out from the rest. This isn’t just metaphorical—it’s literal.
This Applebee’s is quite bright. I don’t know how many lumens saturate that parking lot each night, but there’s no sneaking about here. When you drive in and park, the play begins. The spotlight is on you. The lot is your stage, and your only direction: Enter the Applebee’s and escape the glare of the LED white dwarf stars that orbit the restaurant.
The outside lights couldn’t seem to penetrate the interior dining room, save for the moments when someone opened the door. Our group initially sat next to a window but moved to a high-top near the bar for reasons I can’t recall.
There’s a magic that happens at Applebee’s, and it erupts with the right group of people at the right time. Our party was a motley crew of tired parents, journalists, and ex-journalists:
- The one friend who insisted on not eating anything but complained about The Challenge not being available on Plex.
- The one friend who said he and his family had COVID over the weekend, but it was okay.
- The one friend who sat across from my other friend at the far end of the table because he had COVID over the weekend.
- The one friend who said this is the kind of clown outing she likes, but never showed up.
Apart from the camaraderie, I admire the hospitality of mass fast-casual dining. Our waiter was kind and attentive. More importantly, he wasn’t afraid to say a particular cocktail on the menu was “nasty.” Say what you want about Applebee’s, but I’d dare you to find a server at an upscale-casual joint that would shamelessly criticize the beverage program so close to the bar.
I dove into Applebee’s “2 for $25” menu, which has been a success story for the restaurant chain. According to FSR Magazine, the offer has driven same-store sales upward by 4.9 percent in the second quarter of 2025.
Our first course was a spinach and artichoke “gloop” accompanied by a spread of corporate nachos. I say gloop with affection as my friends and I lost our collective vapor spooning a thick dollop of dip for an Instagram video.
From there, we moved to our two entrees, a half rack of double-glazed baby back ribs and the Big Bangin’ Burger. I fear we’re a spoiled lot when it comes to ribs in Texas. I tore off a single rib from the Applebee’s favorite and found myself swiftly underwhelmed by its puny, almost mealy appearance. My “bangin'” burger was a little oversold, but I also don’t think it was bad. In fact, it was probably the best food I had there—a no-fuss burger with pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.
All the while during our meal, I spotted the faint dim of the lights outside in the parking lot. My first thought when I saw them was that they were installed to deter crime. Ill deeds tend to suffer in the dark. But in an email to MathHotels.com, Applebee’s insists it was to stand out.
“Following several years of nearby highway improvements completed in 2018, changes to the road layout made our restaurant a bit harder to spot,” said Kerry Norton, VP of restaurant operations. “To enhance visibility and create a more welcoming environment, we upgraded our lighting in 2021, including the addition of LED lights throughout the parking lot.”
We capped our dinner by attempting to take a photo with what we thought was a cardboard photo op display. It was, in fact, a collection box in support of children with cancer. As we hurried out into the luminous lot, I remembered the memories we made in the restaurant we left behind:
- The one friend who laughed and subsequently deposited spittle on the side of my head after telling me he had COVID over the past weekend.
- The one friend who said she visited the Houstonian for a lovely massage, but I misheard her and thought she got a job there, and so I was very confused for several minutes.
- The one friend who loudly outed our other friend to the entire restaurant. We all knew she was gay, but now Applebee’s knows too.
I lingered behind and stared at the LED lamp post. By the time I got into my car, I noticed my friends had already departed. “I’ve never seen three people leave a parking lot faster,” I texted. And at long last, I drove from the glare and into the night.
