Although called a bar and grill, the restaurant atmosphere predominates, making Applebee's a great place to take family and friends. On this particular visit, we met our best friends there for an evening out. We had all been busy and hadn't gotten together for quite awhile, so we wanted to sit and visit. There was no attempt by our waiter or staff to hurry us out the door, even though we spent at least an hour sipping drinks and visiting after our meal was completed. It was late and there weren't many customers, so I appreciated not being rushed.
The decor is interesting,with different sections of the restaurant reflecting different themes. The entryway is dedicated to our local firefighters, with pictures of local heroes and fire-fighting equipment on the wall. One section is decorated with photographs, uniforms, and memorabilia of the high school nearest the restaurant. Another has the same type items from one of the five colleges in Springfield. Yet another section is dedicated to movie posters, especially those of Brad Pitt, who is from the nearby town of Nixa.
The food was excellent. It was served at the proper temperature, and the quality and quantity were perfect. I really enjoyed the Fiesta Lime Chicken. My friend had a Bourbon Street Steak, which is also an excellent choice.
Springfield has adopted a smoke-free policy in restaurants unless a certain percentage of the restaurant's sales are of liquor. Applebee’s meets the requirement and so has a section for those who choose to smoke. We chose the non-smoking section, and it is separated well enough from the smoking section that we were able to enjoy our meal smoke-free.
Overall, Applebee’s is one of our favorite places to eat in Springfield. We usually visit a couple of times per month and have never been dissatisfied with either the food or the service.