Free Appetizers at Applebee’s July 21

There are a lot of free apps these days but not the kind you can eat. On July 21, 2015 casual dining chain Applebee’s will offer dine-in guests a free appetizer and dessert in an effort to showcase improvements they have made in food and drinks.

Applebee’s anticipates serving about two million plates of Sriracha Shrimp and Churro S’Mores during “Taste The Change Day” at nearly 2,000 restaurants across the country, according to a statement in a press release. (The offer is available to dine-in guests all day, with the option of adding other new appetizers at low sampler prices.)

I must say I had not been to an Applebee’s in years as I had been less than impressed at some point, but I went last month with family and we were all pleased with our meals. My mom and I started by sharing a tasty Margarita, which came in a shaker so we could each have one served “up” in a Martini glass—it was a weeknight, after all. There was a green olive in the bottom of each glass, which came as a little bit of a surprise for a Margarita so we considered it a snack and each ate the olive before pouring the drink. Not sure if this is standard for all locations or depends on the bartender?

Two popular new items will be featured at the July 21 free sampling event: The Sriracha Shrimp features quality shrimp, fried with Applebee’s special coating, which provides a light, flaky crunch, then tossed in a Sriracha Chile Lime sauce. New Churro S’Mores are twisted cinnamon churro twists, served with a warm marshmallow and chocolate dip.

“We put our new items to the test in New York, and people who hadn’t tried us in awhile were blown away at how we’ve improved our food,” said Applebee’s President Steve Layt in the release. “Now we’re giving guests around the country the same sampling opportunity, and we’re confident they will agree: Our new food and drinks are fantastic.”

While I have not tried the items that will be featured on Taste the Change Day, it could be worth checking out as it seems the improvements have been working.

Legal stuff: The free sampling offer will be available at nearly all Applebee’s locations nationwide on July 21. Valid at participating locations on 7/21/15 only. Dine in only. Minimum one Sampler per party. Additional Samplers may be provided depending on party size. Selection of sampler(s) provided may vary. No substitutions. See participating restaurant for details.

Mary Subialka is the editor of Real Food and Drinks magazines, covering the flavorful world of food, wine, and spirits. She rarely meets a chicken she doesn’t like, and hopes that her son, who used to eat beets and Indian food as a preschooler, will one day again think of real food as more than something you need to eat before dessert and be inspired by his younger brother, who is now into trying new foods.