The Truth About Applebee's Bizarre Chat App

Are you the only person in your friend group craving Applebee's, but you don't want to eat at the restaurant by yourself? Well, you're in luck, because the American chain restaurant is now home to WhatsApplebee's, a smartphone app that allows you to anonymously chat with other Applebee's fans. There's a catch; it only works while you're at the restaurant. Say goodbye to lonely dinners and hello to other fans of your neighborhood Applebee's establishment.

The app was created by Mike Lazer-Walker, is only available for iPhones (sorry all you android owners), and is currently free to download on iTunes (via Laughing Squid). Meanwhile, the app is not affiliated with or authorized by the Applebee's company. 

The service lets you connect with strangers, make new friends, and meet other fans of the restaurant, um, if you want to. Because it only works while you are in an Applebee's, you can be certain you are chatting with someone else enjoying a tasty burger while you munch on yours. Maybe it's an employee on the other side of the country! Or, the cutie in the booth next-door! WhatsApplebee's is billed as "the hottest new social network."

Applebee's new app is receiving mixed reviews

One fan said on iTunes, "Finally! As an avid Applebee's fan, I have been looking for a way to meet like minded people at my local bees. It's ease of use and ability to connect with people that care about nothing else than the glorious establishment, Applebee's, are all I've ever looked for in an app."

It sounds like this person has been waiting a long time for someone to come-up with this kind of program. But others were a little less excited. Another review read, "I was so excited to be able to connect to my fellow Applebetians, but, alas, the location services for the average iPhone aren't accurate enough to allow me to enter the extremely small amount of sacred ground the app recognizes as Applebee's, so I couldn't connect. Never been so disappointed." 

Amazingly, the app has 3.6 out of 5 stars overall. When asked why he decided to create the app, Lazer-Walker told The Verge, "It came out of wanting to build something that seemed so over the top and so silly that there was no way that it could be real, but at the same time you sort of believe that it would be." Yup. Because whether you decide to add it to your app collection or not, the creator definitely reached his goal of creating a ridiculous product that almost doesn't seem real.