Applebee’s is a casual dining restaurant that features classic American food.
You can usually find great deals on food at Applebee’s and even large portions.
When it comes to paying for your food, you may wonder if Applebee’s takes Apple Pay.
As a digital wallet, not every store or restaurant has the technology available to accept funds.
Here’s what you need to know about whether Applebee’s takes Apple Pay or not.
Does Applebee’s Take Apple Pay?
No, Applebee’s does not take Apple Pay.
While there are some reports that some restaurants do accept Apple Pay, it isn’t something that Applebee’s has officially declared.
With the release of their tablets in their restaurants, they’re getting closer to being able to accept digital wallets.
However, there are a few ways that you can get around the fact that Applebee’s doesn’t accept Apple Pay but still use Apple Pay to pay for your meal.
How To Use Apple Pay At Applebee’s
Even though Applebee’s doesn’t accept Apple Pay as a method of payment, there are ways around that.
Here are two methods you can use to pay for your meal with Apple Pay.
1. Applebee’s Gift Cards
One of the ways that you can use Apple Pay to pay for your meal at Applebee’s is to use a gift card for Applebee’s.
Applebee’s, like many other chain restaurants, has gift cards that you can purchase.
There are several tiers of gift cards based on value.
For example, there are $20 gift cards, $50 gift cards, and so on.
The great thing about gift cards is that you can buy many of them with Apple Pay.
There are digital gift cards as well as physical ones.
As long as you can find a vendor that sells Applebee’s gift cards and accepts Apple Pay, you can use your Apple Pay account to pay for the gift card.
Then, when you go to Applebee’s, you can use the gift card to pay for your meal.
This method basically treats the gift card like a mediatory between Apple Pay and Applebee’s.
Unless you calculate exactly what you want from Applebee’s beforehand, your gift card may not cover your meal.
It’s a good idea to get a gift card that’s higher in value to ensure it covers your full meal, especially if you have no other way to pay for your food.
To get around the fact that Applebee’s doesn’t accept Apple Pay, you can use Apple Pay to buy an Applebee’s gift card and use that to pay for your meal instead.
2. Delivery Services
Another way to get around the fact that Applebee’s doesn’t accept Apple Pay is to use a delivery service.
GrubHub, Uber Eats, DoorDash, and a few other delivery services often accept Apple Pay.
You can also order food through their apps.
Since you can order food through their apps, you can pay for your meal and the delivery service with Apple Pay.
There are a few problems with this method, however.
The first is that, since you’re using a delivery service, you’re going to be eating Applebee’s at home.
That means the food won’t be as fresh as it would coming straight out of the kitchen.
It also means you’re eating at home.
This might not be a huge deal unless you were looking to enjoy the atmosphere at Applebee’s.
Another problem is that it’s going to cost you a little extra.
You have to pay for your food, the delivery service, the driver’s tip, and then any other fees that Applebee’s charges for your order.
This can make your meal a lot more expensive than it would be if you were eating in a restaurant.
That said, using a delivery service to order your food allows you to use Apple Pay to pay for your meal and delivery service.
What Payment Methods Does Applebee’s Accept?
Applebee’s has recently reinvented its ordering process, so you may wonder what payment methods they now accept.
The bad news is that they still only accept the traditional forms of payment.
This includes credit and debit cards, cash, and gift cards.
However, because they’ve started using tablets in their restaurants, there’s a good chance that you’ll soon be able to use them to pay in other ways.
Applebee’s hasn’t released any information yet about future payment methods, but the technology is there to accept digital wallets.
The tablets, in particular, allow their guests to order online, call for their waiter, and pay.
Since tablets can act as readers, it may only be a matter of time before Applebee’s installs the software needed to accept digital wallets.
What Contactless Forms Of Payment Does Applebee’s Accept?
With the COVID-19 pandemic, many diners became interested in contactless forms of payment.
Not only is it more sanitary by eliminating the need for physical contact, but in some ways, it made the experience faster and more convenient, too.
As such, you may wonder if Applebee’s has invested in any official or new methods of contactless payment.
While they still don’t accept digital wallets like Apple Pay, they do have curbside pickup and a revamped mobile app.
Applebee’s invested money into their app to make ordering with the restaurant a lot easier and more convenient.
In particular, diners can order the food that they want ahead of time.
They can order it for that day, the next day, or even a week later.
They can also pay for their order on the app with ease.
The app can remember and store your preferred payment methods.
If you have a specific card that you like to use, for example, then you can store its information on the app.
When you order food later, all you need to do is select that payment method, and it will charge it for you.
This enables you to pay for your food before you even enter the restaurant.
This makes the process faster and more convenient because you can order and pay for your food on the way to Applebee’s.
Then, when you arrive, you can sit down, eat your food, and then immediately leave when you’re done.
You don’t have to wait for a server to take your credit card to the till.
Thanks to the new Applebee’s mobile app, it’s easier than ever to order your food and pay for it which limits the amount of contact you have with the waitstaff.
How Does Applebee’s Curbside Pickup Work?
The other main contactless payment method that Applebee’s supports is its curbside pickup.
You can order on their mobile app and then choose to pick it up at the curb rather than go inside the restaurant.
The app allows you to pay for your order as well, which means you don’t have to hand anything to the waiter.
Once you complete your order on the mobile app, you can then drive to the designated location for pickup at Applebee’s.
There are cameras outside of the restaurant that allows the workers to identify your car.
When you choose to pick up your order via curbside pickup, you have to submit a description of your car.
Usually, the color and type of car it is are the best details to provide.
The workers will then grab your order and walk out to you.
They’ll hand it to you, and you can be on your way.
Since the mobile app handles most of the work, curbside parking is just another great way to limit the amount of contact you have with other people.
It also allows you to get your food quickly and enjoy it back at home.
Since you’re picking up the order yourself, you also don’t have to deal with a delivery service fee.
The curbside pickup service at Applebee’s is a great way to get your food in a safe, fast way.
Does Applebee’s Take PayPal?
No, Applebee’s does not take PayPal.
However, like Apple Pay, there are ways to get around this.
Here are a few ways you can use PayPal to pay for your meal at Applebee’s.
1. Gift Cards
Just like Apple Pay, you can use PayPal to buy a gift card for Applebee’s.
With the gift card, you can then pay for your meal at Applebee’s.
Since there are several different amounts available for gift cards, you’ll want to make sure that you get one that will cover your entire meal.
Even though Applebee’s doesn’t accept PayPal, you can still use it to buy a gift card for Applebee’s from a third party that does.
2. PayPal Cash Card
Another way to pay for Applebee’s is to use the PayPal Cash Card.
The PayPal Cash Card acts like a debit card.
It’s linked to your PayPal account, which means you’re using the funds from your PayPal account to pay for your meal.
That said, if you don’t have enough funds in your PayPal account, then you won’t be able to pay for your meal.
However, adding funds is easy.
You just need to use one of the payment methods you have connected to your account to fill your account again.
Since you can link everything from your checking account with your bank to other credit cards to your PayPal, there’s no difficulty in pulling funds from somewhere.
However, you will have to do it manually.
PayPal won’t pull those funds for you to cover an expense.
It needs to already be in your PayPal account.
Your PayPal Cash Card works at Applebee’s even though PayPal itself doesn’t because the Cash Card is a Mastercard.
Since it’s a debit card from Mastercard, Applebee’s accepts it since they accept debit cards.
You can use the PayPal Cash Card to pay for your meal at Applebee’s even though they don’t accept PayPal.
3. Delivery Services
Also like Apple Pay, you can use PayPal to pay for Applebee’s through a delivery service.
Many delivery services accept PayPal as a payment method because they’re mobile-based.
If you order through the delivery app, you can pay for the entire service with PayPal.
That includes your food, the delivery charge, your tip to the driver, and any other fees.
If you’re desperate for Applebee’s and you only have PayPal to use, you can get your food by ordering it through a delivery service app and paying for it that way.
Why Doesn’t Applebee’s Take Apple Pay?
Considering that many stores and restaurants have started accepting Apple Pay, you may wonder why Applebee’s hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon yet.
Here are a few possible reasons Applebee’s has not started taking Apple Pay just yet.
1. Lack Of Technology
One of the main reasons that stores and restaurants haven’t accepted digital wallets yet is that they lack the right technology.
To use a digital wallet, the store or restaurant has to have a specific kind of terminal and software.
The terminal has to be able to transmit and receive information that the Apple device is giving.
It then needs to interact with its own system to tell it about the number of funds that it’s transferring into it.
While this may seem easy, the actual technology isn’t cheap.
Applebee’s would also need to ensure that all of its restaurants had this type of technology.
Otherwise, one restaurant might outperform another because they’re attracting all of the diners who want to use Apple Pay.
Since Applebee’s just invested a lot of money into their mobile app and ordering experience, they may not be ready to make more investments just yet.
2. Training
Another reason Applebee’s may not have Apple Pay yet is that it will require them to do more training.
Using a digital wallet is a relatively new thing.
Not only do customers need to know how to do it, but those who are manning the registers also need to know how to use it.
In most cases, the customer looks to the cashier to explain how to use their digital wallets.
If the cashier doesn’t have the proper training, then it’s a poor experience for everyone.
The problem with training is that few Applebee’s workers have time to tack that onto their days.
They’re already busy serving customers and cooking food and cleaning the place.
Finding time to fit in a training program for digital wallets may not be easy for the restaurant to pull off.
Some restaurants may have an easier time of it than others, but this sort of training is something the company will need to do on a wide scale.
There’s also the question as to whether or not they’re going to pay for the training.
Since it takes up their employee’s time, it makes sense to pay for it.
That’s another investment that Applebee’s may not be ready for just yet.
Applebee’s may not have Apple Pay because they’re not ready to train their workers on how to use it.
3. Lack Of Demand
The general population that eats at Applebee’s may also not have an interest in using Apple Pay.
With time, the younger generations will only know how to use digital wallets, but that isn’t the case yet.
People still rely on cash and cards.
They’re familiar with it and it works well for them.
If it isn’t bothering them, then they’re not going to change their habits or preferences.
As such, they may not care whether Applebee’s starts to accept Apple Pay or not.
They’ll still probably use the same old means of payment that they’ve always used.
Since there isn’t a lot of demand from their diners, Applebee’s may not feel the pressure just yet to include Apple Pay into their systems.
Until digital wallets become more popular and demand grows, Applebee’s may continue to keep its current payment methods as they are.
4. Partnerships
Apple Pay usually works with businesses that don’t have an exclusive partnership with PayPal or another major digital wallet.
If the business does have an exclusive relationship, they can’t use Apple Pay.
Apple Pay may also seek an exclusive relationship with certain businesses to block out competitors from gaining access to them.
This ensures that they get the most interest in their services since they’re the only ones who can provide digital wallet services to that specific business.
If Applebee’s doesn’t want to be in an exclusive relationship with Apple Pay, then that might be one of the reasons why it hasn’t adopted it yet.
It may want to accept PayPal and other digital wallets in the future, too.
It doesn’t want to limit itself to only Apple Pay.
Depending on the type of conversations that Applebee’s and Apple Pay are having behind the scenes, exclusive relationships may be a reason the restaurant hasn’t started taking Apple Pay yet.
