An Applebee’s customer, along with viewers who watched the video she posted to TikTok, speculated the bar and grill restaurant chain served her another patron’s leftover food after she found some ketchup on her fries.
In the clip, @vandykeshoodhippiees focuses in on a fry that seems to have red sauce on it; she notes she didn’t put any ketchup on her plate after receiving the food so is unsure where the sauce came from.
“How the fuck I get ketchup on my fries when I ain’t never put no fucking ketchup on my fries? That’s some nasty-ass shit. Only at fucking Applebee’s,” she says in the video.
The customer noted in the caption she was served the plate at an Applebee’s in Columbus, Ohio. “Clearly gave me someone else’s old plate I never used Ketchup so why is it on my food,” she wrote.
@vandykeshoodhippiees @Applebee’s Grill + Bar in Columbus OH clearly gave me someone else’s old plate 🤢🤮 I never used Ketchup so why is it on my food 🤔😤😡 #applebees #disgusting #foryou #foryoupage #4yp #foru #viral #viralvideo #viraltiktok #beyondpissed ♬ original sound – Hoodhippievandykes
Many TikTokers fueled the speculation, with some claiming they knew exactly what the alleged previous customer ordered. “Left over from them unlimited wings,” one said.
Another commenter asked @vandykeshoodhippiees if she complained to the waiter. She replied that she did, and didn’t have to pay for her bill as a result.
According to Find Law, it is illegal for restaurants to “recycle” uneaten food to customers. But there reportedly have been cases of establishments reserving bread and butter baskets that have been untouched by customers to other tables.
The late Anthony Bourdain also penned in his book Kitchen Confidential that restaurants will re-use bread baskets, calling it an “open secret.” Some users in a Quora forum who say they’ve worked in different eateries claim they’ve rarely encountered repurposed food plates/menu items.
Mir Miller, who describes themselves as a “former chef” in the forum, wrote: “99% of restaurants do not.”
“The only place I have worked that did was a ‘fine dining’ Italian restaurant with fancy prices & poor management/ownership, and whatever wasn’t eaten out of the ‘free bread’ basket was brought back to the kitchen and put back on the pile to be taken out to the next table,” Miller said, co-signing Bourdain’s bread basket claim.
The Daily Dot reached out to Vandy via Instagram direct message. The Daily Dot also reached out to Applebee’s via email.
