If you’re trying to get schlitty on a budget for stuff that doesn’t taste like turpentine, then the Applebee’s Dollarita is a solid choice.
The beloved budget alcoholic beverage has returned to the popular fast-casual chain, and a slew of people have posted their experiences in ordering the drink. Some folks have even found a way around the drink limit that’s often implemented: by hitting up multiple Applebee’s in the same vicinity.
It’s not all $1 margaritas and half-off appetizers, however: some customers are learning firsthand that they need to be extremely particular about their wording when ordering the special.
This is something a woman learned the hard way when she forgot to specify that she wanted a Dollarita at the chain. Since she asked for a margarita, Applebee’s sold her the full-price option, resulting in a much higher bill than she anticipated.
And it seems like several people are making this mistake—yet another TikToker, Totsionna Moten, and her male companion recorded themselves in a bit of a pickle at an Applebee’s they went to.
The duo recorded themselves at an Applebee’s enjoying a couple of drinks. Right off the bat, Moten’s beverage clearly isn’t part of the Dollarita promotion: it’s in a martini glass. The Dollarita is served in a 12-ounce rocks glass, similar to the one that the man in the clip is enjoying.
Moten comments on the strength of her drink, asking her companion what he thinks about the punch of his own beverage. He replies that his drink is “strong” especially for a dollar.
At this point in the clip, she begins to look for a server to close out their tab and the two pull out three single dollar bills to cover their drinks. The man in the clip explains that two of the bills are for their drinks, while the third is for the server’s tip.
The server comes and explains to them that the drinks they purchased weren’t part of the Dollarita promotion. The pair blankly look at the server, who tells Moten that the drink she had wasn’t even a margarita but a Lemon Drop Martini, so confusing it for the bargain beverage was unlikely.
While speaking with the server about the difference between the Dollarita and the higher-priced margarita, the server says that the former beverage is served with “gas station liquor.”
The man laughs incredulously at this, asking, “Gas station liquor?”
“Patron” and other name-brand liquors, the server remarks, aren’t used in making the Dollaritas, but are saved for the higher quality beverages in the restaurant.
At this point in the conversation, Moten turns over to the man, asking if he has any money—he says he does not and that all they brought were the three bucks. The TikToker then begins to pick up the three dollar bills after counting the drinks and looks to the server sheepishly, before the man intercedes, smiling, stating that the two of them are going to figure it out and she can just bring them their check.
Several commenters expressed their disbelief that the two lacked any alternative forms of payment.
“So TWO people go out to applebees… with $3???” one said, while another wrote, “3$ is crazy y’all had to be playing.”
However, one viewer expressed a desire to know how the two managed to square away the situation, asking, “Omgggg w neeed a pt 2 we’re y’all washing dishes????”
Another commenter said that they have come across customers in the past who have put them in similar situations. “As a server it’s so awkward when sh*t like this happens like uh idk what to tell you? call someone to send you $5 bc drinks ain’t bouta be on me,” they said.
As popular as the Dollarita is, it’s hard to imagine that Applebee’s is turning a profit on the item but they are. Well, not on the drinks themselves, but the products they move as a result of the promotion.
The Illinois Licensed Beverage Association highlighted a quote from Applebee’s President John Cywiski, who spoke to the efficacy of the Dollarita as a “draw” item. Customers who enter an Applebee’s to purchase the low-cast alcoholic beverage will more than likely order food or desserts as a result because of the low-cost of the drink.
So after a few Dollaritas, you start to do “buzzed math” in your head that convinces you you’re actually saving money if you order up some wings or nachos.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Applebee’s and Moten via email for further comment.