Check out Applebee’s New Wood Fired Grill Salads @Applebees #ad

We were given an Applebee’s Gift Card to facilitate this visit. All opinions below are my own.

Applebee’s is a nice place for a dinner out with your family or friends! We took some time the other night after a long, stressful week to unwind at our local restaurant as a family. We knew that Applebee’s had some NEW Wood Fired Grill Salads and I wanted to give them a whirl. See below for a chance to enter to win a $100 Applebee’s Gift Card!!

We arrived to our location on a Friday night with no wait and a friendly staff ready to serve us. I already had in mind what I wanted but my husband still needed to decide.

Here’s a little more about their NEW Wood Fired Grill Salads:

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar® is giving the salad a smoky twist with the launch of NEW Wood Fired Grill salads, available today and starting at $8.99 at participating restaurants. Prepared on the new American-made wood fired grills, Applebee’s is now serving new made-to-order salads that pair tender shrimp, precisely-grilled chicken and Hand-Cut USDA Choice Top Sirloin with seasonal summer ingredients and made-in-house dressings for a unique salad experience.

“Our new Wood Fired Grill salads truly stand out and offer our guests an unexpected salad that has all the best flavors of summer,” says Cammie Spillyards-Schaefer, vice president and executive chef of Applebee’s. “The bold flavors from the Wood Fired Grills are the perfect complement to the refreshing produce we typically crave in the summertime.”

Taking center stage in Applebee’s arsenal of new offerings in anticipation of National Watermelon Day on August 3 is the NEW Grilled Watermelon and Spicy Shrimp Salad, a fresh combination of grill-seared watermelon prepared with a house-made mint-Greek yogurt dressing. To celebrate this new salad and fun occasion, from July 20 to August 3 Applebee’s is inviting guests to submit their favorite salad recipes via photo or text on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #WoodFired and #Sweepstakes for a chance to win a $100 Applebee’s gift card.* 

Starting at $8.99 at participating restaurants, the new Wood Fired Grill Salad lineup includes:

• NEW Southwestern Steak Salad: Hand-Cut Wood Fired USDA Choice Top Sirloin Steak paired with chimichurri, pico de gallo, corn and black bean salsa, cheddar, crispy tortilla strips and a creamy house-made cilantro ranch dressing.

• NEW Grilled Watermelon and Spicy Shrimp Salad: Mixed greens, cucumbers, feta, almonds and house-made creamy mint-Greek yogurt dressing. Also available with Spicy Blackened Chicken.

• NEW Spicy Blackened Grilled Chicken, Avocado and Grapefruit Salad: Mixed greens, pickled in-house red onions, cilantro leaves and house-made champagne vinaigrette
• NEW Crispy Chicken ‘N Spicy Cornbread Salad: Mixed greens, made-in-house jalapeno cornbread croutons, grape tomatoes, shredded cheddar, applewood-smoked bacon and buttermilk dressing.

Yum!! Don’t all of them sound delicious!? I decided to try out the Grilled Watermelon and Spicy Shrimp Salad. As soon as I ordered the waitress said “good choice!” I was excited to give it a whirl after she said that. We also ordered some appetizers, a pick 2 one for $9.99 and we ordered the mozzarella sticks and the spinach & artichoke dip, yum!

We didn’t waste any time and scarfed it all right down!! Delicious, that’s for sure and we were really hungry! However, our food came out just as we were finishing the appetizers so that was great timing. I cannot tell you enough how great the service was at our local Applebee’s!

How amazing does that look?! I mean, seriously! This salad not only has 2 of my favorite things – watermelon and shrimp but has an amazing dressing on it, almonds and fresh greens. It was such a nice size for the price and had a good amount of shrimp on it. I am not a huge fan of spicy stuff but I loved this as the watermelon and the creamy dressing help to cool it down. There could’ve been a few more pieces of watermelon on it but it was still a good serving size!

My husband decided to order the Crispy Brewhouse Chicken for his dinner and I had to keep myself away from it or I would’ve eaten it all. It was on a delicious bed of garlic mashed potatoes, had a yummy sauce and some onion straw garnish. He ate every last bit of it and said that it was delicious!!

We didn’t have room for dessert but we did have a great time as a family at Applebee’s. It had been a few years since we had visited a location and I am genuinely pleased with the service, food offerings and family-friendly environment. We had our little guy, Liam, with us and the atmosphere was perfect for all of us to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

To celebrate National Watermelon Day (August 3), you all can enter to win a $100 Applebee’s Gift Card from July 20 – August 3 by submitting their favorite salad recipe to the Applebee’s Twitter or Instagram using the #WoodFired hashtag or their best #WatermelonSmile (use the fruit to make a smiley face.)

*See details and official rules at www.beesmeetup.com. No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited.  Sponsored by BTC Revolutions, 304 Arlington Rd., Brookville, OH 45309; Cohn & Wolfe, 200 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010; and Applebee’s International, Inc., 450 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203.  This Sweepstakes is offered and open to persons who are: (a) legal residents of the United States (includes Washington DC); and (b) at least 18 years of age or older on the date of entry in this Sweepstakes. Employees and directors, and their immediate family members, of the Sweepstakes Entities, and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies are not eligible to participate in this Sweepstakes.

About Applebee’s®

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar offers a lively bar and grill experience combining hand-crafted drinks and simple, craveable American fare with flare. All Applebee’s restaurants are owned and operated by entrepreneurs dedicated to serving their communities and offering the best in food and drinks with genuine, neighborly service. With more than 2,000 locations in 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and 15 countries, Applebee’s is one of the world’s largest casual dining brands. Applebee’s is franchised by subsidiaries of DineEquity, Inc. [NYSE: DIN], which is among the world’s largest full-service restaurant companies.

Visit us: www.applebees.com 

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For more information on the latest new menu offerings and deals from Applebee’s, check out the  online menu and stop by your neighborhood Applebee’s.