Chain restaurants succeed because people flocks to names they are familiar with.
Sad, but true. I was with a group in Japan years ago. 2 of us went to dinner at an izakaya and other restaurants to take in the real Japan, the rest of our group went to Denny's, Jack in the Box and Hard Rock Cafe.
I gave Applebee's a couple of chances and they failed every time. The last draw was when I took my family there one evening, the entire place was nearly empty and there was only one other couple besides us. We sat down at our table and waited and waited and waited. I saw the staff standing by the bar chatting but they apparently didn't give a crap about their jobs nor the restaurant.
I'm an optimist and believe in giving people a chance, so I set my iphone timer and gave them 5 minutes to respond. If nobody acknowledges our presence within that time frame - good bye! (I do this at any restaurant where service seems too slow)
And so that's what happened, 5+ minutes went by and my timer went off - still nobody came by, so we all stood up and left. I will never EVER set foot inside that crappy restaurant chain again - anywhere anytime - and I was glad to see them go out of business so that someone else could make better use of that building. I despise Applebees so much that if I'm out with family and they want to go there I tell them to have a good time because I won't go there.
This happened years ago and since then I have (mostly) sworn off dining at chain restaurants - thanks for that Applebees!
Have you been to SF lately?
A few years back the Sabellas, which had operated A. Sabella's, restaurant at the Wharf for almost 90 years, decided to sell. What took their place?
Why, Applebees of course. The Wharf is turning into a mall, with lots of chain restaurants and shops, and people love it.