If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Last month, Applebee’s announced that in honor of ‘Neighborhood Appreciation Month’ it would be offering $1 margaritas for the entire month of October — a happy hour special that sent loyal fans into a frenzy.
But an alleged bartender for the chain is claiming that customers are getting very little bang — that is, tequila — for their buck.
Special drink: Applebee’s is offering $1 margaritas, called Dollaritas, all October long
Applebee’s said in September that the Dollarita, served on the rocks, would be available all day, all month long.
But a few days into the promotion, someone claiming to be a bartender for the chain took to Snapchat to show just how the drinks can be so cheap.
Captured and shared together by Instagrammer @b****ywaiter, the videos show the anonymous restaurant worker mixing up a big batch of the drinks.
First, the person pours one gallon of margarita mix into a plastic bucket. That’s followed by one gallon of ‘bottom shelf’ tequila — they use the brand Azteca — and three gallons of water.
‘Now I have a five gallon batch mix,’ the person captioned the final clip.
Buyer beware: However, a Snapchatter who claims to be an Applebee’s bartender said the reason he drinks are so cheap is because they are mostly water
Limited time: The drinks are for ‘Neighborhood Appreciation Month’
‘The dollarita is literally 1 part cheap tequila, 1 part cheap marg mix, 3 parts tap water,’ they continued. ‘We go through 12 gallons of this swill a day.’
‘If the “dollarita is your life,”‘ the person went on, referencing some of the praise the drink gets, ‘you’re an animal who can’t taste things. My life as a bartender for the month of October is strictly making dollarita back-ups and pouring dollaritas.’
The revelation about the shockingly water-down cocktail has upset some fans — but seemed less surprising to others.
‘I went to ours Thursday night after work and I told the waitress it tasted like water and she said what do you expect for a one dollar margarita,’ wrote one person.
Applebee’s, meanwhile, has denied that this is how the Dollaritas are made, and even questions if the bartender who posted the videos is a real employee.
Water-down: The bartender said the drinks are one part ‘cheap’ tequila, one part margarita mix, and three parts water
Counter claim: Applebee’s disputes that this is how the Dollaritas are made
‘We have not been able to confirm that this is an Applebee’s bartender, and the person in this video did not follow the proper preparation instructions for the Dollarita,’ a spokesperson told Fox News.
The spokesperson said that the Dollarita should include one part tequila, and three parts margarita mix, with no water.
‘Despite not knowing whether or not this video was valid, we reached out immediately to our franchisees to reiterate the correct approach to making our margarita that is being offered in restaurants nationwide for $1 as our Neighborhood Appreciation Drink,’ the spokesperson added.