Ribs

Over the course of the pandemic, I've acquired a hankering for ribs.  So I order them fairly regularly (not like every week - maybe quarterly?) from a chain called Applebee's that have a restaurant near me.  It had been a while, so I ordered some today - especially because their offer of a free dessert to celebrate my birthday was about to run out.  But, I'm sad to say, this was the first time I've been truly disappointed with the order.  The ribs no longer seem to come with the sauce I like - instead of Spicy Texas BBQ I had to settle for Honey BBQ, and it just wasn't the same.  And the other big thing - I picked the food up, came home and unpacked the order - and it didn't come with any sides.  They had changed the online menu so the ribs didn't come with broccoli and mash sides that I normally get.  But from the photos, it looked like it should have at least come with fries and coleslaw.  But nope, neither was there.  I don't know whether you have to order sides separately now, or if it was simply an error in the order.  Either way, very disappointing.  A quick online search reveals that they slimmed down their menu earlier this year due to plummeting sales - which probably comes with a corresponding decrease in quality.  It might be time to change my choice of casual chain diner - there's a Cheesecake Factory not too far away....