Most catering menus make you do arithmetic. One tray feeds ten, the next feeds twelve, a third is sold by the pound, and the headcount turns into a spreadsheet. Applebee’s skips that step. Its catering page answers the sizing question in one sentence: “Each catering dish is designed to serve 6-8 guests.”
We read the Catering section at every storefront on the brand’s ordering site, and the sentence holds on the order form too. Every catering dish is built for 6 to 8 guests, so an Applebee’s order is counted in dishes. Most dish lines repeat “Serves 6-8” word for word, and no standing dish names a different number.
The brand also gives its own party math. Two worked examples on the catering page both come to about one dish for every four guests, and the wings are the one line you size.
In this guide
- The Catering section and where it appears
- The one serving block behind every dish
- The brand’s own party math for 10 and 15 guests
- Wings in three sizes
- Appetizers, entrees, salads, sides and drinks
- Two office orders built from the block
- How to order, step by step
A Catering Section on Nearly Every Storefront
Applebee’s takes catering orders through the same online ordering site as a single burger, and its catering page links straight to it. The system behind that site lists 1,399 public storefronts in 49 states. Of those, 1,379 carry a section called Catering. The brand describes it in one line: “Our catering platters are sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next party or gathering!”
Most storefronts carry between 29 and 36 items in the section. The core of it reads the same almost everywhere:
| Group | Dishes on the Catering menu | The serving line |
|---|---|---|
| Appetizers | The Classic Combo, Boneless Wings, Classic Bone-In Wings, Chicken Tenders, Mozzarella Sticks, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Chips & Salsa | Serves 6-8 (wings: three sizes) |
| Entrees | Fiesta Lime Chicken, Three-Cheese Chicken Penne, Classic Broccoli Chicken Alfredo, Classic Blackened Shrimp Alfredo, two Andouille sausage penne dishes, Riblets, Double-Glazed Baby Back Ribs | Serves 6-8 |
| Salads | House, Caesar, Grilled Chicken Caesar, Oriental Chicken (crispy or grilled), California Grilled Chicken, Strawberry Balsamic Chicken | Serves 6-8 |
| Wraps and sandwiches | Oriental Chicken Salad Wrap (crispy or grilled), Chicken Fajita Rollup, Clubhouse Grille, Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich | Serves 6-8 |
| Sides and dessert | Breadsticks, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Garlicky Green Beans, Seasoned Broccoli, mac and cheese, coleslaw, Brownie Bites | Serves 6-8 on most storefronts |
| Drinks | Lemonade, iced tea or fountain soda by the half gallon or gallon | Eight cups per gallon |
Most of these dishes share a name with a plate on the regular menu, so your team will know them on sight. The catering version keeps the name and sets the size.
One Serving Block: Every Dish Is Built for 6 to 8
The serving sentence on the catering page is the key to the whole menu, and the order form backs it up. At the most common storefront layout, 30 of 35 food lines end with “Serves 6-8.” At 1,354 of the 1,379 storefronts with a Catering section, 21 or more catering lines carry it, and no standing dish description names any other number.
The lines without a number fall into three groups. The sides and the brownie bites carry no description at about 440 storefronts. Two newer Andouille penne lines and a bacon mac and cheese carry no serving line. The wings carry their numbers in the order form, one for each size. The brand’s sentence on the catering page covers all of them.
That one number changes how you plan. You never weigh one tray size against another, because every dish shares the same size. You count dishes, and every dish counts the same. An entree of Fiesta Lime Chicken and a bowl of House Salad are one block each.
The Brand’s Own Party Math
The catering page gives two worked examples. For a party of 10, it recommends “a variety of 2-3 dishes such as an appetizer, salad, and entrée.” For a party of 15, the pro tip says: “Feed the whole crew with 2 apps and 2 entrees, salads, or sandwich platters.”
Set those beside the 6 to 8 block and a pattern shows. Ten guests get two or three dishes, and fifteen guests get four. Both examples come to about one dish for every four guests, even though each dish feeds six to eight. A guest takes some of the appetizer and some of the entree, so each guest eats from more than one dish.
So the planning rule comes straight from the brand. Count one dish for every four guests, and build the mix the brand names: an appetizer, a salad and an entree. Round up for a hungry room. Our party tray guide covers headcount math across every kind of tray, and the directory’s group size pages show how a 20, 30 or 50 person order comes together with local catering partners.
Wings: The One Line You Size
The wings are the only Applebee’s catering line that comes in more than one size. Boneless Wings and Classic Bone-In Wings each open on a quantity choice: 30, 60 or 90 pieces. The order form labels each one with its own serving line.
| Wings | The order form’s serving line | Where all three sizes appear |
|---|---|---|
| 30 pieces | Serves 3-5 | Boneless: 1,353 of 1,366 listings. Bone-In: 1,210 of 1,287 listings. The rest carry one or two of the sizes. |
| 60 pieces | Serves 6-8 | |
| 90 pieces | Serves 10-12 |
The middle size matches the block. The other two let you fine-tune it. If your headcount sits between two dish counts, size the wings up or down instead of adding a whole dish. Both wings come tossed in your choice of sauce, with blue cheese or house-made ranch on the side.
Appetizers: The Classic Combo and Five Singles
The Classic Combo is the appetizer most offices will start with. It puts four of the brand’s starters on one order: Boneless Wings, Spinach and Artichoke Dip, a Chicken Quesadilla and Mozzarella Sticks. You choose the wing sauce (Classic Buffalo, Extra Hot Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, Honey BBQ or Sweet Asian Chile) and a ranch or blue cheese dip. It still counts as one block of 6 to 8.
The singles each count as one block too. Chicken Tenders come with honey Dijon mustard, and the order form lets you pick the dip. Mozzarella Sticks come with marinara. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip comes with white corn tortilla chips and chipotle lime salsa, and Chips & Salsa is the same chips and salsa on their own. With the two wing lines, that makes five singles and the combo.
For the party of 15 in the brand’s example, two of these fill the appetizer half of the order. The Classic Combo and a second single, such as the tenders, give the room five different starters from two dishes.
Plan a grill-style office lunch with CaterAi
Entrees: Pasta, Fiesta Lime Chicken and Ribs
The entree side leans on pasta. Five pasta dishes sit on most storefronts. Three-Cheese Chicken Penne tops Parmesan cream penne with grilled chicken, bruschetta tomatoes and basil. Classic Broccoli Chicken Alfredo and Classic Blackened Shrimp Alfredo both use fettuccine with broccoli. Two penne dishes add Andouille sausage in a Cajun Alfredo sauce, one with Bourbon Street chicken and one with blackened shrimp.
Fiesta Lime Chicken is the one entree that brings its own sides: grilled chicken with lime sauce and Mexi-ranch under melted Cheddar, on crispy tortilla strips with Spanish rice and pico de gallo. The two rib dishes take a sauce choice. Riblets come in Honey BBQ or Sweet Asian Chile, and the Double-Glazed Baby Back Ribs add a Hot Honey Glaze.
A pasta dish and a chicken or rib dish make an easy entree pair. With one chicken pasta and one shrimp pasta on the same order, the room gets a choice of protein without a third dish.
Salads, Wraps and Sandwich Platters
The brand’s pro tip lets salads and sandwich platters stand in for an entree, and the menu gives you plenty to choose from. Five chicken salads and two plain salads sit on most storefronts. The Oriental Chicken Salad comes with crispy chicken tenders or grilled chicken, and so does its wrap. The California Grilled Chicken Salad carries avocado cucumber salsa and bacon, and the Strawberry Balsamic carries strawberries and almonds.
Each salad and salad wrap names its own dressing, and the order form adds a second one. That choice is called Select 2nd Dressing, and it offers blue cheese, garlic Caesar, honey mustard, house-made ranch, Mexi-ranch and Oriental vinaigrette. The House Salad takes two dressings of your choice. A salad dish can cover two dressing tastes in the room.
The sandwich platters are the Clubhouse Grille (ham, turkey, Cheddar, Swiss and bacon on potato bread), the Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich on brioche and the Chicken Fajita Rollup with Mexi-ranch for dipping. Each one is a block of 6 to 8.
Sides, Dessert and Gallon Drinks
Sides follow the same block. Breadsticks, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Garlicky Green Beans, Seasoned Broccoli, a four-cheese mac and cheese and the Signature Coleslaw each count as one dish, and most storefronts label them Serves 6-8. Brownie Bites are the dessert line, also one block.
Sides do not appear in the brand’s two worked examples, which count appetizers, salads and entrees. Treat a side as an extra on top of the one-dish-for-four rule, for a room that wants a fuller plate.
Drinks come as lemonade, iced tea or fountain soda by the half gallon at most storefronts and by the gallon at some. The catering page says each gallon beverage bag comes with eight cups, with more on request, and that ice comes with iced tea.
Two Office Orders Built From the Block
A team lunch for 12. One dish for every four guests gives three dishes. Take the brand’s mix: a Classic Combo for the appetizer, a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, and a Three-Cheese Chicken Penne. Add Breadsticks as an extra and a gallon of iced tea.
An all-hands for 24. The rule gives six dishes. Order two appetizers (the Classic Combo and Chicken Tenders), two entrees (Fiesta Lime Chicken and Classic Broccoli Chicken Alfredo), one salad (Oriental Chicken, with ranch as the second dressing) and one sandwich platter (the Clubhouse Grille). If the room runs hungry, size the wings on the side to 30 pieces instead of adding a seventh dish.
Before either order, ask the room about allergies and diets. Our guide to ordering catering for mixed dietary needs covers how to collect that from a team. Speak to the restaurant directly about any serious allergy. For a lighter afternoon spread, our guides to happy hour appetizers for the office and finger food catering cover the rest of the table.
How to Order Applebee’s Catering
- Choose the storefront. Open the Applebee’s catering page, start an order and pick the store nearest the office.
- Open the Catering section. It sits on the same menu as the regular dishes.
- Count one dish for every four guests. Mix appetizers, salads and entrees the way the brand’s examples do.
- Size the wings at 30, 60 or 90 pieces to fine-tune the count.
- Pick the options. The wing sauce and dip, the second dressing on each salad, the sauce on the ribs.
- Add sides and a gallon drink if the room wants a fuller spread.
- Choose pickup or delivery and a time. The catering page says delivery varies by location, so check the storefront’s choices.
Our office manager’s guide to ordering catering covers what to have ready on the day, from the delivery contact to the table setup.
Where Applebee’s Catering Fits
An Applebee’s spread is familiar, casual food for a group. It suits a team celebration, a happy hour, a game day watch party, an all-hands or a lunch and learn. The directory’s appetizers menu page and Italian and barbecue cuisine pages cover local catering partners for the same kinds of dishes.
If your team knows other casual chains, the Chili’s catering guide, the Outback catering guide, the Firebirds catering guide and the Buffalo Wild Wings catering guide cover four of them. The full catering directory lists the rest.
A Better Option for Recurring Office Meals
Applebee’s makes a one-off party easy to count. A team that eats together every week needs more than one menu.
Zerocater works the other way round. You describe the room once, including who skips meat and who needs a lighter plate, and CaterAi builds a menu from local catering partners that deliver to your address. It then rotates the menu so lunch changes week to week. Our office lunch ideas and office catering budget guide show what a rotation can look like, how it works walks through the steps, and our corporate catering page covers the service in full.
Build a rotating office menu with CaterAi
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Applebee’s do catering?
Yes. The brand runs a catering page, and the ordering site behind it lists a Catering section at 1,379 of 1,399 public storefronts. The section holds about 35 dishes, from wings and a Classic Combo to pasta, salads, sandwich platters, sides, brownie bites and gallon drinks.
How many people does an Applebee’s catering dish serve?
The brand’s own answer is “Each catering dish is designed to serve 6-8 guests.” Most dish descriptions on the order form repeat the same line. The wings are the exception: you pick 30, 60 or 90 pieces, sized for 3 to 5, 6 to 8 or 10 to 12.
How many Applebee’s catering dishes do I need for my group?
Use the brand’s two examples. For a party of 10 it suggests two or three dishes, such as an appetizer, a salad and an entree. For a party of 15 it suggests two appetizers and two entrees, salads or sandwich platters. Both work out to about one dish for every four guests.
What sizes do Applebee’s catering wings come in?
Boneless and Classic Bone-In wings both come as 30, 60 or 90 pieces. The order form labels them Serves 3-5, Serves 6-8 and Serves 10-12. All three sizes sit on 1,353 of 1,366 boneless listings and 1,210 of 1,287 bone-in listings.
What is in the Applebee’s Classic Combo?
Boneless Wings, Spinach and Artichoke Dip, a Chicken Quesadilla and Mozzarella Sticks on one order. You pick the wing sauce and a ranch or blue cheese dip. Like the other dishes, it is built for 6 to 8 guests.
Are plates and utensils included with Applebee’s catering?
Yes. The brand’s catering page says plates, serving utensils and cutlery are all included in a catering order. Each gallon drink comes with eight cups.
How far ahead can I order Applebee’s catering?
The brand’s catering page says orders can be placed 14 days in advance, and that delivery varies by location. Choose the storefront nearest the office and check its pickup and delivery choices there.
Can I choose the dressings on Applebee’s catering salads?
Yes. Each salad and salad wrap comes with its own dressing, and the order form adds a Select 2nd Dressing choice. The House Salad takes two dressings of your choice.
Every menu item, option and storefront figure in this guide was read from the brand’s own catering page and ordering site on 15 October 2026. Menus change, so check your own storefront before you order. Nothing here describes an order that was placed. This guide is not allergy, dietary or medical advice.
