Applebee's Really Big Meal Deal in 2026: Is the $9.99 Deal Still Worth It, and Which Entrée to Order
The Deal at a Glance
Applebee's launched the Really Big Meal Deal on November 12, 2024, as its answer to the fast-food meal-deal wars: a full meal for under ten dollars at a sit-down restaurant. It was supposed to be limited-time. Two years later it is still on the board, which tells you how well it worked. The format has barely changed since launch — only the entrée list grew, from two sandwiches to three, when the Big Bangin' Burger joined in March 2025.
| What you get | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | $9.99, before tax and tip; price, participation and selection may vary by restaurant |
| Entrée (pick one) | Big Cluckin' Chicken Sandwich, BIG Classic Bacon Cheeseburger, or Big Bangin' Burger |
| Side | Classic Fries — endless refills when you dine in, one basket To Go |
| Drink | Fountain drink — free refills when you dine in, one cup To Go |
| Channels | Dine-in and To Go; delivery where offered, without refills |
| Substitutions | None, per Applebee's own fine print |
The full item list, with the same prices and calories, is on our Really Big Meal Deal page. This guide is the decision version: which sandwich, when the deal wins, and where it loses.
1. Big Cluckin' Chicken Sandwich: The Chicken Pick, and the Lightest Plate
What you get: a hand-breaded chicken breast fillet with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo on a toasted brioche bun, served with fries and a fountain drink, at about 1,100 calories.
How it eats: this is the sandwich Applebee's built the deal around. The chain upgraded its chicken sandwiches in June 2024 to fresh breasts hand-breaded in the restaurant, and the Big Cluckin' was the showpiece — deliberately oversized, with a crispy coating that stays crunchy under the mayo if you eat it promptly. It is the only chicken option on the deal, and at about 1,100 calories it is the lightest of the three by 50 to 100 calories, though "lightest" here is relative: this is still a fried chicken sandwich with fries.
Order it smarter: ask for the fries fresh, not from a batch sitting under a heat lamp — the same advice applies to every entrée here, but it matters most with fried chicken, where a limp fry next to a crisp sandwich is the one thing that drags the plate down. If you want a lighter drink, a Diet Pepsi or unsweetened iced tea refills at zero calories and keeps the refills from counting.
Skip it if: you want beef, or you want heat. There is no spice in this sandwich; that is what the Big Bangin' Burger is for.
2. BIG Classic Bacon Cheeseburger: The Safest Bet on the Deal
What you get: a large all-beef patty with two slices of American cheese, two strips of Applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on a brioche bun, with fries and a fountain drink, at about 1,150 calories.
How it eats: exactly like it sounds, and that is the point. This is the regular menu's Classic Bacon Cheeseburger made bigger, then sold for less than the regular one costs on its own. The regular Classic Bacon Cheeseburger is $14.49 on our menu pages and already comes with fries — so the deal version gives you a larger burger, the same fries and a drink for $4.50 less than the burger alone. Two slices of cheese and two strips of bacon mean every bite has both, rather than the single-slice, single-strip construction of a cheaper burger.
Order it smarter: this is the default order for a first-timer, a picky eater, or anyone ordering for a group where tastes differ. Nobody dislikes this sandwich; it is the one choice on the deal with no acquired taste attached.
Skip it if: you are bored by the classics. The Bangin' Burger below is the same price and a genuinely different sandwich.
3. Big Bangin' Burger: The Only Flavour You Cannot Get Elsewhere
What you get: an all-beef patty with two slices of American cheese and a sweet and spicy jalapeño-bacon sauce, with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on a brioche bun, plus fries and a fountain drink, at about 1,200 calories.
How it eats: this is the newest of the three, added to the deal in March 2025, and the heaviest at about 1,200 calories. Applebee's calls the sauce its "secret sauce"; in practice it is jalapeños and bacon blended into a sauce that leans sweet first and spicy second. Expect a gentle warmth rather than a real kick — if you order it expecting a spicy burger, you will find it tame; if you order it expecting a bacon cheeseburger with a twist, you will find it exactly right.
Order it smarter: this is the sandwich to pick when you have already had the other two, or when the table is ordering two deals and wants variety. Pairing a Bangin' Burger with a Big Cluckin' gives two people two completely different meals for $19.98.
Skip it if: you dislike sweet sauces on a burger, or you are counting calories — this is the heaviest plate on the deal, 100 calories above the chicken sandwich before a single refill.
The Math: How Much You Actually Save
The deal's headline saving is against the regular menu, and it is a real one. A regular Classic Bacon Cheeseburger at $14.49, plus a fountain drink at $2.29 to $2.99, costs $16.78 to $17.48. The deal gives you a bigger burger, the same fries and the drink for $9.99 — a saving of $6.79 to $7.49, before counting any refill at all.
| Order | Cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Classic Bacon Cheeseburger + drink | $16.78–$17.48 | Regular-size burger, fries, one drink |
| Really Big Meal Deal | $9.99 | Bigger sandwich, fries, drink, refills when dining in |
| Two Really Big Meal Deals | $19.98 | Two sandwiches, fries and drinks for two |
| 2 for $25 | $25.00 | One appetizer, two entrées, no drinks |
| Chili's 3 for Me (starting tier) | $10.99 per person | Drink + starter + entrée, with bottomless chips and salsa |
Two comparisons matter. Against the 2 for $25, two meal deals win for two people who do not want a starter: $19.98 against $25.00, a $5.02 saving, with drinks included — drinks on the 2 for $25 would add at least $4.58 more. The 2 for $25 only wins if you want an appetizer to share, or an entrée that is not a sandwich. Against Chili's 3 for Me, the honest answer is the opposite of the advertising: Chili's $10.99 starting tier includes a starter and bottomless chips and salsa, which this deal does not, so Chili's is the better value if you want a starter, while Applebee's is $1 cheaper per person if you only want a sandwich, fries and a drink. Every current offer, side by side, is on our specials and deals page.
Dine-In vs To Go: Where the Deal Changes
This is the one Applebee's deal where the channel changes the value, not just the comfort. Dine in and the fries and the fountain drink both refill free — Applebee's own announcement says so, with the dine-in-only caveat in the fine print. Take it to go and you get one basket and one cup, and the saving is still real but ordinary. A second basket of Classic Fries is 400 calories and a regular soda refill up to 200, so the dine-in version can also quietly become a much bigger meal than the menu price suggests. If the deal is the reason you are going, go in person; if you are ordering out anyway, the chicken sandwich travels best, because a fried coating holds up better in a box than a cheese-heavy burger, which cools into itself.
The Fine Print That Actually Matters
Four lines from Applebee's own terms decide whether the deal works for you. First, no substitutions — you cannot swap the fries for another side or change the sandwich build and keep the $9.99 price. Second, tax and tip are extra, so the out-the-door cost is above $9.99 everywhere. Third, price, participation and selection may vary: franchisees set their own prices, and one location-level report from Los Angeles in April 2025 listed additional burgers and sandwiches on the deal at $12.99 — so if your restaurant's menu shows a $12.99 tier with more choices, that is a local variant, not a national price rise, and this guide does not treat it as one. Fourth, it is still, officially, a limited-time offer. Applebee's has never made it a permanent menu item and has published no end date, so the honest statement is that it has run for two years and could end — check the location finder before planning a trip around it.
Calories, Honestly
The three entrée plates run about 1,100 to 1,200 calories as served, a spread of just 100 calories — so pick by taste, not by the calorie column, because no choice here is a light meal. The calories that actually move the total are the refills: another basket of fries adds 400, and a regular soda refill adds up to 200 per glass. The easy fix is the drink — Diet Pepsi, unsweetened iced tea and water refill at zero, so choosing one of them keeps the refills from counting. For calories item by item, see our nutrition guide and the handcrafted burgers page. One more honest note: Applebee's shared-kitchen warning applies across the menu — the restaurant cannot guarantee any item free of a given ingredient — so if you have an allergy, ask the restaurant for its allergen information for the specific sandwich rather than relying on a guide.
Who Should Order It, and Who Should Skip It
Eating alone: order it. It is the cheapest complete meal on the menu, full stop, and the only sub-$10 full meal Applebee's sells.
Two people, no starter: order two. You save $5.02 against the 2 for $25 and the drinks are included.
A big appetite, dining in: the refills make it a better deal the hungrier you are — but only at a table, and only if you count the extra fries honestly.
Anyone who wants a starter, steak, pasta, seafood or a salad: skip it. All three entrées are sandwiches. If you want a starter to share, the 2 for $25 fits better; if you want steak at a value price, the skillets lineup from $12.99 is the next step up; and if you are eating between 3:00 and 6:00 PM, half-price appetizers at happy hour start at $5.00 and pair with anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Really Big Meal Deal at Applebee's?
$9.99 for one entrée, Classic Fries and a fountain drink, before tax and tip. Franchisees set their own prices, so a restaurant can charge a little more, and a few locations list a $12.99 variant with extra sandwich choices.
What comes with the Applebee's $9.99 meal deal?
One of three entrées (the Big Cluckin' Chicken Sandwich, the BIG Classic Bacon Cheeseburger or the Big Bangin' Burger), Classic Fries and a fountain drink. No substitutions.
Does the Really Big Meal Deal come with endless fries?
Yes, when you dine in. The fries and the fountain drink both refill at the table. To go, you get one of each.
Is the Really Big Meal Deal better than 2 for $25?
For two people who do not want an appetizer, yes. Two deals cost $19.98 with drinks included, against $25.00 plus drinks for the 2 for $25. The 2 for $25 wins if you want a starter or an entrée that is not a sandwich.
Is the Really Big Meal Deal still available in October 2026?
Yes. It launched November 12, 2024, the Big Bangin' Burger joined in March 2025, and October 2026 deal trackers still list all three entrées at $9.99. Applebee's has published no end date, but it remains officially a limited-time offer at participating locations, so check your restaurant before you go.
