Ordering coleslaw at a restaurant seems like a safe bet. It’s just shredded cabbage and dressing, right? Wrong. Some restaurant chains mess it up so badly that you’d be better off skipping it entirely. From watery, flavorless disasters to overly sweet messes that taste more like dessert than a side dish, bad coleslaw can ruin an otherwise decent meal. The worst part is that coleslaw should be simple to make, yet somehow these chains manage to get it completely wrong every single time.
Raising Cane’s coleslaw is the absolute worst
If you’re at Raising Cane’s and thinking about ordering coleslaw, don’t. This chain’s version of the classic side dish ranks dead last for good reason. The mix comes out as an unappetizing whitish mash that tastes oddly funky. The cabbage seems like an afterthought, and the whole thing just sits there on your plate looking sad and unappetizing. It’s honestly hard to understand how a restaurant that does chicken tenders so well can fail this badly at a simple cabbage salad.
Even the most dedicated Raising Cane’s fans deliberately avoid this side dish. Most people ordering the Caniac combo swap it out for extra Texas Toast or more fries instead. When customers are actively trading away a menu item for literally anything else, that’s a clear sign something went terribly wrong. The coleslaw doesn’t add anything to the meal except disappointment. Save yourself the trouble and stick to their bread and sauce instead.
O’Charley’s serves more dressing than actual vegetables
Walking into O’Charley’s and ordering coleslaw might seem reasonable, but prepare for serious disappointment. The biggest problem with their version is that you’ll get way more dressing than actual cabbage and carrots. One customer complained that it was basically a bowl of sauce with a few vegetable scraps floating around. Even worse, it sometimes arrives warm, which is absolutely not how coleslaw should ever be served. Who wants lukewarm cabbage soup on their plate?
The ratio problem would be somewhat forgivable if either component tasted good, but sadly, neither does. The coleslaw itself is bland and boring, lacking any of the bright, tangy zip you’d expect. Multiple reviews describe it as having basically no taste at all, which might actually be worse than tasting actively bad. At least something gross is memorable. This coleslaw is so forgettable that you’ll wonder why you bothered ordering it in the first place. Next time you’re at O’Charley’s, pick literally any other side dish instead.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen makes it way too sweet
The name Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen suggests they make everything fresh from scratch, which sounds great until you actually taste their coleslaw. The main issue here is sugar overload. Multiple customers have pointed out that the dressing tastes more like dessert topping than something that should go on vegetables. When you’re biting into what should be a crisp, refreshing side dish and instead getting a sugar rush, something went seriously wrong in the kitchen.
Beyond the sweetness problem, there’s also a consistency issue across different locations. Some people report that their coleslaw tastes different every time they visit, which points to training problems or sloppy recipe following. One particularly harsh review compared the cabbage to something soaked in pesticide before being dumped in a bowl with mayonnaise. That’s absolutely brutal, and it earned a measly 2.3 out of 10 score. When people are rating your food that low, it’s time to seriously rethink what you’re doing.
Applebee’s version is thin and watery
Applebee’s has been trying to reinvent itself with new menus and updated restaurant designs, but they clearly forgot to fix their coleslaw situation. The biggest complaint about this version is the texture. Instead of being creamy and satisfying, the dressing is thin and watery. It doesn’t coat the vegetables properly, and the whole thing just feels incomplete. Coleslaw needs that thick, rich dressing to work properly, and Applebee’s skimps on the mayo in a big way.
The other major problem is the complete lack of taste. Coleslaw should have some zing to it, some brightness that cuts through heavy fried foods. This version has none of that. It’s just bland, wet cabbage sitting on your plate taking up space. Applebee’s has faced plenty of criticism over the years for disappointing food and poor service, and their coleslaw fits right into that pattern. When you’re already dealing with complaints about undercooked chicken and other issues, maybe fix the simple stuff first. Skip this one entirely.
BJ’s Restaurant creates a soggy flavorless mess
Looking at BJ’s coleslaw, you’d think it would be pretty good. The vegetables are finely chopped, the carrots and cabbage are mixed together nicely, and you can see celery seeds in the dressing. Everything looks right on the surface. But then you take a bite and realize appearances can be seriously deceiving. The whole thing is soggy and limp, like the vegetables have been sitting in liquid for way too long.
What’s even more disappointing is the complete absence of taste. The dressing is so watered down that all you get is a vague sense of wet cabbage with no actual seasoning coming through. One reviewer described it as tasting like dirty cabbage water, which is honestly one of the most unappetizing descriptions possible. When a side dish that should be bright and crunchy instead tastes like vegetable-flavored dishwater, there’s no saving it. BJ’s gets a lot right with their other menu items, but this coleslaw is an absolute failure from start to finish.
Red Lobster’s coleslaw is slimy and too tangy
Red Lobster wants you to come in for the Cheddar Bay Biscuits and seafood, but their coleslaw won’t be bringing anyone through the doors. The vegetables are roughly shredded, which doesn’t look particularly appetizing to begin with. Then there’s the dressing, which coats everything in a slimy film that makes the whole dish feel greasy and unpleasant. Nobody wants to eat something that looks like it’s been sitting under heat lamps for hours.
The dressing itself tastes strangely like poppyseed dressing, which is fine on a regular salad but feels totally wrong on coleslaw. It’s overly creamy and way too tangy at the same time, somehow managing to be both heavy and sharp in your mouth. Reviews consistently mention how unpleasant the texture and taste combination is. If you’re looking for something green and fresh at Red Lobster, you’d be much better off ordering broccoli or Brussels sprouts instead. At least those vegetables get cooked properly and don’t arrive covered in questionable sauce.
Zaxby’s uses stale vegetables that smell off
Zaxby’s is known for chicken, and they should probably stick to that. Their coleslaw plays it safe with the standard recipe of finely diced cabbage and carrots in mayonnaise dressing, but safe doesn’t mean good. The biggest issue is that the vegetables taste and smell stale. You know that slightly funky smell bagged coleslaw mix gets when it’s been sitting in the store too long? That’s exactly what you’re getting here.
Multiple customers have complained about the staleness, with some refusing to finish their portions. When people are leaving food on their plates not because they’re full but because it’s genuinely unappetizing, that’s a serious problem. One review mentioned getting bad coleslaw, and another person on a different site had the same complaint. The damp, clumpy texture doesn’t help matters either. Even if the dressing has a decent tangy taste, it can’t make up for vegetables that should have been thrown out days ago. Skip this disappointing side dish entirely.
Pollo Campero’s version tastes like the container
Pollo Campero serves Latin American chicken dishes with sides like yucca fries and plantains, which are much more interesting than their boring coleslaw. The recipe itself is ordinary: sweet-and-sour cabbage with mayonnaise dressing. Nothing special, nothing terrible, just completely forgettable. For a restaurant that specializes in bold, spicy food, this bland side dish makes absolutely no sense. Where’s the excitement? Where’s the kick?
The most damning complaint came from someone who said it literally tasted like the plastic container it arrived in. That’s pretty harsh, but it speaks to how flavorless and generic this coleslaw really is. At 259 calories per serving, it’s also one of the higher-calorie options, which seems crazy for something that’s mostly just cabbage. Reviewers noted there’s no savory punch whatsoever, despite what the menu claims. The chopped pepper mixed in doesn’t add enough interest to save it. When you’re at a restaurant with so many better side options, why would you ever choose this disappointing dish?
Bob Evans makes it too loose and milky
Bob Evans positions itself as a homestyle restaurant serving comfort food, but their coleslaw misses the mark. The vegetables are chopped up with carrots and green cabbage, which is fine. The problem comes from the dressing, which is way too loose and liquidy. Instead of being thick and creamy like good coleslaw dressing should be, this one looks and feels like watered-down milk. Trying to mix it evenly without splashing it everywhere becomes an annoying challenge.
There’s also too much raw onion mixed in, which overpowers everything else. The onion pieces are strong, spicy, and harsh, and because they’re the same color as the cabbage, you can’t easily pick them out. The dressing does have some decent sweet, salty, and tangy elements, which saves it from being a complete disaster. But the texture problem and onion overload keep it firmly in the lower rankings. Bob Evans does plenty of other sides better than this, so there’s really no reason to order their disappointing coleslaw when you visit.
Finding good coleslaw at a restaurant chain shouldn’t be this hard, but clearly it is. The worst offenders serve up watery, flavorless, or overly sweet versions that taste nothing like what coleslaw should be. When you’re spending money on a meal, you deserve better than stale vegetables swimming in weird dressing. Next time you’re out eating, remember which chains to avoid for this classic side dish and save yourself some serious disappointment.
