Olive Garden is gone bad

[jeffandnicole]

I could make a shit-ton of pasta and sauce for less money than one serving of their gruel costs.

Well yeah. You don't have hosts, servers, bartenders, cooks, and busboys to hire. You're not including the costs incurred to go to the supermarket to pick up your food. You're not paying taxes and benefits for the employees. You may own or rent a house, but aren't allocating the costs into each meal you prepare and serve. You don't have a parking lot to maintain and clean. You don't have to print out menus. You don't have health inspections. You don't have advertising costs.

Of course it should be cheaper to make something at home versus going out to a restaurant. When you pay $10 or $15 for a pasta meal, the pasta is the cheapest part of that meal.

[Rothman]

I could make a shit-ton of pasta and sauce for less money than one serving of their gruel costs.

Well yeah. You don't have hosts, servers, bartenders, cooks, and busboys to hire. You're not including the costs incurred to go to the supermarket to pick up your food. You're not paying taxes and benefits for the employees. You may own or rent a house, but aren't allocating the costs into each meal you prepare and serve. You don't have a parking lot to maintain and clean. You don't have to print out menus. You don't have health inspections. You don't have advertising costs.

Of course it should be cheaper to make something at home versus going out to a restaurant. When you pay $10 or $15 for a pasta meal, the pasta is the cheapest part of that meal.

Doesn't change the fact that Olive Garden sucks.  I'd take my own kitchenmade stuff over it, but certainly would go to other restaurants over what I cook, too.

[Roadgeekteen]

I could make a shit-ton of pasta and sauce for less money than one serving of their gruel costs.

Do it please. Start a restaurant. The renegadestaurant.

[hbelkins]

The microwave joke was frequently associated with Applebee's for years.

[wanderer2575]

Staff of failing restaurants seen on Robert Irvine's Restaurant: Impossible and Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares often comment that most meals are made by "Chef Mike."

[renegade]

I could make a shit-ton of pasta and sauce for less money than one serving of their gruel costs.

Well yeah. You don't have hosts, servers, bartenders, cooks, and busboys to hire. You're not including the costs incurred to go to the supermarket to pick up your food. You're not paying taxes and benefits for the employees. You may own or rent a house, but aren't allocating the costs into each meal you prepare and serve. You don't have a parking lot to maintain and clean. You don't have to print out menus. You don't have health inspections. You don't have advertising costs.

Of course it should be cheaper to make something at home versus going out to a restaurant. When you pay $10 or $15 for a pasta meal, the pasta is the cheapest part of that meal.

I am sorry if you misunderstood.  I could feed my family Olive Garden's slop for $60, after a two-hour wait to get seated, or I could make a full spaghetti dinner and have lots of leftovers for less than a third of that.

img width=500 height=393]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51265953370_06a46a92c0.jpg[/img]

Full disclosure:  I have previously worked in an Olive Garden.  Unless the Darden group has changed-up things since those days, I never saw a microwave anywhere in the back of the house.  That does not negate my opinion that Olive garden is nasty.

When I want authentic Italian food and don't feel like making it myself, which seldom happens, there's a small, family-run restaurant in my town that blows that corporate garbage out of the water.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Occasionally I'll go for lunch (mostly for the soup and breadsticks) or the early dinner prices, but I would never go when I can't get it on sale.

[hbelkins]

For a lot of smaller cities, it's a sign of progress to get some sort of national sit-down chain such as Olive Garden, Applebee's, or similar places. When Applebee's opened in Hazard, it was a really big deal.

[kphoger]

Did anyone ever think that Olive Garden was any good?

I think it's good for what it is - I don't go there expecting top-notch authentic Italian food, but it still tastes good to me.  The breadsticks are always the best part

Yeah, my wife and I love Olive Garden.  And yes, I've eaten in Italy.  I really don't get why people hate it so much.  Their food is decent, a good three notches above something like Fazoli's.  Their salad and breadsticks are wonderful, and they have good Italian-American food.  I've noticed that some of my favorite items have been removed from the menu during COVID-19 (limited menus most places), but I can still find one or two things worth getting.  And, as for price, go for lunch rather than supper.

[Roadgeekteen]

Did anyone ever think that Olive Garden was any good?

I think it's good for what it is - I don't go there expecting top-notch authentic Italian food, but it still tastes good to me.  The breadsticks are always the best part

Yeah, my wife and I love Olive Garden.  And yes, I've eaten in Italy.  I really don't get why people hate it so much.  Their food is decent, a good three notches above something like Fazoli's.  Their salad and breadsticks are wonderful, and they have good Italian-American food.  I've noticed that some of my favorite items have been removed from the menu during COVID-19 (limited menus most places), but I can still find one or two things worth getting.  And, as for price, go for lunch rather than supper.

Some people are food snobs. I am not, I like food but I'm fine with more casual dining.

[Rothman]

Did anyone ever think that Olive Garden was any good?

I think it's good for what it is - I don't go there expecting top-notch authentic Italian food, but it still tastes good to me.  The breadsticks are always the best part

Yeah, my wife and I love Olive Garden.  And yes, I've eaten in Italy.  I really don't get why people hate it so much.  Their food is decent, a good three notches above something like Fazoli's.  Their salad and breadsticks are wonderful, and they have good Italian-American food.  I've noticed that some of my favorite items have been removed from the menu during COVID-19 (limited menus most places), but I can still find one or two things worth getting.  And, as for price, go for lunch rather than supper.

Some people are food snobs. I am not, I like food but I'm fine with more casual dining.

Going to need a neck brace with that 180.

And no, Olive Garden does not have good Italian-American food.

[Roadgeekteen]

Did anyone ever think that Olive Garden was any good?

I think it's good for what it is - I don't go there expecting top-notch authentic Italian food, but it still tastes good to me.  The breadsticks are always the best part

Yeah, my wife and I love Olive Garden.  And yes, I've eaten in Italy.  I really don't get why people hate it so much.  Their food is decent, a good three notches above something like Fazoli's.  Their salad and breadsticks are wonderful, and they have good Italian-American food.  I've noticed that some of my favorite items have been removed from the menu during COVID-19 (limited menus most places), but I can still find one or two things worth getting.  And, as for price, go for lunch rather than supper.

Some people are food snobs. I am not, I like food but I'm fine with more casual dining.

Going to need a neck brace with that 180.

And no, Olive Garden does not have good Italian-American food.

Eh I've never actually eaten at Olive Garden, but I like Bertuccis which is similar Italian-American dining.

[kphoger]

Also...  I find that restaurants with better Italian food than Olive Garden tend to me more expensive.  So the price argument doesn't really hold up for me.  It might be different in cities with a stronger Italian-American population, but that's my experience in the Midwest.

More often than not, my wife and I go to Olive Garden for either her birthday or our anniversary (only 16 days apart)–typically our anniversary.  An added bonus is that that's usually prom time for local schools, and people watching on prom weekend is amazing.  We love chuckling at the girls who probably shouldn't have bought that dress, and at the boys who have never worn a suit before.

[kphoger]

And no, Olive Garden does not have good Italian-American food.

Oh.  Well, if you say so, then it must be true.  Apparently I was wrong about liking it.

[Roadgeekteen]

Also...  I find that restaurants with better Italian food than Olive Garden tend to me more expensive.  So the price argument doesn't really hold up for me.  It might be different in cities with a stronger Italian-American population, but that's my experience in the Midwest.

More often than not, my wife and I go to Olive Garden for either her birthday or our anniversary (only 16 days apart)–typically our anniversary.  An added bonus is that that's usually prom time for local schools, and people watching on prom weekend is amazing.  We love chuckling at the girls who probably shouldn't have bought that dress, and at the boys who have never worn a suit before.

People do prom meals at Olive Garden? I mean no offense but that's not very common in my area. Is Olive Garden the fanciest restaurant in your area?

[kphoger]

People do prom meals at Olive Garden?

Yes.

I mean no offense but that's not very common in my area.

Wow, I really have no idea what restaurants prom meals commonly happen at.  I just know I've seen them at Olive Garden.  No clue where else people go.

Is Olive Garden the fanciest restaurant in your area?

No.

[Roadgeekteen]

The closest Olive Garden to me is in Framingham so it's not convenient for people. That's probably why not many people go there.

[Rothman]

And no, Olive Garden does not have good Italian-American food.

Oh.  Well, if you say so, then it must be true.  Apparently I was wrong about liking it.

Nah.  It's like someone saying they think DQ has the best ice cream when they've only been to a few places.

Expand your horizons and see it for the crapfest that it is.

Shoot, my wife still thought Olive Garden was passable and I took her there a couple months ago.  Thankfully, having exposed her to real food, her eyes have been opened and we will not be returning.  Money is best spent elsewhere.

[Rothman]

Did anyone ever think that Olive Garden was any good?

I think it's good for what it is - I don't go there expecting top-notch authentic Italian food, but it still tastes good to me.  The breadsticks are always the best part

Yeah, my wife and I love Olive Garden.  And yes, I've eaten in Italy.  I really don't get why people hate it so much.  Their food is decent, a good three notches above something like Fazoli's.  Their salad and breadsticks are wonderful, and they have good Italian-American food.  I've noticed that some of my favorite items have been removed from the menu during COVID-19 (limited menus most places), but I can still find one or two things worth getting.  And, as for price, go for lunch rather than supper.

Some people are food snobs. I am not, I like food but I'm fine with more casual dining.

Going to need a neck brace with that 180.

And no, Olive Garden does not have good Italian-American food.

Eh I've never actually eaten at Olive Garden, but I like Bertuccis which is similar Italian-American dining.

Expressing opinions not based upon experience leads people to not receive future opinions from that particular source very well.

[Roadgeekteen]

Did anyone ever think that Olive Garden was any good?

I think it's good for what it is - I don't go there expecting top-notch authentic Italian food, but it still tastes good to me.  The breadsticks are always the best part

Yeah, my wife and I love Olive Garden.  And yes, I've eaten in Italy.  I really don't get why people hate it so much.  Their food is decent, a good three notches above something like Fazoli's.  Their salad and breadsticks are wonderful, and they have good Italian-American food.  I've noticed that some of my favorite items have been removed from the menu during COVID-19 (limited menus most places), but I can still find one or two things worth getting.  And, as for price, go for lunch rather than supper.

Some people are food snobs. I am not, I like food but I'm fine with more casual dining.

Going to need a neck brace with that 180.

And no, Olive Garden does not have good Italian-American food.

Eh I've never actually eaten at Olive Garden, but I like Bertuccis which is similar Italian-American dining.

Expressing opinions not based upon experience leads people to not receive future opinions from that particular source very well.

I don't have any opinions on Olive Garden.

[Flint1979]

I like the salad and breadsticks but that's about it. Same thing with Fazoli's I like the breadsticks.

[Flint1979]

I run a much better restaurant than Olive Garden.

[kphoger]

And no, Olive Garden does not have good Italian-American food.

Oh.  Well, if you say so, then it must be true.  Apparently I was wrong about liking it.

Nah.  It's like someone saying they think DQ has the best ice cream when they've only been to a few places.

Expand your horizons and see it for the crapfest that it is.

Shoot, my wife still thought Olive Garden was passable and I took her there a couple months ago.  Thankfully, having exposed her to real food, her eyes have been opened and we will not be returning.  Money is best spent elsewhere.

Oh, I absolutely agree that there is better Italian (-American) food out there.  But that doesn't mean Olive Garden is the utter crap people make it out to be.

Did you miss the part where I said I've eaten in Italy?  I know what authentic Italian food is.  So what?  You know I've spent a lot of time in Mexico, but I still like On the Border and Qdoba just fine.  I know they're not really authentic, and I know there's better Mexican food to be found, but I still like them just fine.  Likewise, Olive Garden.

I'm a home cook, and I grew up with a father who is a home cook.  Where I grew up, the best restaurant in town was our own kitchen, hands down.  But I'm no food snob.

Just because you don't happen to like Olive Garden, that doesn't mean I have to agree that it's crap.

[US 89]

People do prom meals at Olive Garden? I mean no offense but that's not very common in my area. Is Olive Garden the fanciest restaurant in your area?

You think Olive Garden isn't nice enough? I once went to a pre-dance dinner with some friends at Cook Out. We were all dressed up in suits and definitely got a couple weird looks from some of the other people there. But hey, it was inexpensive and probably better than you might find at a place like say...Olive Garden?

[hbelkins]

Did anyone ever think that Olive Garden was any good?

I think it's good for what it is - I don't go there expecting top-notch authentic Italian food, but it still tastes good to me.  The breadsticks are always the best part

Yeah, my wife and I love Olive Garden.  And yes, I've eaten in Italy.  I really don't get why people hate it so much.  Their food is decent, a good three notches above something like Fazoli's.  Their salad and breadsticks are wonderful, and they have good Italian-American food.  I've noticed that some of my favorite items have been removed from the menu during COVID-19 (limited menus most places), but I can still find one or two things worth getting.  And, as for price, go for lunch rather than supper.

Comparing Fazoli's to Olive Garden is like comparing Long John Silver's or Captain D's to Red Lobster.