Don't tell the 1%ers at The Capital Grille that the owners also own Olive Garden. lmao

Well here's the thing.

When you're going to sell me spaghetti for $16.00 I MIGHT avoid your restaurant.

I don't care that it's food is not high-class. I just don't like the high-class price of it.

Restaurants like Olive Garden contribute just as much to the obesity epidemic facing our country as fast food restaurants. People go on and on about how unhealthy fast food is, but sit down restaurants are just as guilty of piling on the sugar, salt and fat in addition to serving overly large portions.

How about using FRESH local ingredients? How about cooking FRESH food? How about not using a microwave to prepare frozen meals? How about learning to cook REAL ITALIAN CUISINE?

I'd like to see more dishes with marinara sauce instead of everything always being heavy cream and cheese sauces. And bring back the darned french fries! I'm all for adding healthy side options, but why do you have to get rid of french fries? Leave it up to us to decide. If my teenager wants the salmon, salad, and french fries, I'm OK with that. But evidently the restaurant knows best, because they've removed french fries from the menu entirely....

In our town of 100K, its one of just a tiny handful of non burger/sport bar restaurants. All other 'Italian Restaurant' competition in the area, is red sauce on noodles at tables with plastic checkered tablecloths.

No, of course its not anything resembling an authentic Italian restaurant. Italian-ish, perhaps. Price wise about the same class as the Applebee's or the Lonestar all within a block of each other.

I'll agree, the portions are too large, but Jim and Marge small town see that as a plus. I just cut the plate in half take the rest for lunch the next day.

There's just something about sauces dispensed from industrial sized bags.

Agreed. Olive Garden is a dumb downed version of dumb downed Italian fare, made for anyone with cookie cutter tastes and little imagination.

If you love Wal Mart, Reality Television, Adam Sandler movies, top 40, then you will love Olive Garden!

Olive Garden is to Italian food what Red Lobster is to sea food. blech. :p

Make them in America with American parts like the Camero and they'll run like a Top..

Both Olive Garden and Red Lobster are impossible to get into on the weekends - maybe they should open more stores. (oh, but then you'd have to spend money and your CEO bonus wouldn't be as many millions)

Example: McDonalds stock keeps going up and you can't throw a stick without hitting a McDonalds.

Too pricey for pasta. I'd rather spend 20$ on a steak at a Steakhouse.

I would like to say that if Olive Garden, or restaurants in general, are responsible for obesity and diabetes in our country, then we are not in recession, and we are all a hell of alot better off than we would like to admit and that we are eating out way too often. When I go out for a meal, it is a special occassion, a celebration, a chance to eat something that I would not make at home, and as such, it doesn't have to be in accordance with the AMA or the local nurtitionist.....it is a treat, not an everyday occurrence. If you want to eat only "correct food, in correct portions" stay home and order Seattle Sutton or Jenny Craig, or Nutrisystem. I would enjoy Olive Garden much more if there wasn't a minimum 45 minute wait for a table, which does not make it family friendly with children getting hungry and restless. I would enjoy it more, if I didn't feel that I was being pressured into cocktails, wine, beer (which are lovely things, but not necessarily a requirement for dining out) I would enjoy having a daily special, like many family owned restaurants instead of promotions that go on for weeks and if you don't happen to like that particular type of meal...well, you can wait weeks to go out

Haven't been to an "Olive Garden" in years. Every time I left, I was sick. Not food poisoning sick, but my insides were so NOT happy. That's usually a deterrent for me. Just can't go back.

I'm with bmc. The inconsistent food quality just wasn't worth it. I've been to a few where the food is great, and then I've been to one where it seemed like I got someone else's leftovers.

Olive Garden food is just so bland, mushy, and pre-made tasting. Even if they cooked their pasta fresh and topped with fresh extras, their sauces are unbelievably blah. As for the portions, that doesn't bother me since I usually eat half and take home the rest for leftovers the next day. When I re-heat the leftovers, I add lots of spice and anything to perk up the meal.

Most chain restaurants are impossible to get into on weekends. But not because they have good food, just good advertizing. Most food at these places is frozen, Red Lobster has the worst excuse for seafood outside of a Chinese buffet, and as for the OG, the only remotely healthy thing is the soup salad and breadsticks. (2 sticks max) Pasta is way worse for you than burgers.

They give you "endless" refills of the stuff that costs them the least, like breadsticks and salad, and you feel like you didn't get your money's worth when you leave w/o being "stuffed". I learned a long time ago that "all you can eat" of a bunch of sodium-laden junk is a ticket to health disasters and stay out of all places offering such. I agree that eating out should be a treat, so why not go to a place where the food is reasonably good for you as well as being good instead of setting yourself up to be made sick? I'd willing pay more for smaller portions of genuinely flavorful, moderately healthy food that isn't salted and cheesed out the wazoo to give it the pretense of having "taste".

Went there and to also to Macaroni Grill in the past month. The serving size at Macaroni Grill was about twice the size, not an exageration, for the same price for fettucine alfredo. My wife also thought her portion was too small at Olive Garden too. The food also tastes better at Macaroni Grill, does not seem to be so much like a frozen dinner like Olive Garden. They might all be frozen for all I know but it is not obvious at Macaroni Grill.

@Marie485962 It's people like you who quite literally make me sick. I don't care how unhealthy the food at any resturant is, if you get fat from it it's your own fault. The same goes for any parent who whines and complains that "Oh noes! Olive garden made my kid fat!". No sir Olive Garden did not make your kid fat. The reason little Jimmy is a fat marshmallow is because you LET him eat all that food. The ones to blame for being fat, are the fat ones themselves,or the parents, save the ones with disorders.

The problem that i find is the food all tastes the same Regardless of what you may order. Remodel the restaurants are not the answer at all .Change the recipes

What’s your Olive Garden experience?

My Olive Garden experience?

Massive quantities of tasteless sauce and overcooked pasta. It seems their philosophy is that customers can't taste the food so they will need to eat a lot of it.

I can make better spaghetti sauce out of a can by adding some sauteed onion and garlic and fresh basil.

I'm also weary of finding the same few restaurant chains in every corner of the country. Americans have forgotten what good pizza tastes like because of Pizza Hut. Subway serves the most boring sandwiches on the blandest bread, but their advertising clout has driven smaller and far better sandwich shops out of business.

So I cook at home, mostly. You'll never catch me in an Olive Garden.

This thread has been won by the second post! Good show! :-)

Try maybe 20-25 years, hehe. Of course, I've been living in St. Croix, USVI for over 16 years now and that is one chain that hasn't tried to come to any of the islands yet, not even Puerto Rico (or at least not as late as 2009.) We finally got an IHOP franchise, but it is struggling.

The weather must be keeping them away!

I have visited Olive Gardens along the east coast and all are filthy. The upholstered chairs look like have not been cleaned or replaced since they were new and the carpets smell like vomit. I would never go back; even to use the free meal coupons I received from them.

It is impossible to have too much garlic.

Visit "The Stinking Rose" in California... awesome food (I ate at the one in San Fran).

Actually garlic is very beneficial to your health and should be a regular ingredient of your diet.

Because you choose to starve in order to be a size 0, we are all supposed to eat low cal?????

I think the amount of garlic is fine. The problem is that it is suspended in ungodly amounts of grease and undigestible, reconstituted powdered "cream" sauce.

Too much garlic? there is no such thing! Olive garden is not gourmet food, it is passable. too large of portions? I dont think so. It is not about how much food you can take home, its what you eat there. Macaroni Grill in California changed their menu and someday I hope they change back. It was horrible and even the manager agreed and reduced our bill by 50%.

That's because they have enough wait staff to handle the crowds

As someone that used to work for TGI Fridays I can tell you the reason that happens is there are not enough servers. Usually its because of surprise business or people call off that you cant replace. The company would rather have a guest wait then have the server taking ten tables at once so the guest is then pissed off because of crappy service. I personally would rather just seat the guest because it was like pulling teeth trying to get people to understand this concept when all they see is empty tables.

TGIFridays can get their staff from a prison, although they might have to train them to dumb down the quality and service.

The food is ok. I don't go because the place is always crowded, or at least it is crowded with people waiting to eat.

When I drive past this place or Red Lobster, and see people hanging around the doors, I keep driving. If the place is packed to capacity, then good for them. If it is just people waiting to be seated in a half full place, then they need to get better at scheduling servers. I usually don't bother putting the place on my list of places to choose for dinner or lunch.

Welcome to middle America.

If they want to improve the food at OG and all those other chain restaurants, that would be a good start.

Some people have never eaten anything that didn't come out of a can, jar, package or freezer. Americans don't know how to cook any more either.

If people could taste food freshly made from scratch, they'd never choose to eat the stuff the chains serve up.

There are two items on the menu that keep me coming back: the great salads and the great soups.

Their soups are a MUST at all of our in-house special day dinners... and it always makes the meal a hit!

I judge a restaurant by the crispness of their lettuce.... and I have never been dissapointed at OG!

Some people have never eaten anything that didn't come out of a can, jar, package or freezer. Americans don't know how to cook any more either. If people could taste food freshly made from scratch, they'd never choose to eat the stuff the chains serve up.

Actually I disagree completely. If you want to talk about when Americans didn't cook, try the 1970s and '80s when Hamburger Helper and other crap like that was on the tables at night. Moms went to work thanks to women's lib and forgot how to cook, let alone had the time to do it.

However with the introduction of the Food Network, learning how to cook again seems to be taking off in America. Sure we had Julia in the '70s on PBS, but that was a narrow audience. Americans are starting to appreciate good food again and cook. I grew up in a serious cooking family (and growing our own vegetables), so good food was never short in our extended households.

Americans are having harder and harder times between rising gas prices, rising food prices (related in part to fuel prices and ethanol production), and of course job stability. Those that do have jobs are working longer and longer hours to keep said jobs and because if increased productivity companies are forcing with fewer employees. But that doesn't change the fact more and more Americans are appreciating good ingredients, and good cooking. The phenomenal growth of the Food Network, and even a second channel spinoff the Cooking Channel, proves at the very least that the interest is there because of the viewership ratings.

Now they see shows about preparing good food, but for how many of the viewers is that as far as it ever goes? The most realistic shows for most of us are ones like "Semi-Homemade". We can all at least fix something up so it is better than it comes from the store. I think that most of us can grow at least a few tomatoes and peppers too. It's not like you have to plow up an acre to get a few good things to eat that you actually know where they came from.

What do you think a Langastino is??????

Grandma just rolled over in her grave! In my estimation it is over priced, loosey and always NUKED! No one should have to wait for this kind of food. No it can't be fixed!

Kait17

What a disrespectful thing to say about your grandma and her cooking!

people like TexMex too. I KNOW its not authentic, but I like the way it tastes. I like the way authentic Mexican tastes too; havent had a chance to try authentic Italian, but Id probably like that too.
but the cheesy, spicy, I-know-its-not-real is occasionally good. (and I do mean occasionally - 2 or 3 times a year I can not worry about the calories)

They were decent, too, once upon a time.

Agreed. I think people are finally getting sick and tired of the restaurant equivilent of the big box store and want something with it's own unique style and personality a la so many of the interesting looking places on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

I live in an area of Southern Maryland that has recently been inundated with big chain restaurants: Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Outback, Red Robin, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cheeseburger in Paradise. And the damn county keeps giving more permits to more of the same old kind of crap places. We're due to get a Longhorn literally right next door to Texas Roadhouse, which itself is right next door to Olive Garden, Red Robin, etc, etc.

Add to this the 20 odd cut and paste Chinese restaurants, McDung-o, Burger Crap every other mile or so...this place is a culinary wasteland!!!

Obviously, many people like culinary wastelands as the number of permits keep increasing. May I suggest for all of you that the solution is not necessarily to fix any particular restaurant, but to go and get chef's training and make it yourself, exactly to order, exactly to your own standards, calorie and fat counts, whatever.......

KMan, I was in Laurel today and saw exactly the same thing. It is just a matter of time till they all close, the density of these restaurants all but insures watering down demand among those who can regularly afford to eat there.

If you go to a chain restaurant, the food has to taste the same no matter what place you go to. That means they have to truck the same mucus to every store in the country so you get the same experience.

Went out for a while with a Korean woman and she turned me on to kimchee. I loveit. But yes, to much garlic in all theier food.

OG is as Italian as fortune cookies are chinese.

That made me laugh out loud, Stinkleton...sorry!

lol its ok, i was never molested :)