This less-than-flattering review of The Olive Garden kicked off a vicious (and surprisingly long-winded) discussion of The Olive Garden's merits and demerits on Metafilter. It seems odd but I have noticed before that, of all the chain restaurants, for some reason The Olive Garden seems to bring out the most passionate debates.
I myself am merely puzzled by The Olive Garden. By its strange offerings, its surprisingly high prices, and its continued popularity. I live about halfway between Seattle and the Canadian border, and The Olive Garden is one of the few Italian restaurants in the county.
Even so, it's always surprising to see how amazingly crowded it gets on a Friday or Saturday evening. The entryway is always crowded, the bar is always full, and if the weather is nice the line will spill out onto the sidewalk outside. Even the 15 minute take-out parking spot sees constant traffic from people who apparently stop at The Olive Garden on their way home from work to pick up dinner.
Undoubtedly one of The Olive Garden's most successful aspects is its proximity to the interstate. Its location is prime, just a few blocks from the off-ramp. You can hop off, get dinner, and hop back on and be on your way home. I doubt people would drive very far off I5 to eat there. (But then again, who knows?)
I have lived here for five years, and only been to that particular restaurant once, about a year ago. It was my friend's idea. She wanted wine and also salad, and there ya go.
I was surprised (as always) by the wine prices. $9 seems like a lot to pay for a glass of wine at a chain restaurant, but what do I know? I'm one of those adults who orders soda at dinner.
I was even more surprised by the dinner prices. $25 for a plate of pasta? You're kidding, right? It kind of put the "unlimited" salad and bread sticks in context. Realistically you can't really eat more than two or three bread sticks, and maybe one huge plate of salad. Not least because the servers whisk your food in after you're only halfway through your salad.
The salad was good; the bread sticks a little greasy. Everything was salty, but as someone who's very salt-sensitive I'm used to that.
The food itself was unremarkable. I actually don't remember what I ordered, which is rare for me. And indicative of the food. I felt sorry for my friend's chicken parmigiana, because it looked like they had pummeled that poor little chicken breast within an inch of its life. The thing was less than a quarter inch thick!
Leaving the restaurant, about $35 poorer, I tried not to think about all the food I could have bought somewhere else. That's 35 cheeseburgers off the dollar menu at McDonalds! Sure you wouldn't get the great atmosphere, which was super loud and also humid and overheated from being packed full of bodies. But at least McDonalds is honest about what it serves: cheap food fast.
I myself am merely puzzled by The Olive Garden. By its strange offerings, its surprisingly high prices, and its continued popularity. I live about halfway between Seattle and the Canadian border, and The Olive Garden is one of the few Italian restaurants in the county.
Even so, it's always surprising to see how amazingly crowded it gets on a Friday or Saturday evening. The entryway is always crowded, the bar is always full, and if the weather is nice the line will spill out onto the sidewalk outside. Even the 15 minute take-out parking spot sees constant traffic from people who apparently stop at The Olive Garden on their way home from work to pick up dinner.
Undoubtedly one of The Olive Garden's most successful aspects is its proximity to the interstate. Its location is prime, just a few blocks from the off-ramp. You can hop off, get dinner, and hop back on and be on your way home. I doubt people would drive very far off I5 to eat there. (But then again, who knows?)
I have lived here for five years, and only been to that particular restaurant once, about a year ago. It was my friend's idea. She wanted wine and also salad, and there ya go.
I was surprised (as always) by the wine prices. $9 seems like a lot to pay for a glass of wine at a chain restaurant, but what do I know? I'm one of those adults who orders soda at dinner.
I was even more surprised by the dinner prices. $25 for a plate of pasta? You're kidding, right? It kind of put the "unlimited" salad and bread sticks in context. Realistically you can't really eat more than two or three bread sticks, and maybe one huge plate of salad. Not least because the servers whisk your food in after you're only halfway through your salad.
The salad was good; the bread sticks a little greasy. Everything was salty, but as someone who's very salt-sensitive I'm used to that.
The food itself was unremarkable. I actually don't remember what I ordered, which is rare for me. And indicative of the food. I felt sorry for my friend's chicken parmigiana, because it looked like they had pummeled that poor little chicken breast within an inch of its life. The thing was less than a quarter inch thick!
Leaving the restaurant, about $35 poorer, I tried not to think about all the food I could have bought somewhere else. That's 35 cheeseburgers off the dollar menu at McDonalds! Sure you wouldn't get the great atmosphere, which was super loud and also humid and overheated from being packed full of bodies. But at least McDonalds is honest about what it serves: cheap food fast.
Photo credit: Flickr/Rob n Amy C