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Olive Garden: serving fake Italian food across North America for decades

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by JR, Dec 22, 2011.

  1. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Same here. Mrs. Huggy and I went there once with another couple for our 10th anniversaries. Terrible, just a complete ripoff. Only been to Morton's once - in Nashville - and it was the best meal I have ever had.
     
  2. Captain_Kirk

    Captain_Kirk Well-Known Member

    I guess Olive Garden is serviceable food, and I might go there for a quick lunch or if there's literally nothing else around, but if I want an Italian meal, I'm going to search out a local Italian place every time.

    I do like Longhorn, though. I'll take that over Ruth Chris anytime and enjoy the extra hundred bucks that will still be in my wallet at meal's end.
     
  3. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    When you have kids, the chains are a godsend.

    A little part of me dies every time I have to settle into my booth at the local mall TGI Friday's toting my Old Navy shopping bags. But it's: (1) Five minutes away; (2) And my kid can have a meltdown or fling crayons around and nobody bats an eye.

    I lost the live-in-the-city-or-suburbs battle a long time ago. I'm just glad I can escape there for work before returning to the soulless suburbs every evening. Schools, space, and safety wise, it's probably for the best. But I hope we are able to summon the energy to expose our kids to more than Pizza Hut when the time comes.
     
  4. joe

    joe Active Member

    Every time we go past a Pizza Hut, or see a Pizza Hut commercial, my 3-year-old daughter says, "We don't like Pizza Hut. It's yucky. It's toooo salty. We like Shakespeare's Pizza."
     
  5. Iron_chet

    Iron_chet Well-Known Member

    O-VER-RA-TED, clap, clap, clap, clap clap

    My wife and I went there as we had some gratis gift cards thru her work. I was very underwhelmed, steak was good but as has been pointed out on many food threads on here, steak is not that hard to cook.

    The sides were very average. Way overpriced. I live in a city with a lot of good steak houses in a province known for it's beef and I would not pay a cent in a Ruth's ever again.

    As for Olive Garden we have been a few times when it has been convenient but have way better mom and pop restaurants that are basically the same price.

    I remember when the first Olive Garden opened in the city I lived in and all people would talk about was how you gout "UNLIMITED BREADSTICKS!!!!!!!!!!!" Cheap ass rubes.
     
  6. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    The more upscale chains, like Mortons, have good premiums, and have terrific buying leverage.

    They can demand the best cuts of meat and the best produce from their vendors.

    But, they are also extremely conscious of costs.

    Mortons is a customer of mine.

    They were just sold to Landry's out of Houston, so we may see some big changes:

    http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-16/business/chi-mortons-steakhouse-chain-to-be-acquired-20111216_1_morton-s-restaurant-group-castle-harlan-steakhouse-chain

    They've already closed some under performing restaurants.

    And, sadly they don't serve a great cup of coffee. It drives me insane. They buy the best cuts of meat, and then finish the meal by serving a lousy cup of coffee. Literally, the final thing the customer tastes is sub-par.

    For a time, they were even considering a liquid concentrate for their coffee -- because there's no waste, and it would cut costs.
     
  7. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    I do not like the way Ruth Chris cooks steaks.
    I will only go to steakhouses that know how to cook a steak "Pittsburgh style".
     
  8. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    My friend said once, and I agree with him, that the surest fire way to get rich in the suburbs is to open an Olive Garden across the street from another Olive Garden.

    I have never been in one that I didn't have to wait for a seat. It is always absolutely jam-packed.
     
  9. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    About the only chain restaurants I enjoy are Chili's and Red Robin.

    Then my wife found a mouse turd frozen in an ice cube in her drink at Red Robin a couple years back, so we haven't been back.

    I've always been fine with Chili's, then we got some new neighbors and developed a friendship with them. The guy is a district manager at Chili's and every month or so, he brings by $50 in Chili's gift certificates and asks us to eat there and let him know about the service, food, cleanliness of the place, etc.

    I don't mind taking the family out for free Chili's once a month.
     
  10. WTF is the matter with you?
    Why? Why? would you do that to beef?
     
  11. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    To get out for free on $50 you must have a small family, only drink water and leave no tip.
     
  12. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    The cow is dead already. Why does it matter.

    If it's cooked properly the inside is perfect.

    It really requires a top grill guy to do.
     
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