Olive Garden chintzy?

[pearlieq]

Olive Garden as a whole is really chintzy.

When you order takeout (for the same price as eating in) they will only give you two breadsticks per entree. They would give you as many as you wanted in the restaurant, but for takeout they charge for any you want above that.

Ours also charges $3.00 to substitute fettuccine Alfredo in place of the pasta and marinara that comes with the Chicken Parmesan. The way I see it, 1 cup of fettuccine and 1 cup of spaghetti cost the same and there is NO way that 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce costs $3.00 more than 1/2 cup of marinara. I don't mind a modest upcharge, but $3.00 is ridiculous!

They're so overpriced anyway--the tacky cheapness on top of that is part of the reason we don't go that often.

 

[dislaney]

Our Olive Garden used to be real generous with the mints. We've noticed the last few times we've been there, that they have gone from giving you a handful of mints to just whatever number of people are there dining. If they gave us 4 and there were 5 people I would not be happy though.

Did they ever give you the 5th mint?

 

[Barbossa]

The food at Olive Garden is terrible. There was a 2 year window a couple years ago where they cleaned up their act and the food was really good, but that didn't last for long. We avoid OG like the plague.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Olive Garden as a whole is really chintzy.

When you order takeout (for the same price as eating in) they will only give you two breadsticks per entree. They would give you as many as you wanted in the restaurant, but for takeout they charge for any you want above that.

Ours also charges $3.00 to substitute fettuccine Alfredo in place of the pasta and marinara that comes with the Chicken Parmesan. The way I see it, 1 cup of fettuccine and 1 cup of spaghetti cost the same and there is NO way that 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce costs $3.00 more than 1/2 cup of marinara. I don't mind a modest upcharge, but $3.00 is ridiculous!

They're so overpriced anyway--the tacky cheapness on top of that is part of the reason we don't go that often.

That IS crazy. I can see $1.50...

I just remembered our last visit, when we asked for more breadsticks. It was DH and I, and they brought THREE new breadsticks. I guess we were to share the third, or have an Italian-style fight for it, keep it authentic

 

[pearlieq]

It was DH and I, and they brought THREE new breadsticks. I guess we were to share the third, or have an Italian-style fight for it, keep it authentic

YES! What is that about? They always bring one breadstick per person and then one extra. So we can all have an awkward staring match?

 

[ENSOCK]

My sisters and I eat at Olive Garden alot! (too much) I have to agree that they are getting worse and worse. Not only the food but the service is getting bad. We have gone from eating there 3 times a month to only once a month and even that will soon stop. Overpriced and the taste is just going down.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

Wow, maybe because our OG is new, and I have never been to any other OG, but I think the food is pretty good for a chain restaurant, though, given the choice, I would much prefer Maggiano's.

 

[Feralpeg]

So Saturday night I got together with four of my girlfriends, and we went to dinner at the Olive Garden. One woman had a coupon that if you bought two entrees you got $5 off, so she and another woman were on one check while the other three of us had separate checks. And before anyone comments on THAT, it would be fine with me if we had one check and everyone put in $25, but others at the table prefer separate, and thats fine with me too.

When the waiter brought the checks, there were four Andes mints on top. He set them by me, we were in a booth and I was on the end, so I commented that there were five of us and only four mints. His response, "there's only four checks."

We roared! I mean literally roared! Really? Between the five of us we spent $125, and they can't give us one extra Andes Mint??? And by that logic, if we were a family of five on one check we would only get one mint? It's not even about the mint actually, it's about... I don't know... common sense? Tackyness? Cost cutting to the nth degree?

DD and I ate at Olive Garden about a week ago. When the check came, it had 8 mints on top. It's not Olive Garden that is chintzy. It's either your waiter or the manager at that particular location.

 

[SunnyP4Disney]

Sounds like the server is chintzy or the restaurant itself is. My girlfriend and I went last week and got a ton of mints. Our server also bagged our leftovers, packed them separately, and packed a bag of four breadsticks each. I've never felt short shafted there, in fact the opposite! Sorry about that, those candies are the best part of the meal, lol!

 

[Donnainnj]

YES! What is that about? They always bring one breadstick per person and then one extra. So we can all have an awkward staring match?

That's it! That has to save them money. This way no one wants to eat the last one, so they are never empty and don't get refilled. Doesn't work when I go but I could definitely see it working for a more polite crowd.
Donna

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Ours also charges $3.00 to substitute fettuccine Alfredo in place of the pasta and marinara that comes with the Chicken Parmesan. The way I see it, 1 cup of fettuccine and 1 cup of spaghetti cost the same and there is NO way that 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce costs $3.00 more than 1/2 cup of marinara. I don't mind a modest upcharge, but $3.00 is ridiculous.

At the restaurant I work at (not OG), a four ounce cup of marinara at cost is $0.23, a four ounce cup of alfredo is $1.34. We charge for alfredo too.

 

[Wall-E1]

So, which one of you went home with bad breath?

 

[ICF]

I just remembered our last visit, when we asked for more breadsticks. It was DH and I, and they brought THREE new breadsticks. I guess we were to share the third, or have an Italian-style fight for it, keep it authentic

I was told a few years ago by a friend that used to waitress at Red Lobster (who is part of the same ownership company as OG) that they were told to bring 1 of their rolls out per person and 1 extra for the table.

I would guess that's the same thought process at OG.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I am willing to bet the waiter shorted you simply because he or she was irritating by the fact that he had to make four checks for five people.

 

[WDSearcher]

RE: Mints -- My guess is that the waiter grabbed one mint per check and didn't remember that there were five people. And when you asked, he simply told you the truth. "There were four checks." I'm pretty sure he didn't stand there, over the basket of Andes mints, and think to himself, "There are five women at this table, but I'm purposely going to give them only four mints. So there!" What I can't believe is the number of people who are calling this guy a jerk for "shorting" you a mint. Geez. It's a free Andes mint. If that's the highlight of your meal, choose a new restaurant!

RE: Breadsticks -- I've always thought that the reason they don't bring more breadsticks in the basket for the refills is because most people prefer the breadsticks warm, so if they only bring a few, then the patron gets them warm each time. If they showed up with six breadsticks for two people, you end up with cold breadsticks and would probably ask for a new batch anyway. I would.

Alternately, I can't imagine the number of breadsticks a place like OG must throw away every night. Because once you've brought them to a table, you have to toss any bread that isn't eaten. It's not like it can be popped back in the oven and given to someone else. I think a lot of people ask for more breadsticks without really wanting them. They think they'll eat more, but then don't. Food goes to waste, not to mention that it costs the restaurant money. So you bring out small amounts at a time instead of one big huge amount at once. Seems logical to me.

 

[tlbwriter]

RE: Mints -- My guess is that the waiter grabbed one mint per check and didn't remember that there were five people. And when you asked, he simply told you the truth. "There were four checks." I'm pretty sure he didn't stand there, over the basket of Andes mints, and think to himself, "There are five women at this table, but I'm purposely going to give them only four mints. So there!" What I can't believe is the number of people who are calling this guy a jerk for "shorting" you a mint. Geez. It's a free Andes mint. If that's the highlight of your meal, choose a new restaurant!

It's not the mint itself, it's the attitude. A good waiter would have said "I'm sorry, I must have miscounted; I'll go grab another one" and would have brought a handful of mints for the table. Instead, this waiter basically told them they didn't each deserve a mint. A lousy cheap little mint that cost *him* nothing (except a better tip). Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth (no pun intended). When I leave a restaurant, I want to feel like I'd like to go back there again, rather than being told I'm too much trouble.

Oh, and if the waiter didn't remember there were five people there, how did he remember to bring five orders of food? Five drinks? Five salad plates? The number of checks shouldn't be the most crucial bit of information about that table. When my family goes to dinner and we're all on the same check, should we all share one mint?

 

[WDSearcher]

It's not the mint itself, it's the attitude. A good waiter would have said "I'm sorry, I must have miscounted; I'll go grab another one" and would have brought a handful of mints for the table. Instead, this waiter basically told them they didn't each deserve a mint. A lousy cheap little mint that cost *him* nothing (except a better tip). Talk about leaving a bad taste in your mouth (no pun intended). When I leave a restaurant, I want to feel like I'd like to go back there again, rather than being told I'm too much trouble.

Oh, and if the waiter didn't remember there were five people there, how did he remember to bring five orders of food? Five drinks? Five salad plates? The number of checks shouldn't be the most crucial bit of information about that table. When my family goes to dinner and we're all on the same check, should we all share one mint?

See ... I think you're making it so very much more than it is. I really don't think the waiter "basically told them they didn't each deserve a mint." I don't think that much thought went into it. I think a busy waiter looked at the number of checks he had for the table and grabbed one mint per check. And when he was asked why, he gave an honest answer. If not getting a mint in that instance makes you feel like you're "being told I'm too much trouble", then I see that more as your really overblown interpretation rather than a waiter clearly and purposely slighting you.

As for there being five people ... I think diners sometimes forget that they are not the only table a waiter has had all night. If you have a lot of four- and five-tops, you kind of forget which is where. When you pick up a tray with five plates of food on it, you know there there are five people. When you have an order for five drinks, you pick up five drinks and know there are five people. When you look at the checks and there are four separate checks for one table, you think "four people".

If someone is upset about the number of mints, leave the kid a crappy tip. But if the missing mint is the only thing he did wrong all night, then let it go. It didn't sound like the OP thought he was a bad or rude or annoying waiter. Just that he messed up the mint and had a lame excuse.

 

[happygirl]

Most waiter/waitress are going to do anything they can to make there customers happy. I'm going to guess he has been in trouble for giving out to many mints. I know that sounds funny, but restaurants are really watching food cost.

 

[Rumpus]

On the other hand, I remember when the restaurants at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot used to give out a lot of large wrapped chocolates and I haven't seen that in years.

 

[tlbwriter]

See ... I think you're making it so very much more than it is. I really don't think the waiter "basically told them they didn't each deserve a mint." I don't think that much thought went into it. I think a busy waiter looked at the number of checks he had for the table and grabbed one mint per check. And when he was asked why, he gave an honest answer. If not getting a mint in that instance makes you feel like you're "being told I'm too much trouble", then I see that more as your really overblown interpretation rather than a waiter clearly and purposely slighting you.

I think you understood my post. I can see why the waiter forgot the mint. That's not a big deal. The problem is that, when it was pointed out, he did not apologize and bring more mints. That's what a good waiter would have done. Instead, he had a really stupid excuse. And that is what would sour me on the entire experience. Not that he forgot something in the first place - I know as well as anyone that waiters are busy and I'm not the only customer - but that, instead of fixing it, he blew me off.

Unless I'm misinterpreting? OP, did he do anything after giving his excuse? Offer to bring more mints?