slo’s FRIDAY 8/5 poll - Olive Garden

[DaisyDuck001]

I'd rather go to any other Italian place, or make Italian food at home.

 

[disneychrista]

I think they do it because Red Lobster (located just across the parking lot here at our location) gives them a kickback. Is the wait too long over at Olive Garden? Forget it, let's just go to Red Lobster .

LOL. There is a Red Lobster next door to the Olive Garden there too.

 

[RedAngie]

LOL. There is a Red Lobster next door to the Olive Garden there too.

That’s not at all unusual. RL and OG are often in close proximity. They used to have the same corporate parent.

 

[disneychrista]

That’s not at all unusual. RL and OG are often in close proximity. They used to have the same corporate parent.

So @ronandannette is right. It is all a conspiracy. LOL

 

[bobbiwoz]

I like it. Eggplant parmigiana is my usual meal.

 

[ncc1701]

We have 3 within 8 miles of our home. The one who is in the middle distance is the best. There are a few things on the menu we like. The salad, soup ( when cold) & bread. I like the Chicken Scampi or Eggplant Marinara ( only cheese on the Eggplant, sauce makes is too soggy). DH likes the pick your own with Marinara with Grilled Chicken.
But it comes in 3rd after the local Maggiano's and Carrabbas

 

[ncc1701]

So @ronandannette is right. It is all a conspiracy. LOL

Same reason you see a Longhorn nearby . Same Corporation, but Red Lobster got sold off a few years ago.

 

[TCRAIG]

I like it - always get Fettuccine Alfredo, salad and love their breadsticks!

 

[LoveDaisy]

Olive Garden is owned by the same company as red lobster. As someone who put them self through college working at red lobster. They both get a big no from me. Almost everything at both is precooked, bagged (oil added so it doesn’t dry out) and microwaved.

 

[CinderEmma94]

If I’m going to go to a chain Italian restaurant I’d pick Carrabbas over OG. We go to OG once a year but mainly for the gnocchi soup, salad and breadsticks.

 

[goofyernmost]

It appears by the look of the pole, the vast majority either thing OG is OK or loved. And I mean vast majority. 82.8% so far. I guess that is why there is always a wait. As a person that has been to Italy a few times I find OG to be pretty close but in Italy things are much more bland in my mind. American influenced Italian cuisine has a much more vibrant flavor. I assume due to seasoning. Italy is much more heavy on garlic.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I used to absolutely hate Olive garden. I have upgraded that to being OKAY. The reason I have upgraded them is that I discovered the Chicken & Gnocchi soup. I really like that soup, but that is the only thing they have to offer that I like.

I do NOT like their salad, I do NOT like breadsticks in general, and it seems that even the parking lot has a strong smell of garlic.

It is definitely LOW on the list of places I like to go... but the soup is good.

 

[Moliphino]

It appears by the look of the pole, the vast majority either thing OG is OK or loved. And I mean vast majority. 82.8% so far. I guess that is why there is always a wait. As a person that has been to Italy a few times I find OG to be pretty close but in Italy things are much more bland in my mind. American influenced Italian cuisine has a much more vibrant flavor. I assume due to seasoning. Italy is much more heavy on garlic.

I've always heard the opposite, Italians wondering why Americans use so much garlic in their Italian food.
I loved the food in Rome, much less tomato than you find at Italian restaurants in the US. And I don't recall much garlic at all.

 

[goofyernmost]

I've always heard the opposite, Italians wondering why Americans use so much garlic in their Italian food.
I loved the food in Rome, much less tomato than you find at Italian restaurants in the US. And I don't recall much garlic at all.

Well, to me there was either a lot of garlic or very bland. I suppose generally we use more garlic overall. I honestly don't remember the meals I had in Rome. They were good but nothing spectacular. I do remember the garlic in Venice and Naples.

 

[Moliphino]

Well, to me there was either a lot of garlic or very bland. I suppose generally we use more garlic overall. I honestly don't remember the meals I had in Rome. They were good but nothing spectacular. I do remember the garlic in Venice and Naples.

I ate so much carbonara. And alla gricia, which is basically carbonara without the eggs. No seasonings on those, aside from maybe a little pepper, but tons of flavor from the guanciale and pecorino.
It's super rare to find an Italian restaurant in the US that does carbonara correctly, which is sad because it is really simple.

 

[lovesmurfs]

My mother-in-law refuses to go there anymore -- the one near her REQUIRES her to pay using the kiosks on the table, and it just pisses her off.

 

[mrodgers]

The closest Olive Garden is about 45 miles away. If I'm going to drive that far for dinner, there's Macaroni Grill which is a better Italian chain or even The Cheesecake Factory so OG just never gets my vote.

Uggg.... Cheesecake factory. Had the day off so we ventured out as we were rarely kidless. Headed closer to the city to do some shopping. Never had it so we figured we'd try.

We were seated, only people in there, on a mid-weekday at early lunch time, nothing out of the ordinary. Then the entire place is empty other than us at our table and they seat a young mom with little kids right next to us. We were in a seat that was the 2 chairs then bench seat across a divider kind of table. Little kids crawling all over the bench. We just wanted a nice time away from kids for a change and we get kids plopped down nearly in our lap.

I suggested just grab a piece of cheesecake and we'll grab something to actually eat later at the end of the day.

And then there was the quality of cheesecake. $9 for a triangle of Cool Whip. That's all the garbage was. I think I may have caught a slight flavor of cream cheese in like one bite.

 

[disney4us2002]

Uggg.... Cheesecake factory. Had the day off so we ventured out as we were rarely kidless. Headed closer to the city to do some shopping. Never had it so we figured we'd try.

We were seated, only people in there, on a mid-weekday at early lunch time, nothing out of the ordinary. Then the entire place is empty other than us at our table and they seat a young mom with little kids right next to us. We were in a seat that was the 2 chairs then bench seat across a divider kind of table. Little kids crawling all over the bench. We just wanted a nice time away from kids for a change and we get kids plopped down nearly in our lap.

I suggested just grab a piece of cheesecake and we'll grab something to actually eat later at the end of the day.

And then there was the quality of cheesecake. $9 for a triangle of Cool Whip. That's all the garbage was. I think I may have caught a slight flavor of cream cheese in like one bite.

I'm sorry for your experience. Ours is usually pretty good and the menu is like 17 pages, lol. I have a hard time trying to figure out what I want. Even at off times and midweek there is always a wait.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Love the salad and breadsticks. Other than that I find it to be super heavy, greasy, expensive fast-food Italian that is trying to be "fancy".
But I'll go there maybe twice a year just to get the salad and breadsticks.

 

[pookybean]

We enjoyed Maggianos too. It was right across the street from Olive Garden actually. They went belly up about 7 years ago, allegedly because they couldn't compete with Olive Garden!
But I agree about mom and pop restaurants. Olive Garden is 8 miles from my house, I have 3 very good family owned Italian Restaurants within 2 miles of our house, so they are our go to places.

Maggianos is definitely a whole lot more expensive that Olive Garden... I cant even imagine them across the street from each other!