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Olive Garden Scam??

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Raizinman

Raizinman

Platinum Member
I travel quite a bit and eat at Olive Garden often. I’ve noticed that when going to Olive Garden for lunch (during lunch time) that they will hand you the dinner menu. I’ve become use to asking for a lunch menu, but I notice people around me ordering from the dinner menu (obviously they don’t know about the lunch menu). The prices on the dinner menu are much much higher. I find this type of restaurant behavior dishonest and deceitful. Spaghetti is cheap enough; you don’t have to trick your customers into paying dinner prices for lunch. I’ve noticed other restaurants starting this practice too.
 
I travel quite a bit and I have a standing rule while on the road: no chains.

The exceptions are McDonald's for coffee and DD for coffee and plain cake donuts. This is ONLY if I can't find a local place. I usually know where I go in advance so I can find everything I want local.

American Italian is one of the easiest things to find - there is absolutely no reason to go to Olive Garden. Even tiny little towns have at least two good Italian places.
 
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Raizinman said:
I travel quite a bit and eat at Olive Garden often. I’ve noticed that when going to Olive Garden for lunch (during lunch time) that they will hand you the dinner menu. I’ve become use to asking for a lunch menu, but I notice people around me ordering from the dinner menu (obviously they don’t know about the lunch menu). The prices on the dinner menu are much much higher. I find this type of restaurant behavior dishonest and deceitful. Spaghetti is cheap enough; you don’t have to trick your customers into paying dinner prices for lunch. I’ve noticed other restaurants starting this practice too.
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OP, have you checked the nutritional info on those meals at OG? I used to eat there often until I checked WHAT I was eating. Damn, the amount of sodium and fat is incredible. Trying to control my periodic bouts of hypertension would be impossible eating their food.

I would be more concerned about what they were feeding you vice how much ...
 
MontyAC said:
Just add some garlic and tomato sauce, Some Americans will think it's Italian food.
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Who cares what it is? I work with a guy who is a beer/food snob. Olive Garden is shit, all chain pizza places are shit, Bud/Miller/whatever-is-popular is shit. I hate this attitude. If my taste buds like it, then I'll eat it. I give zero fucks if Olive Garden is "real" Italian or not, it makes for a good meal most of the time.
 
dud said:
How true. My GM was from Sicily and the difference between her homemade and OGs "Italian" food is incredible. I suppose it's the same for other ethnicitys/cultures as well.
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I'm sure you've seen many McDonald's menus from Japan. Culture plays a substantial role when it comes to menu choices and how they are prepared.
On topic though, I've never really noticed the OPs complaint whenever I go to Olive Garden. I only go there a couple of times a year though and the food is pretty good overall, but they do tend to add a little bit to much garlic for my taste.
 
blurredvision said:
Who cares what it is? I work with a guy who is a beer/food snob. Olive Garden is shit, all chain pizza places are shit, Bud/Miller/whatever-is-popular is shit. I hate this attitude. If my taste buds like it, then I'll eat it. I give zero fucks if Olive Garden is "real" Italian or not, it makes for a good meal most of the time.
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Thank you and Amen!
 
dud said:
OP, have you checked the nutritional info on those meals at OG? I used to eat there often until I checked WHAT I was eating. Damn, the amount of sodium and fat is incredible. Trying to control my periodic bouts of hypertension would be impossible eating their food.

I would be more concerned about what they were feeding you vice how much ...
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Do you really expect any restaurant to serve bland, tasteless food for those on a controlled diet?. As for those who claim that local places will probably provide a tastier meal than a chain I would tend to agree but chain's have sanitation standards whereas Mom and Pop's not so much, I can attest to this from my days when I used to deliver meat to them, I saw the good, the bad and the ugly LOL..
 
I don't understand the trendy hate of Olive Garden. I don't particularly like it, but I don't see how it's any worse than O'Charleys, Applebees, ect. Maybe the 'American' casual dining restaurants are a little better IMO just because they're more random. Lots of varied 'American-style' food that is obviously not fine dining, but also hard to complain about unless you're just a total prick.

Olive Garden specializes in 'Italian', but is basically no better than the 'Italian' dishes available at any other similarly-priced restaraunt. But to just find it despicably bad? Meh, sounds like a bitter former-fatty, to me.
 
you food snobs are pathetic, at least be honest and say "I just don't like Olive Garden, but yeah it's Italian food"

They serve SPAGHETTI WITH FUCKING MEATBALLS & Lasagna. We can debate all day if it's good Italian or not, but to say it's not Italian's just plain retarded. While I don't find it to be particularly great Italian, I've had authentic Sicilian Italian food and wasn't all that wowed by it either *shrug*
 
Eh something can be salty and bland... salt does not magically make something not bland... well officially more not being seasoned and thus boring than technically bland.
Hint there are more seasonings than just salt.
 
blurredvision said:
Who cares what it is? I work with a guy who is a beer/food snob. Olive Garden is shit, all chain pizza places are shit, Bud/Miller/whatever-is-popular is shit. I hate this attitude. If my taste buds like it, then I'll eat it. I give zero fucks if Olive Garden is "real" Italian or not, it makes for a good meal most of the time.
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Those kinds of people are either spoiled, being hyperbolic, or don't have a good sense of smell/taste. Usually a combination of the three.

I enjoy everything I eat, even simple foods. Fresh baked bread is the most delicious food when you are hungry. That said, I don't really eat at Olive Garden, but only because there aren't any conveniently located. Not that I like it or dislike it more than any other chain restaurant.
 
Olive Garden is a scam, no matter what.

They claim to be an Italian restaurant. Lol--you are being hosed as soon as you step inside.
 
zinfamous said:
Olive Garden is a scam, no matter what.

They claim to be an Italian restaurant. Lol--you are being hosed as soon as you step inside.
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How dare a place that serves spaghetti and similar dishes claim they're an Italian restaurant! They're almost as bad as that place called Red Lobster that claims they serve seafood.

I know the OG around the way from me always is packed and usually has a 30 or so minute wait. So at least some people believe it to be Italian food, or at least enjoy what's being served enough to keep it packed.
 
/likes OG for the unlimited soup/breadsticks along with each entrees, it's not real Italian food but it's cheap and fills you up
 
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