Olive Garden used to be the go-to chain for the middle class?

[JEDI]

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/20/investing/stocks-markets/index.html?source=cnn_bin

Darden Restaurants (DRI, Fortune 500), which operates the Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains, reported weaker-than-expected sales and profits. Darden also said it's planning workforce reductions. The stock slipped more than 7%. One trader suggested this could be a bad sign for the economy. Consumers may be pulling back.


really??? I never considered olive garden the goto place for anything

 

[Engineer]

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/20/investing/stocks-markets/index.html?source=cnn_bin

Darden Restaurants (DRI, Fortune 500), which operates the Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains, reported weaker-than-expected sales and profits. Darden also said it's planning workforce reductions. The stock slipped more than 7%. One trader suggested this could be a bad sign for the economy. Consumers may be pulling back.


really??? I never considered olive garden the goto place for anything

Seems to be happening more and more. I wonder why? Strip and ship the best paying jobs for middle and lower middle class America and this is what you're left with.....a downward spiral. With all the people now working at restaurants, nobody can afford to eat at them.

Since they were one of the first to start cutting hours to avoid 'Obamacare', this is good enough for them.

http://freebeacon.com/olive-garden-others-to-cut-worker-hours-in-advance-of-obamacare/

 

[Via]

Olive garden and Red Lobster are losing customers because their quality was kicked off of the cliff by Darden, not because of the economy.

 

[TallBill]

Olive garden and Red Lobster are losing customers because their quality was kicked off of the cliff by Darden, not because of the economy.

This

 

[JulesMaximus]

OMG! The stock slipped 7%!!! We must fire people!!!

 

[Engineer]

OMG! The stock slipped 7%!!! We must fire people!!!

[Gordon Gekko] greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Olive Garden, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA [/Gordon Gekko]

Seems to me that greed is what's actually killing it.

 

[manimal]

yes but we are seeing a pullback in aggregate demand because of all the fucking bs

 

[Perknose]

Olive garden and Red Lobster are losing customers because their quality was kicked off of the cliff by Darden, not because of the economy.

Lol, when was their quality perched on any cliff?

 

[Via]

I actually remember it being pretty tasty, going with my parents and friends in the 90s.

Post-2000, though, they seemingly dropped a level of quality on a yearly basis. I still remember how horrible my last OG experience was; I'll never set foot in one again.

 

[OCGuy]

The 1990s full service concepts are either stagnant or declining (Chilis, Olive Garden, RealMex restaurants such as El Torito.)

There are a couple mega-chain concepts that are expanding rapidly (Buffalo Wild Wings being one of them), which are taking the middle class dollar away from the relics I mentioned above.

 

[brainhulk]

Social Media. You're not cool if you eat at a chain restaurant from the 80's and 90's

 

[spaceman]

when ur here ur family
unless ur there

 

[Doppel]

I still like olive garden. I refuse to eat during prime hours because it is always crowded and I feel like a refugee or a pig at a trough standing in line at a restaurant, so embroiled in my own gluttony that I think nothing of a 45 minute wait just to feed my gut.

Anyway, yeah I still love its salad and I will go there for lunch once in a blue moon.

Not sure how much the economy is influencing this, but eating out is massively expensive and with middle/lower classes losing real income over the years it makes sense they would eat out less.

 

[techs]

Social Media. You're not cool if you eat at a chain restaurant from the 80's and 90's

I would say its more that during the housing bubble people had the idea that they were far better off than they were. Where they might have opted to eat in or eat at a fast food restaurant before, people felt it was ok to spend more of their money on something that was considered a non essential purchase like a sit down restaurant.

People might not have had more disposable income in reality but psychologically it was ok to spend more and save less since there homes were now worth so much more. Sit down restaurants were still within their budget since they only cost slightly more than a fast food place.

Now every six months or so Congress threatens to default on our debt or close down the government. People now feel they better be careful with their money.

 

[Raizinman]

I have heard that virtually all the food, pasta, fish, chicken, soups are ALL prepackaged and microwaved. That there is virtually no actual cooking going on, which accounts for the exact serving size and consistent taste from one Olive Garden to the next. Could this be?

 

[Gillbot]

Olive garden and Red Lobster are losing customers because their quality was kicked off of the cliff by Darden, not because of the economy.

Also their pricing has climbed to a point to where it's just not worth going. Most are opting to cook at home and get a better meal than dish out $50+ for a tired menu.

 

[Jumpem]

I don't really like pasta in general, but the Olive Garden here is almost always packed.

 

[holden j caufield]

endless soup and salad is pretty good

 

[Mixolydian]

Coulda fooled me. Whenever I drive past the Olive Gardens around here, there's usually a line out the door.

 

[Fritzo]

I think Italian restaurants are starting to out-stage Olive Garden, and consumers are realizing it. There's a chain near us called Bravo! that is absolutely fantastic, and another called Biaggis that is in my top 5 favorite restaurants anywhere. We only go to Olive Garden when someone else is buying.

http://www.biaggis.com/

As for Red Lobster- never liked that place. "Yeah, do you serve anything but a big plate of fried? Oh you do? I'll have the broiled fish please."

"Uh...waitress? This talapia tastes almost, but not completely, unlike fish."

 

[boomhower]

I used to like Olive Garden but the last several years quality has went down and prices have went up. That said, there is pretty much always a line to get in the one drive by.

 

[lxskllr]

I think I've been to one three times in my life, tops. Nothing wrong with it, but Italian style isn't something I go out for, not casually anyway. I'd be more inclined to go to Little Italy, and make it more of an occasion. Go to a diner for casual food.

 

[JulesMaximus]

There are so many great non-chain restaurants around here, why on earth would I EVER go to Olive Garden or Red Lobster?

 

[mmntech]

I would say its more that during the housing bubble people had the idea that they were far better off than they were. Where they might have opted to eat in or eat at a fast food restaurant before, people felt it was ok to spend more of their money on something that was considered a non essential purchase like a sit down restaurant.

People might not have had more disposable income in reality but psychologically it was ok to spend more and save less since there homes were now worth so much more. Sit down restaurants were still within their budget since they only cost slightly more than a fast food place.

Canada didn't have a housing collapse like the US did. However, we're in a situation where real estate is over valued. I can definitely see this being the reality. Lots of folks with half million dollar homes and Mercedes SUVs, but without a pot to piss in.

These restaurants aren't really that cheap but they bring their entire families at least once a week. I think it's mostly people in their 30s and 40s that do this, as they were the least impacted by the recession. People in their 20s and 50 plus don't seem to eat out that much anymore. At least those I know. They just can't afford it.

I have heard that virtually all the food, pasta, fish, chicken, soups are ALL prepackaged and microwaved. That there is virtually no actual cooking going on, which accounts for the exact serving size and consistent taste from one Olive Garden to the next. Could this be?

I've heard this as well. One friend of my mom's was actually told by a server at Boston Pizza (a Canadian chain) that this is what they were doing. Which makes sense from a consistency standpoint as well as a cost reduction one. You don't have to pay a proper chef work the kitchen. You can just hire a bunch of low skilled cooks to microwave and boil everything. On the flip side you're paying upwards of $20 a plate for what is basically airline food. Mind you we have an entire generation that was brought up on food from a box, so they can't tell the difference.

 

[Pardus]

Olive Garden fake "Italian" is on the menu. Your non-existent Tuscan Cooking school is nothing more than a PR stunt to fool the uneducated into thinking this place is the real deal. Atmosphere is boring and dull. Food is poorly prepared, slow to arrive, food was tasteless and greasy and not worth a quarter of the price for which it is sold for. Applebee’s serves better quality food.