Whay do people eat at the Olive Garden?

[bif]

Sure beats the hell out of me.

[AllegroRondo]

1. All you can eat soup and salad

why else?

[snacker]

19. That's why I go. n/t

[benburch]

28. Only good reason.

Especially since they are owned by Right Wingers...

$5.95 is all I care to spend there.

[KamaAina]

2. Why do people eat at the Olive Garden *in Times Square*?!

I could see if you were someplace where there wasn't an authentic Italian restaurant for a hundred miles, but really, midtown Manhattan?! How pathetic is that? Are we really to become a country that celebrates the plastic and artificial and denies what is real? :banghead:

[bif]

5. I agree

We have a ton of great Italian restaurants on our side of town. And my dad still prefers the Garden. Sheesh! Actually, the movie "The Big Night " explains it all.

[Pithlet]

8. Yeah, if you're in New York City

and have all those wonderful restaurants to chose from, I definitely wouldn't eat there. It doesn't make sense. But, I actually don't think the Olive Garden is all that bad :hide: Some places that's the best you get.

[maveric]

9. Why do people eat at the Olive Garden, anywhere!

The cream sauces taste like vomit!

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

16. Wooow. I said the same thing to a friend the other day.

Also, why is there a McDonald's in the west village?? it's disturbing.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

30. There are several McDo's in the West Village

You can't escape them. They're everywhere.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

39. come to think of it - you're right

there's one on 6th ave and 14th AND 7th ave and 14th. this, to me, is not necessary.

[JVS]

29. Consistancy

There are a lot of great Italian places in NYC, but it might be a pain in the ass for an unguided visitor to pick a good one and avoid one that is bad. So they decide not to roll the dice and go with what they know.

[maveric]

3. What a poor excuse for Italian food.

Absolutely undigestable! And where do they come up with these chicken and shrimp recipes? I'm Sicilian and never heard of them.
If I brought my Italian relatives to Olive Garden, I'd be sleeping with Luca Brazzi.
:puke:

[hyphenate]

4. I like the Olive Garden

I actually do like the breadsticks, the salad and most things which I've eaten there. Perhaps it's not the same as a mom&pop op, but it has its charms.

[maveric]

7. As an Italian American I must warn you!

Dont eat at the posuer! Mom & Pop's are more authentic and the food will taste better!

[Deep13]

10. Try finding one in East Butfux, Ohio.

:(

[maveric]

11. Are you far from Cleveland or Toledo?

I'm sure they have fine Italian eating establishments there.

[Deep13]

24. Yeah, the east side of Cleveland has a few.

I'm just west of Akron. Little Italy is about a 45 minute drive with traffic and problems parking. It's not worth it just to eat.

[Book Lover]

35. Then learn how to cook it on your own

The standards are almost criminally easy to make; a good ragu sauce made completely from scratch is, tops, 20 minutes of work (though many hours of cooking).

[Ikonoklast]

32. Carrie Cerrinos' in North Royalton

On Ridge Rd. (Ohio Rte. 3). Home-style Italian cooking that isn't Americanized. Last time there for my sisters' 20th anniversary, had some eggplant parmigiana just like my 100% Sicilian great, great grandma used to make.



Bring some money.:thumbsup:

[hyphenate]

20. I do both

I like the Olive Garden if I'm going out shopping during the day and am hitting the mall. It's close, convenient, and my demands are not high. I have found some other restaurants around to go to for other stuff, but OG is still okay for what I want when I'm in a hurry and I'm at the mall or whatever.

You only get certain restaurants close to the malls for the most part that are parts of chains. It's also true in L.A. with my mom, where familiarity helps us to order quick and get out quick. I do admit that I hate Red Lobster, though, because frankly the food sucked. I really miss Souplantation here in New England--in L.A., it was often our first choice.

[WeRQ4U]

6. In smaller towns, where the food choices are to be desired.....

It's not that bad a place to eat.

[maveric]

15. I'm just a Italian food snob from Boston.

And I do realize that in small or remote area you may not have the selections that we in larger ares do.
So excuse me if I come off sounding harsh about OG. My Sicilian Ma and Nana, along with the rich Italian history in Boston have spoiled me.

Peace

[WeRQ4U]

25. I don't doubt it a bit.

Growing up in a North Dakota town of around 20K people, if we were to get an Olive Garden, we would have felt so cultured. Personally, I've never really liked the food either, but I can understand why some may.

[Patiod]

12. Why would they eat there in Philadelphia, either?

Out in the boonies, I actually enjoy Olive Garden - not bad for a chain.

But in Philadelphia, I sometimes want to stand outside and give out directions to places with reasonably priced AUTHENTIC Italian food. Grrr. And if you're a tourist there's even LESS of an excuse!!! Cool orginal local restaurants are on every corner these days! No need to patronize a chain!

(having said that, I absolutely will be one of the first visitors in line for the new "Ted's Montana Grill" on when it opens on Broad Street. It's not like there's a really good little family-run buffalo-meat restaurant only a few blocks away...

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

13. It's okay in a pinch.

If I'm upstate & there's no real italian places... the unlimited breadsticks get me every time. haha.

[Heddi]

14. Where I live, Olive Garden is the only Italian Restaurant

where a couple can go to eat and not pay $75 and up for the bill.

Also, Olive Garden is one of two "Italian" restaurants in my town. I use "Italian" in quotes because neither is authentic Italian. One is just as shitty as Olive Garden, but charges a minimum of $30 a plate for food. Take out a personal loan if you want to get an appetizer.

Sometimes, it's the only place available.

I'm more apt to question why people go to Applebee's and Chili's, which are the lowest of the low as far as cuisine goes. I mean, if you want chicken fingers, get the frozen ones at the grocery store. They're $5 cheaper and the same thing that Applebee's uses.

Oh...and same for Outback...and every other corporate chain restaurant that's found in every city in the US. Again, though, in my town, your choice is Applebee's, Outback, Olive Garden, shitty small-time restaurants that barely get passing grades from the health department, and overpriced chi-chi restaurants that are out of the reach of 90% of the people who live in the town (especially since we have a 13% unemployment rate, and disgustingly low wages).

[baldguy]

17. They don't know any better.

Olive Garden does well in areas where a regular Italian restaurant is too "ethnic".

[Mutley]

18. Breadsticks.

They're like a gift from God.

[Divameow77]

21. I will say that I eat at many

authentic Italian places, but I have an Olive Garden near work and will go for lunch for all you can eat salad and Zuppa Tuscana soup, YUMMY. I agree with the person who said their cream sauce sucks, I never get pasta there.

[Montauk6]

22. Breadsticks and the pasta fagioli soup

[grace0418]

23. I don't consider it Italian food. It's what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.

That's not to say I don't enjoy the soup and salad for lunch once or twice a year, but I don't consider it gourmet by any stretch. Once in awhile I enjoy some Taco Bell tacos, too. It's total junk food but sometimes you crave it. I know plenty of fantastic chefs who crave Doritos on occasion.

I don't have it very often though, because I live in Chicago and there are a million awesome ethnic and gourmet restaurants here. It's one of the few things I love about this city.

[JVS]

27. Fazoli's is the italian taco bell

OG is the italian Chi-Chi's

[LostinVA]

34. Perfect analogy

[Initech]

36. Amen! I've been saying that for years!

I hate the Olive Garden. It's bland, boring, generic Italian food. There's two chains in my town and I'd much rather go to the far superior Romano's than to Olive Garden.

Although there's also a local Italian place that, while far more expensive, knocks both of those restaraunts to the curb!

[JVS]

26. Because a lot of "mom & pop" places aren't any better and cost more

I can only think of 3 places I've been that are significantly better tban olive garden

1. Carmine's in NYC
2. Hoffstott's Cafe Monaco in Oakmont PA
3. More's Restaurant in Oakland PA


I can name two places in Bloomfield (an Italian neighborhood in Pittsburgh) that really aren't any better than Olive Garden
1. The Pleasure Bar (their pizzas are great, but there dinner entrees are nothing special, besides my brother was there alast year and said it had gone down the tubes)
2. Del's

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. Because their students give them gift cards

for free food from the place.

[LostinVA]

33. Masochists

[Orsino]

37. Quality varies.

The OG near my work is just okay, but the one near home has tasty food. It's so crowded, though, that my wife an I usually go to the "real" Italian restaurant instead--though dinners there are at least 30% more expensive.

Yeah, I can see why folks like Olive Garden.

[Medium Baby Jesus]

38. Why do people give a shit what other people like?

:shrug:

[Qanisqineq]

41. That was my question, too (n/t)

[Gold Metal Flake]

40. The salt.

Take out all the salt, and that place would go belly-up in six months.

[Maine-ah]

42. dunno

thought the last time the in laws were there, they got a rather large fingernail in their dinner. I refused to even eat there before they told me about that.