Combination Red Lobster/Olive Garden Restaurant to Save Depressed Community

[meegbear]

Here's depressing news from our nation's most depressing state. Residents of Flagler County, FL are eagerly awaiting the opening of a two-in-one Red Lobster/Olive Garden restaurant, hoping it will provide much needed jobs and revitalize a struggling community.

For the first time, Orlando-based Darden Restaurants is combining two of its most popular chains. Red Lobster with Olive Garden in one building.

More importantly, it's expected to bring in new jobs to an area struggling to put people to work.

Two teens showed up to see if they were hiring yet, which is expected to happen in the next two weeks.

"Everybody is going to try to get these jobs. It's the new business in town and everybody's going to be looking for a job here," said job hopeful Tyler Rush.

There's nothing funny about people being out of work, nothing at all. But that it's a combination of a Red Lobster, home of the 1,280-calorie Admiral's Feast, and an Olive Garden, land of the 1,440-calorie Chicken Alfredo, that a struggling Florida community is turning to as its last best hope is the kind of thing that... well, just sigh. Sigh. I hope you get the job, Tyler. I hope everyone does.

http://gawker.com/5741870/combination-red-lobsterolive-garden-restaurant-to-save-depressed-community

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Red Garden? Olive Lobster? Red Olive? Lobster Garden?

[WinkyDink]

28. In an octopus's garden with you!

[Art_from_Ark]

39. How about a Lobsterpus's Garden?

I'd like to be
In Flori-d
In a Lobsterpus's Garden with you...

[jtown1123]

2. Send this to the White House and your members of Congress. This should depress

the hell out of everyone.

[XanaDUer]

3. So sad...

I mean, how many can they employ? Some are better than, none, of course. And, if the area is struggling financially, how many folks have money to eat out? It's a vicious cycle.

[Erose999]

4. sad state of affairs when a community's survival depends on a chain franchise like that...

the owners are detached from the community, so most of the profit goes to a corporate HQ. Not to mention all the food that will be trucked in from other places. When you think about it, a chain franchise can almost be like a vacuum cleaner sucking up the town's money and giving back less than it takes.

[Erose999]

5. I've never been to Red Lobster, but if they are to "seafood" what Olive Garden is to "Italian food"

I guess I haven't missed much. :P

[pipoman]

18. They are, and you haven't..

[Recursion]

23. I was sitting with my brother-in-law in a pierside Boston seafood place...

...eating lobster (lobstah), and the guy in all seriousness keeps talking about how he's never been to a Red Lobster and he really wants to try it. :facepalm:

[immoderate]

29. Home of greasy shrimp.

And that's before the BP disaster!

--imm

[pipoman]

16. Not exactly

the historic breakdown in a restaurant ticket has been 33% food cost (All of the food you eat from the grocery store or restaurant is "trucked in from other places"..the same place these restaurants get theirs mostly), 33% labor, and 33% overhead and profit combined. The overhead includes real estate, local taxes, utilities, etc. So, by definition the profit will go to the corp, employee compensation isn't profit and it is a larger piece of the ticket by far than the company profit.

[Erose999]

22. Yeah, but employee compensation is money that was already in the town. Part of "overhead" will also

be "profit" for somebody local. So it will benefit the community, but perhaps not as much as a restaurant or business that was locally owned and used more local resources and products. Like a co-op grocery, a farmer's market, or a locally-owned restaurant that used local produce.

It may be a wash though because those businesses don't run as razor thin of a profit margin as a national chain nor do they do the volume of business.

I just resent the notion a lot of establishment types have that a community's welfare comes from trying to "draw in industries and businesses," as if business, commerce, and industry are things from outside, that must be "brought in" and can never be grown locally. Our fine state of GA, for example, just slashed corporate taxes in an effort to get corporations relocate to GA.

[delightfulstar]

31. Darden is a behemoth.

I know...I worked for them for two years. The "day one" insurance benefits were a nice draw, but I couldn't take it anymore.

This is like something that Sprawl Mart would do...it can't be helping the local businesses, which are probably already struggling anyhow.

[IDemo]

6. They should put up this sign:

No breastfeeding next to lobster tank, please

[Scruffy1]

7. This will be a bout as effective as..........

taking in each others laundry.

[Ikonoklast]

8. Jobs that pay little above minimum wage, and have little chance of advancement.

Sad what this country is rapidly becoming.

The Chinese will be pissed when they find out what they bought is worthless.

[Yavin4]

13. And The Workers Won't Be Developing ANY Long Term Job Skills

These jobs do nothing more than keep folks busy until they become unemployed and then unemployable.

[Ikonoklast]

20. I had two sons that both worked for OG for quite a few years.

Both were trainers that went around the country opening new stores, training the newly-hired kitchen staff, teaching them the drill.

They were both asked to move up to store management, and they both declined the offer.

It helped pay for their schooling, I guess that's the best thing I can say about it.




They left as soon as it was possible.

[Yavin4]

32. OG, Red Lobster, Home Depot, Starbucks, etc.

Are all heavily dependent on one thing, consumer spending. With the economy not creating any new jobs and credit drying up, personal consumption will wane, and these businesses will be the first ones to close.

It's great that your kids got something positive out of it, but the rest of the workers won't. And, when the layoffs eventually happen, they will have to re-train for another position somewhere else.

[marmar]

9. Crappy food to the rescue.....

nt

[slackmaster]

10. Will each side have its own smoking section, or will there be just one shared area?

:hide:

[msanthrope]

12. Will there be a breastfeeding section next to it???? n/t

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

11. Fettuccine Alfredo Mountain Oysters with a...

side of fried Rocky Mountain Calamari


The question is where to get the ingredients:evilgrin:

[pipoman]

19. here...

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

21. Thanks for the picture!

:thumbsup:

[itsrobert]

14. If only they can combine a Taco Bell and Massage Parlor

They get you comming and going.

[BOG PERSON]

15. i thought this was going to be an article from the Onion

[KamaAina]

17. How can this not be from The Onion?

I mean, seriesly, teh Olive Garden as a redevelopment strategy?

I think the :popcorn: is gonna be unlimited just like the breadsticks, :P

[GSLevel9]

24. I ADORE the Suppa Toscano at OG... nt

[cascadiance]

25. And Darden foods who owns these two chains have been big time Republican advertisers...

... sponsoring Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh, and dropping sponsorhip of Letterman when he made comments on Bristol Pailin

[jwirr]

26. Is this area of FL big on snow birds? If so then this may work but

most families are cooking at home to save money. Seniors are still eating out. Our restaurants would not survive here if not for the seniors. Not that we have a lot of money but we hate to cook for one.

[steve2470]

27. It is big on snowbirds and retirees, yes nt

[Katarina]

33. Yes

I live in Flagler County. It's full of retirees and snow birds. We have the highest unemployment in the state. A good majority of this county was construction jobs and when the real estate collapsed so did our County. I was told over 3000 people applied for jobs at this restaurant. That says so much about the state of the economy here.

Here is an article from a local news source about how bad it actually is here in Flagler at this time.
http://flaglerlive.com/16926/flagler-unemployment-dec-2010

It's really depressing to see...so many houses empty and uncared for. It's been a very rough few years for all of us living here.

As an aside...there are a shit ton of fucking tea-baggers here...but they are all old and retired so what the fuck do they care about the rest of us suffering and trying to hold our lives together. Can you tell I'm bitter?

[jwirr]

35. Can't blame you for feeling that way. I am fortunate enough to live in

liberal country or I would feel the same.

[steve2470]

30. fun factoid about Red Lobster: they refuse to put dessert prices on the menu.

Yea, that offends me.

[RagAss]

34. Oh No..... Call Congress Right Now !!!!!!!

[JCMach1]

36. Flagler County is on the Ocean... Seriously, anyone who eats at a Red Lobster

that close to the 'real' thing should be hung out to dry!

As for Olive Garden... don't even get me started.

[Mimosa]

37. I wouldn't eat at either but I'm not snobby about other people's choices.

I'm a pretty good chef. My grandmother and stepfather had owned and managed independent restaurants.

I'm not a fan of chains but people who work for independently owned 'family restaurants' don't get better benefits than the 'passing through' employees who mainly staff chains.

And so what if some dishes are high calorie? Nobody eats that stuff all that often. Going to Red Lobster tends to be special occasion for most.

The dishes to die for at K-Paul's or Galatoires in New Orleans aren't likely to be low fat either.

I'm sure even at Red Lobster one can order broiled or grilled entrees.

[Hannah Bell]

38. that's sad. looking for the jobs at a red lobster to "revitalize" the community.

how many jobs could there possibly be, 40?