Olive Garden: Love it or Leave it?

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2

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  • Mike_take2
    Mike_take2 Posts: 2,150 Member
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    Hate it! Overpriced, high calorie, and loaded with sodium
  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Leave it...pretty low grade "Italian" food IMO. I'm not a big fan of institutionalized franchise chains anyway and prefer mom and pop shops. As franchises go, OG would be pretty far down on my list in terms of quality cuisine...I'd put it right there with Red Lobster in the dungeon of franchise food.

    Whereas Red Lobster is my other guilty pleasure in the category of "bad chain food."

    I love those cheesy garlic biscuits.

    Actually, looking at my posts in this thread, it would seem that free, very salty bread is a weird weakness of mine.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Most of their food is really not healthy in the preparation - I would rather make the same things myself but without all the oily buttery mess.
  • EggToni
    EggToni Posts: 190 Member
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    I used to really like their Steak Gorgonzola, and I think their breadsticks are bland. My favorite Italian place is near Disneyland named Marri's. MMmmmmm good.
  • Caporegiem
    Caporegiem Posts: 4,297 Member
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    JeepHair77 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Leave it...pretty low grade "Italian" food IMO. I'm not a big fan of institutionalized franchise chains anyway and prefer mom and pop shops. As franchises go, OG would be pretty far down on my list in terms of quality cuisine...I'd put it right there with Red Lobster in the dungeon of franchise food.

    Whereas Red Lobster is my other guilty pleasure in the category of "bad chain food."

    I love those cheesy garlic biscuits.

    Actually, looking at my posts in this thread, it would seem that free, very salty bread is a weird weakness of mine.

    They have pretty good mozzarella sticks too, how did I forget that in the great mozzarella stick debate last week.
  • Carillon_Campanello
    Carillon_Campanello Posts: 726 Member
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    Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »
    I havent been to olive garden in almost 30 years.

    20 here...and I had to race home to shat out the garden.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Carillon_Campanello wrote: »
    Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »
    I havent been to olive garden in almost 30 years.

    20 here...and I had to race home to shat out the garden.

    The last time I went to OG I was in the Marines...my buddies and I thought it was "fancy" and would take the girls there...so just over 20 years here too.
  • Sivadee00
    Sivadee00 Posts: 428 Member
    edited June 2017
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    I have not been to OG in a long time. I remember once we took a friend there for her birthday. She ate a lot and maybe because the portions were small. Anyway, I remember the bill was astoundingly high. My family and I decided not to return. The breadsticks and Alfredo sauce were the only memorable part of the meal as far as taste goes.
  • beagletracks
    beagletracks Posts: 6,035 Member
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  • mcafton
    mcafton Posts: 190 Member
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    it's ok. not a huge fan. my brother and his wife always want to go there. :/
  • relynne
    relynne Posts: 387 Member
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    Gross. I don't eat at chain restaurants anymore anyway, but I never really liked it when I did.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,492 Member
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    relynne wrote: »
    Gross. I don't eat at chain restaurants anymore anyway, but I never really liked it when I did.

    chain restaurants are only good when you're traveling and in the middle of nowhere and don't want to be challenged by food choices. they are typically bland, boring and void of flavor or character, yet predictable.
  • Vikka_V
    Vikka_V Posts: 9,563 Member
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    I haven't seen one in years, but I used to love them 'cause I basically only eat the salad and bread.
  • JeanieWww
    JeanieWww Posts: 4,037 Member
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    I haven't been in a long time, but I liked it.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I ate at Olive Garden once in 1999. That was the only time I have eaten there. The food was okay. I think I had ravioli.
    I just don't go to restaurants much and the closest Olive Garden is about an hour drive.
  • JosephPulaski
    JosephPulaski Posts: 304 Member
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    It's garbage
  • SoulRadiation
    SoulRadiation Posts: 1,060 Member
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    I like it, and so do my kids...but I really don't like it enough to wait 30-45 minutes.
  • dc8066
    dc8066 Posts: 1,439 Member
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    I could tolerate it for lunch, salad and breadsticks or soup and breadsticks.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
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    I used to love olive garden, then I started visiting more locally owned small resturants, and eventually only eating out a few times a year, Husband and I went to olive garden last year and thought it was awful now. Especially the zuppa toscana soup, we make a copycat recipe and ours is 500X better. I will not return again.
  • Just_J_Now
    Just_J_Now Posts: 9,551 Member
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    It's okay to me. I wouldn't go there regularly....maybe if I'm hungry and in the neighborhood or something. I would definitely not wait in line for it.

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