Resturaunts

Olive Garden has gone way downhill these last few years. I don’t know what has happened. First they had the lettuce containing the E. coli causing people to get sick. Then the last time I was there one of the waiters dropped the cheese grater on the ground. As if that isn’t horrible enough the cheese also fell out of the cheese grater! When the waiter picked up the cheese and the cheese grater I assumed he would toss the cheese and maybe send the cheese grater back to the kitchen to be washed. You would think that they would throw it away and that would be the end of it, but NO! The waiter put the cheese back in the cheese grater, so now anyone who gets that cheese gets “dirty” cheese. I don’t know about you but I like parmesan on my pasta, but that particular visit I passed.

               I remember when I was a little girl and I would always want to go to the Olive Garden, by Barnes and Noble, for my birthday meal. It was a family tradition. Seeing what allowed me to make a decision. I’m not going to go choose to Olive Garden for fear of food poisoning with some floor cheese on top.

               When I think of a nice family restaurant I think of good food (without E. coli), dressing nice for the occasion, and everyone having a good time.  On my last visit, Olive Garden fell short on all of those things. I can’t bring myself to order the salad and cheese anymore because of the E. Coli and the potential for  floor cheese on my salad, and I can’t have a good time when the whole time I am worrying about the food.

               Also in regards to Olive Garden being a nice family restaurant, I have seen families come in dressed in Sweat-shirts and yoga pants. Can you believe that! At least I wear restaurant worthy pants. In my opinion Olive Garden doesn’t qualify for yoga pants yet, but they are close.

               In all fairness to Olive Garden they do have some nice things. The bread sticks are great. They are always warm and fluffy.  They are also very kid friendly. They have kid coloring pages and a kid menu. Although they could probably raise the age of when you have to stop getting things from the kid menu. I think that they have gigantic portions and if you want a smaller portion you are able to get one.  Their food taste pretty good. I usually sick with the ravioli or the fettuccini alfredo.

               Olive Garden food prices are a little high, with the least expensive dish over $10.  Can you believe that?!? I would have to babysit at least 3 to 4 hours to enough money for an entrée and drink.

               Sometimes the tables we eat at are not the cleanest. I have a friend who put her hand under the table and got gum all over her hand! That is so so gross. I will never put my hand underneath a table after hearing that.  Even at a fancy restaurant.

               When I walk into Olive Garden the first thing I notice the cold temperature.  It feels like it is colder than Alaska inside (even though I have never been to Alaska). You have to have at least five layers on and a heater right next to you to be warm. They must think that it is a hundred degrees outside and that you’re going to die of heat stroke if you aren’t in an air conditioned environment, even when it is the middle of winter. I believe, that is why people aren’t wearing dresses or skirts anymore because when they are done and leave Olive Garden they also leave with hypothermia.

               I think that if Olive Garden rectified a few current issues like lowering the cost of food, increased their food quality so it didn’t include e. coli and floor cheese that it would be better. They also would need to increase the temperature of the restaurant and change the kid’s menu age limit. I think that maybe then people would start viewing it as a nicer restaurant again and wear nicer clothes. Then maybe, just maybe, I would consider going back, but there would have to be major changes to the restaurant in order for that to happen.