Fazoli’s is, as near as I can tell, independent. They’re based here in Lexington, KY and are not part of the Red Lobster/Olive Garden axis or any such thing. My first Fazoli’s experience was in Pueblo Colorado, and that was probably in 1995, so they’ve made some progress Westward. The cool part for us locals is that they also own a local Italian restaurant named Bella Notte which is much more upscale. I think they use it as R&D for new ideas for the chain.
[hyjack]
In Canada we don’t have Olive garden anymore, or this Fazoli’s 
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Fazoli’s kept me alive for my first two years of college. I would get a salad and a drink for $2, and they would bring me breadsticks as long as I sat there. I probably ate there four times a week, on average. (Unfortunately, their salads have gone way downhill over the years, to the point of totally inedible. Their croutons still rock, though.)
They are independent and based here in Lexington, KY. (Hey, tpayne!) There are five or six of them here. Bella Notte is, without a doubt, my favorite restaurant in Lexington. (I think they want to go chain with it, and that would be a good thing.)
Dr. J
I haven’t been to Fazoli’s since we moved from the States, but I did enjoy it while we were there. The food isn’t great, but it sure beats burgers or fried chicken for those nights when you’re too busy to cook. The kidlet really liked it, too, which is always a bonus.
Olive Garden sucks, and I say that not just as a disgruntled ex-employee. And you could just buy those “Bread du jour” breadsticks that you get at the supermarket and brush garlic butter on them…same exact thing. And if you make 'em yourself, you’re guarenteed that they haven’t been manhandled by dozens of disgruntled employees and/or dropped on the floor.
boli - deal! Finally, a reason to go to Des Moines. 
wolfman - Joe’s basement – that’s what our server told us too. Nice story, even if it’s not true.
Olive Garden strikes me as acceptable but not very good Italian food. It was reasonably cheap five years ago, but they’ve raised their prices since then, so it’s no longer worth the price. If Fazoli’s is not quite as good as Olive Garden, forget it.
Fazoli’s is not quite as good as the Olive Garden, but it is less than half the price, so it is worth it.
Think of it as the Taco Bell of Italian food.
Dr. J
I have to second the “Olive Garden Sucks” motion. For the price, the food really does bite. Fazoli’s is much better.
I think the point was that Fazoli’s was a fast food place, whereas Olive Garden is a sit-down-type restaurant.
I’m not sure I want to even pay fast-food prices for Italian food that’s not quite as good as Olive Garden. Olive Garden may be a sit-down restaurant, but it’s still got a lousy atmosphere. It’s somewhere between Denny’s and TGI Friday’s.
Fazoli’s…mmmmmmmmmm, slobber, slurp.
Side note to Olive Garden, Ciatti’s and any other so-called “Italian” chain:
PUTTING BIG FREAKIN CRUNCHY HUNKS OF GARLIC BULB IN EVERYTHING DOES NOT ITALIAN FOOD MAKE!
Don’t get me wrong…I love fresh garlic, but as a SEASONING not a VEGETABLE!
For fast, cheap, and not-bad-at-all, Fazoli’s gets a big affirmation from me. I LOVE their baked spaghetti!! Hmmm, Hadn’t decided what to make for dinner, and I drive right past there on the way home… hmmm…
I’m not quite as big of a fan as some here. But it’s all a matter of degree.
Is Fazoli’s as good as a real Italian restaurant (or the Olive Garden, even)? No.
Is it better than spaghetti with a jar of Ragu at home? Very much so.
If it’s not as good as Olive Garden, well…
Olive Garden (except for the soup and salad, which IMO is decent) makes me want to hurl. I think they over-cook their pasta about a day ahead of time
But then again I am in Chicago (well, technically burbs). Grew up on the south side, went to school at University of Illinois at Chicago which is right next to Little Italy (and Greektown, for that matter). OMG, I need a Fontano’s sub right now. Mmmmmmm…
Wow, I didn’t look at this thread until there were 32 replies. “32 different messages telling the OP how bad Fazoli’s sucks?”, I wondered to myself. “I’d better check it out, just to hear the undoubtably creative ways people are ripping on it.”
Much to my surprise, the reaction is mostly positive. I’ve eaten at Fazoli’s in two different towns, and found it to range from mediocre to horrible. Maybe these two locations are just flukes, but damn. It’s been pretty unbelievably bad at times. At best, it’s just bland ameritalian food.
I think the Olive Garden totally sucks too. Maybe I’m just an Italian food snob… (Oh wait, neither one of those is really Italian, per se. Whew.) 
I see there are now a few negative responses in here as well. But overall it still looks pretty favorable. (Assuming everyone’s opinion merits equal weight. 
I think perhaps DoctorJ delivered the concisest summary when he called Fazoli’s the “Taco Bell of Italian food.”
Well, if Colorado is considered “West” they’re out here too.
A) I am a food snob, but I can still appreciate fast-food. I like McBurgers as much as the next guy. I’ve had good (not great, but good) food at Denny’s, IHoP, etc. I don’t have to be eating in The Brown Palace or the Fort (two expensive, great local resturatnts).
B) Maybe it’s just the two Fazoli’s I’ve been to. I’ve been dragged to both locations several times with absolutly consistent results each time.
So, to answer your question:
C) Yes. Fazoli’s not only sucks, it sucks “big green hairy donkey dicks” to paraphrase another thread.
Fazoli’s, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways…
#1) The tomato sauce has the odd, tinny flavor of cheap tomato paste glopped into watery tomato sauce. (One hint, guys. Oregano and garlic salt are wonderful things. But when I eat tomato sauce, I’d like to actually be able to taste some hint of, say…tomatoes, as opposed to the two previously mentioned spices). There’s also not enough of it, giving the odd sensation of hating the flavor but wanting more, simply to moisten the…
#2) pasta. The pasta is either dried pasta that’s been horribly overcooked or the worst homemade pasta I’ve ever had. Doughy and starch-y flavored, the only times it doesn’t have a gummy texture is when they either undercook it or burn it along with the
#3) artificial mozzerella-simulated cheeze-like product. They claim to use real mozzerella cheese, but I’ve never had mozzerella cheese that tasted like this stuff does. And that includes the “mozerella” sticks that come with packages of beef jerky. It’s stringy, plastic-like and not flavorless, exactly, but almost flavorless as opposed to the…
#4)gristly, rubbery meat. As an aside, boiling the ground beef apparently for hours isn’t necessarily the best way to retain flavor and texture, guys.
#5) And just a hint to Fazoli’s for future reference: when making garlic breadsticks, the correct order of the ingredients is: flour/yeast/water/etc for the breadsticks. Bake. Then brush on butter/oil and garlic. Rebake. Serve. Note that after the “rebake” step, I have omitted the infamous Fazoli’s “dunk the rebaked, buttery, garlic breadsticks in raw flour so they don’t stick together” step.
#6) Surly service, slowly given. If it’s not Fazoli’s model, it should be, judging from the quality of their help.
Judging only from the two Fazoli’s at which I’ve eaten, I can confidently say that I think I’d rather eat at Fazoli’s than have sun-baked road-kill.
Unless the road-kill was fresh or something. Then it’d be an improvement.
Blech.
Fenris
Now, this is what I expected when I looked at this thread the first time! Bravo, Fenris!!
I leave for Des Moines this Saturday and will be there least 18 months. Does that mean there are enough Dopers there for a 'fest? Buca di Bepo sounds like a great place to have it - everyone I know says it’s wonderful but I’ve never been.
As for Fazzolis - yeah, as fast food goes it’s a decent meal for a decent price. Nice to have a vegetarian fast-food option other than rubbery white lettuce salads and baked potatoes.
Lucie,
As far as I know, I’m the only one actually in Des Moines. I think AuntiePam might be an hour or two away. But, if you ever want to get together - I’m totally game.
If there’s anything I can do for ya when you get here, just let me know. I think I said something to that effect in the thread welcoming your husband, but I don’t know if he saw it.