# Is Oliver Garden BAD? Why the loathing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967 "2009-09-21T18:12:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/121 "2009-09-23T03:49:41Z")
I think I’ve been to Olive Garden maybe 6 times in my life. I like their salad and breadsticks… their food has some nice flavor contrasts, but in the end, it is test kitchen food. It’s high end, for what it is… LCD (Least Common Denominator.) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/122 "2009-09-23T04:00:26Z")
I like their bottomless soups, whether it’s the _Pasta e Fagiole_, the minestrone, or the _Zuppa Toscana_ (_Zuppe Toscana_ is best, IMHO), and I really like their eggplant parmagiana. [OTOH, they think it’s okay to make a dish with chicken and no shrimp and call it “scampi”.](http://www.olivegarden.com/menus/details/menu_item.asp?menu_item_id=4458&secname=dinner) That there is worthy of at least SOME loathing. Don’t get me started on how Costco managed to find “loins” on a fish. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/123 "2009-09-23T05:56:04Z")
Just came in here to say that it took me an embarrassingly long time to notice the typo in the thread title. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/124 "2009-09-23T17:32:04Z")
I wish they had had an Olive Garden in the part of Italy I visited. The local restaurants were fairly shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/125 "2009-09-23T17:56:31Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I wish they had had an Olive Garden in the part of Italy I visited. The local restaurants were fairly shit. What part would that be, praytell? I’m not getting on your case - Italian restaurants varied in quality when I was there, just like anywhere else. But I am interested to know how you managed to dine so poorly in a country that has a reputation for decent food. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/126 "2009-09-23T18:40:49Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > What part would that be, praytell? > > I’m not getting on your case - Italian restaurants varied in quality when I was there, just like anywhere else. But I am interested to know how you managed to dine so poorly in a country that has a reputation for decent food. Ravello, near Naples. In all fairness though at the time I was a vegetarian (now a fish eating hypocrite) and the vast majority of cuisine in the local restaurants was predicated on seafood. Only so many overpriced mozerella and tomato sandwiches a body can eat. If I went there now I don’t think I’d have the same problem. But even without that the fare was overpriced and not what any Irish person would expect from “Italian” cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8797f3/32.png) [@Brainiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/127 "2009-09-23T19:06:58Z")
I think their food is great, and it’s especially nice when taking my daughter out, because she’s a vegetarian and they have a lot of meatless entrees she likes. Personally, I don’t care if “true” Italians like it. I know Italian-Americans like it, and that’s what I liked growing up and eating in Italian family restaurants. When I went to Italy I was not fond of their versions of anything. They won’t eat my favorite foods there, so why should I be forced to eat theirs here? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/128 "2009-09-23T19:38:12Z")
You know, **devilsknew** , there’s no reason for you to be so insulting. I shared the photo in fun. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/129 "2009-09-23T20:22:10Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > But even without that the fare was overpriced and not what any Irish person would expect from “Italian” cuisine. You remember the joke about the Irish spicerack, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/130 "2009-09-23T20:24:12Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > fish eating hypocrite Band name! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/131 "2009-09-23T20:40:40Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > You remember the joke about the Irish spicerack, right? > > 😉 I don’t, you racist. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/132 "2009-09-23T21:44:44Z")
**Left Hand** , what you have to keep in mind is that people are equally likely to be disappointed in a dinner meeting at the “great little Mexicali place” or the world-class veggie restaurant. We’ve been to some of those Mexicali places, and I pretty much sat there watching my husband eat because everything on the menu sounded…utterly disgusting, frankly. Either full of raw tomatoes or cilantro or some other ingredient I despise, or a combination thereof. And a lot of the stuff on the menu at the veggie places we’ve been to is only appealing if you don’t want any protein or are okay with various meat substitutes. That’s the thing about Olive Garden–I’ve known a lot of people who were lukewarm about Italian food, but nobody who _hated_ it the way a lot of people _hate_ Mexican or Chinese or meat substitutes or whatever. The foodier folks may be underwhelmed, but it’s really unlikely anybody’s going to be actively offended unless the place is having a seriously off night. From that perspective, it’s a _much_ safer bet for a large group than just about any other ethnic food. (Of course, if I were planning a meeting I’d go for someplace like Tupelo Honey, but that’s really neither here nor there.) As for why people loathe Olive Garden, I think it’s because they live in area with a lot of Italian-descended residents and thus a lot of great little mom-n-pop Italian places to choose from. What is merely mediocre suddenly looks appallingly bad when compared to something that’s great. Of course, by the same token, a large part of the country doesn’t have significant Italian population and thus has very few independent Italian restaurants. Many of the ones that are there are pretty crappy because they don’t have any competition until Olive Garden comes to town. Just as mediocrity looks horrible in comparison with greatness, it looks pretty goddamn great when compared with true crappitude. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/133 "2009-09-23T21:55:53Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I don’t, you racist. Moderator interveneth: I’m assuming this is a joke, but it’s in poor taste. Personal insults – even as jokes – are not permitted in this forum. This thread has already had one mod note to cool things down. Here’s the second such. There’s entirely too much personal comment here. You can discuss a restaurant, surely, without making derogatory comments about someone who disagrees with you.’ Last “friendly warning” for this thread. If there’s a next time, it will be Warnings. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/134 "2009-09-23T22:07:50Z")
I went to OG yesterday. It was not my choice, but I went. I had a bowl of whole wheat linguine (relatively interesting texture but far too salty) with a “parmesan florentine” sauce that had, I’m going to just ballpark, maybe 5 baby spinach leaves in the whole bowl, cut into tiny pieces. (Their cooks seem to forget that spinach wilts down to nothing.) It too was horribly salty. As were the breadsticks. And there was so much salt and vinegar in that salad dressing from hell that my mouth puckered. I drank four glasses of water in the span of an hour lunch. Less than $1.00 worth of food (10 cents of which was for the salt) for which I paid $12.00. An overpriced, oversalted ripoff. That’s OG in a nutshell. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/135 "2009-09-23T22:21:29Z")
I’m not sure why Americans have such a problem with saying that some food is “better” than others. Major league teams are better than minor league, Broadway shows are better than High School productions, and BMWs are better than Chevys. Good food requires good ingredients, a good palate, and training. OG is a minor league type restaurant. They use lots of pre-prepared foods and recipes that can be cooked by chefs without much training. They may be a good value for the money, or a good place to go with a diverse group, but they are not, and do not strive to be, a great restaurant. I am lucky enough to have some great Chinese restaurants in my neighborhood, but sometimes I also eat at Panda Express because it is quick and cheap. The only time I would turn up my nose is if someone over 12 said OG was their favorite restaurant. That shows a lack of imagination and curiosity about the world that I never understood. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/136 "2009-09-23T22:24:44Z")
In general I’m underwhelmed by OG, for a lot of the reasons cited in this thread. I don’t hate it, but it’s a chain, and it’s provided me with many very mediocre versions of dishes I love. However I will say I had one top-notch experience there. It occurred the day the Mrs. and I and our two kids skipped breakfast, and started what we thought would be a brief hike outside of Sedona, Arizona. Well, the hike was so beautiful, we had to continue to the end. 7 miles later, we reached the far point of the trail, and stopped to snack on our supplies we’d carried in only to discover we had a quarter bag of stale doritos and a vial of glucose tablets. We hiked out, jumped in the car, headed towards where we thought the nearest restaurant was, but lost our way and ended up driving 90 minutes before we saw our very first place to get something, anything to eat. It was an Olive Garden. At 4 PM. We were starving. It was very, very tasty to us. Hunger is indeed the best sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/137 "2009-09-23T22:28:54Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > **Left Hand** , what you have to keep in mind is that people are equally likely to be disappointed in a dinner meeting at the “great little Mexicali place” or the world-class veggie restaurant. We’ve been to some of those Mexicali places, and I pretty much sat there watching my husband eat because everything on the menu sounded…utterly disgusting, frankly. Either full of raw tomatoes or cilantro or some other ingredient I despise, or a combination thereof. And a lot of the stuff on the menu at the veggie places we’ve been to is only appealing if you don’t want any protein or are okay with various meat substitutes. > > That’s the thing about Olive Garden–I’ve known a lot of people who were lukewarm about Italian food, but nobody who _hated_ it the way a lot of people _hate_ Mexican or Chinese or meat substitutes or whatever. Except this thread is full of people who hate it. People tend to think that it satisfies some sort of lowest-common-denominator criterion; that’s the point I disagree with. It doesn’t satisfy that, because people have every bit as much a right to despise OG’s bland mushy oversalted food as you have to despise the Mexicali place’s raw tomatoes and cilantro. The converse (that people have a right to love both OG and raw tomatoes) is of course true. But I hate it when OG is chosen as a restaurant on the mistaken assumption that everyone will be okay with it. **CK** , if good-natured mock insults are no longer allowed, please make a clearer rule about it. I’ve seen such insults around these parts for about a decade without anyone making a fuss about it, and I think it’d be a terrible idea to start now. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/138 "2009-09-24T03:06:30Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Except this thread is full of people who hate it. People tend to think that it satisfies some sort of lowest-common-denominator criterion; that’s the point I disagree with. It doesn’t satisfy that, because people have every bit as much a right to despise OG’s bland mushy oversalted food as you have to despise the Mexicali place’s raw tomatoes and cilantro. > > The converse (that people have a right to love both OG and raw tomatoes) is of course true. But I hate it when OG is chosen as a restaurant on the mistaken assumption that everyone will be okay with it. > > **CK** , if good-natured mock insults are no longer allowed, please make a clearer rule about it. I’ve seen such insults around these parts for about a decade without anyone making a fuss about it, and I think it’d be a terrible idea to start now. I didn’t say nobody hated Olive Garden, I said nobody hated Italian food. There is a not particularly subtle and rather important difference. Italian is a pretty common choice for group outings because nobody actively hates it and there’s typically a wide variety of veggie and meat dishes, so everybody ought to be able to find something they would _theoretically_ like. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/139 "2009-09-24T03:46:51Z")
Olive Garden wouldn’t be half bad if they would stop putting melted cheese on top _everything_, even steak. That’s not Italian. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967/140 "2009-09-24T05:37:21Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > The only time I would turn up my nose is if someone over 12 said OG was their favorite restaurant. That shows a lack of imagination and curiosity about the world that I never understood. Why couldn’t it show a lack of opportunity to try new restaurants regularly? And “food” is not synonymous with “the world”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-oliver-garden-bad-why-the-loathing/510967.md?page=8)