Like some other posters, I’ve not had a meal there in well over 5 years. I’ve only eaten there are hand full of times when I did, for the ‘comfort food’ style of it . But I do recall really liking the chewy bread sticks and the always fresh and vinegary salads.
I was also a fan of their alfredo style pastas with chicken or sausage. The tomato based sauces were pretty bleh, if I recall. I’m sure I’ve even had their grilled chicken and vegetable entrees, which were acceptable, IIRC.
Shame they are no longer what they were. But even if they hadn’t changed a bit, I doubt I’d make the effort to be back even twice in 7 weeks.
I could do this. There’s a relatively new OG about a mile away from my apartment. If I spend $200 for me and my wife to each get one, that sorts out dinner for seven weeks.
Half an hour to go.
Of course, they probably won’t let me buy two in one go (don’t want people scalping them). I’m going to have to be careful. I don’t want to get into a situation where I sort out dinner for just me for seven weeks for $100, and have to spend ten bucks for hers. I don’t think we go through $590 in groceries in seven weeks as it is.
Unfortunately, the site seems to have been sniped by people with faster internet connections than mine. I clicked “Buy Your pass” and it opens to a new browser window that Just. Will. Not. Load.
I realize that the usual ‘endless bowl of pasta’ deal does include soup or salad. But since the Olive Garden site’s page describing the Pass deal doesn’t mention soup or salad (or bread) I’m wondering if they’re included in this special deal.
It’s moot for me, because I’m not buying the pass (with my usual rate of tipping it’s not a good-enough deal to merit the forced march of 11+ visits in seven weeks, even aside from the soup/salad question). As you say, people with the fastest connections will have bought them (some perhaps intending to re-sell them?)
If you offered me $100 to eat there for 7 weeks I’d turn it down. I don’t really like their watered down imitations of Italian food. My wife likes it though.
I like their food well enough and if this was for something with Chicken in it I would be all for it. Trying to limit my carbs so it wouldn’t be for me.
I think it’s a good idea. Like a lot of people on this thread, I used to go to Olive Garden, but for some reason I stopped. I never thought it was bad… just the same ole same ole. I assume the purpose the promotion is to get people who used to go there a lot, to try to get them back as customers. There’s not an Olive Garden too close to me so I’ll pass on the promotion; but the truth is; I can’t think of any mid priced restaurant where I’d take that offer. Now that I’m older and can afford more choices; I get a lot more joy out of trying new restaurants.
If you absolutely must have one of these passes, dozens of them are already being sold on eBay. I just saw one go for over $250. One hopeful seller is has a $399 Buy It Now price.
The fine print actually said that they aren’t transferable. Either there’s no easy way to link a specific card to a specific person without interrogating the customers, or there’s going to be a lot of upset eBay bidders in the near future.
Too bad I’m reading about that now because I’d definitely go for it.
I don’t understand all of the negativity about Olive Garden. Sure, they’re not my first choice for Italian food (the last two times I went was for the salad and breadsticks lunch and that was a long time ago), but I don’t dislike them so much as I have better options. There are two better options close to me, and a third one practically across the street from nearest Olive Garden.
So I’d easily get my money’s worth out of that deal. I could see a couple of dinners and a couple of lunches each week. In fact, knowing that I could come back as often as I’d want to, I would eat less at each sitting than if I was paying for a single evening of all-you-can-eat. The “get my money’s worth” mindset wouldn’t make me try to overeat.
(Also, I’d almost consider it worthwhile just to pay $100 for 7 weeks of doing as few dishes at home as I chose to.)
Seriously. I don’t consider them “authentic Italian”, but it’s decent every once in awhile. Food doesn’t have to be “authentic” whatever just to taste good. Olive Garden isn’t gourmet, but it’s not bad for the price and it beats a frozen pizza, or ramen noodles.
I’d go for it. I love their stuffed mushrooms, and their gnocchi soup is pretty good.
If one ate at an Olive Garden EVERY SINGLE DAY for seven weeks (49 visits) then the per-visit price, given a $250 pass, is about $5.10. Yes, that’s less than what seems to be the normal price of about $10 for the ‘endless bowl of pasta.’ (Though we DON’T have confirmation yet that the pass really does include free soup-or-salad and bread, as opposed to the regular Endless Bowl which definitely includes those things.) You do get a free beverage. So given the every-day premise, the $250 might be worth paying as you’d get about $12 worth of food for $5.10.
(This assumes both that the soup/salad and bread are included–not mentioned on the Pass promotional page–and also that the diner is happy to drink a soda with each meal, as opposed to…something else. Oh, and it also assumes that the pass can be transferred without Olive Garden finding out and expelling you from the Garden.)
But…who is actually going to make 49 visits during those seven weeks? Surely that’s the fly in the salad dressing. Anything fewer than 20 visits in seven weeks, and you’re losing money.
(Also: Anyone who does waltz in every single day had better be a generous tipper; the restaurant staff *will *remember.)
