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[Zuhzuhzombie!!]

I too go to cheap ass fast food restaurants and complain about the quality of food.

 

[rrs]

Olive garden's only good tasting food are the soups and breadsticks, don't take away what's actually good about it

 

[Slayven]

I don't even particularly like Olive Garden, but I was bummed to hear that Red Lobster was not doing well. A life without cheddar bay biscuits is not a life I want to lead.

 

[Masquerader]

Tsk, it's rather awful when the quality of a menu is detracted pointlessly.

Spoiler

The hashtags in the thread title are FANTASTIC!

 

[Zoe]

They should be like Fazzoli's and just have someone walk around with a basket of bread whenever it's fresh.

 

[ReAxion]

good ol' hedge funds.

 

[Akahige]

They really don't salt the water they cook the pasta in? That's just stupid.

 

[Bacon]

#notallbreadsticks

 

[speculawyer]

I find the fact that someone would write a 300-page rant on Olive Garden distribution of breadsticks, its failure to salt the water used to boil its pasta, and the length of the asparagus to be completely amazing.

Sounds like something a crazy person would do, not stock analysts.

 

[Goro Majima]

Actually the more I think about this, there's no way in hell many of the servers will follow this rule anyway because they won't do anything to jeopardize their tip. Not sure what kind of breadstick control there is in the back of house but I can't imagine them having to bother someone on the line everytime for breadsticks.

 

[ZealousD]

I find the fact that someone would write a 300-page rant on Olive Garden distribution of breadsticks, its failure to salt the water used to boil its pasta, and the length of the asparagus to be completely amazing.

Sounds like something a crazy person would do, not stock analysts.

It went far more in depth than that.

 

[andymcc]

The John Oliver take on this is hilarious.

John Oliver Olive Garden ad.

 

[The Lamonster]

I never go to Olive Garden. Pasta House is way better, right?


or am I missing out

 

[Zombine]

I have like two breadsticks and salad and I'm full.

 

[SliceSabre]

If I'm not getting unlimited breadsticks when I'm going to Olive Garden then what the hell am I going there for?

Like going to Red Loster and not getting unlimited Chedder Bay Biscuits.

 

[slit]

I have like two breadsticks and salad and I'm full.

Then you should have bought that pass they were letting people buy last week. They could've made a lot of money off of you and got Darden out of their financial funk. Then more Olive Gardens will pop up and I can gag everytime I pass one.

 

[Kid Ska]

What kind of monster would suggest less breadsticks

 

[aorange999]

I find the fact that someone would write a 300-page rant on Olive Garden distribution of breadsticks, its failure to salt the water used to boil its pasta, and the length of the asparagus to be completely amazing.

Sounds like something a crazy person would do, not stock analysts.

Its actually an amazing business analysis. Pretty fascinating stuff to look at the core elements that make things run.

 

[Sub_Level]

This is America dammit.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I know basically nothing about cooking. Why is putting salt in your pasta water good? What does it do?

 

[andymcc]

I never go to Olive Garden. Pasta House is way better, right?


or am I missing out

I don't know what pasta house is but olive garden is shit

I know basically nothing about cooking. Why is putting salt in your pasta water good? What does it do?

because the pasta noodles absorb the salt during the cooking process, thus flavoring the noodle. many pasta sauce recipes actually call for the pasta water to be added to the sauce itself, so you have a flavored/starchy water to help loosen sauce instead of just using regular water.

 

[zsswimmer]

Bread gives you a torrential spray of diarrhea? Jeez better stick to mommy's breast milk little baby.

Haha I dont why but I found this pretty funny

 

[FStop7]

Nice to see that Michael Pachter is branching out.

 

[Nikodemos]

I know basically nothing about cooking. Why is putting salt in your pasta water good? What does it do?

It changes the texture of pasta strands, helping them hold the sauce better, as I recall from the admittedly rudimentary alimentary chemistry stuff I once dabbled in.

 

[Brakke]

I find the fact that someone would write a 300-page rant on Olive Garden distribution of breadsticks, its failure to salt the water used to boil its pasta, and the length of the asparagus to be completely amazing.

Sounds like something a crazy person would do, not stock analysts.

Welcome to running a business. When you scale up to Olive Garden size, every single decision matters. It's like UPS not taking left turns. Saving like a sixth of a cent in gas per mile is a Big Goddamn Deal when your fleet drives a metric zillion miles every day.

You can become more profitable either by increasing revenue or by decreasing costs. Here's a bunch of ways to decrease costs, Olive Garden maintains that these costs are justified because they drive revenue.

But yeah, it's all totally silly at a household scale. Fascinating though.

 

[CloudyTuba]

What's the point of going to Olive Garden at all if they aren't overflowing your table with piping hot breadsticks?!

This would be like going to Red Lobster and getting very little cheddar bay biscuit attention.

Without breadsticks on the plenty, Olive Garden may as well not exist. 2 per customer with an extra 2 for the table should be the minimum!

If I'm not getting unlimited breadsticks when I'm going to Olive Garden then what the hell am I going there for?

Like going to Red Loster and not getting unlimited Chedder Bay Biscuits.

For real. Let the breadsticks flow freely or I won't even show up.

 

[andymcc]

Welcome to running a business. When you scale up to Olive Garden size, every single decision matters. It's like UPS not taking left turns. Saving like a sixth of a cent in gas per mile is a Big Goddamn Deal when your fleet drives a metric zillion miles every day.

You can become more profitable either by increasing revenue or by decreasing costs. Here's a bunch of ways to decrease costs, Olive Garden maintains that these costs are justified because they drive revenue.

But yeah, it's all totally silly at a household scale. Fascinating though.

yes but reducing food to that kind of cost-cutting to portion size makes you wonder why you don't just get a bertolli meal for two from the freezer section instead of going to the fucking olive garden

 

[Bubbavelli]

I don't even particularly like Olive Garden, but I was bummed to hear that Red Lobster was not doing well. A life without cheddar bay biscuits is not a life I want to lead.

There's a spot in my hometown where they revolutionized the cheddar biscuit game by making it into a breakfast sandwich

 

[xxracerxx]

Olive Garden is tasteless shit.....bleh.

 

[Zombine]

Olive Garden's chicken parm is interesting. It's like salty chicken. I have never tasted a chicken parm that tastes like theirs.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I don't know what pasta house is but olive garden is shit



because the pasta noodles absorb the salt during the cooking process, thus flavoring the noodle. many pasta sauce recipes actually call for the pasta water to be added to the sauce itself, so you have a flavored/starchy water to help loosen sauce instead of just using regular water.

It changes the texture of pasta strands, helping them hold the sauce better, as I recall from the admittedly rudimentary alimentary chemistry stuff I once dabbled in.

Thanks for the answers, guys! Neat stuff. I guess that explains why the pasta is always so damn bland. I do like that chicken parmesan, though.

 

[NerdEyeBlind]

So they want to ruin the best things about the restaurant (salad and breadsticks)? Like no one goes there for the menu stuff.

In the history of forever, no one has yet to say "Let's go to Olive Garden for some pasta". Nope, never.

But people have said "Let's go to Olive Garden for UNLIMITED pasta!"

 

[rpmurphy]

Is this guy the Michael Pachter of the restaurant industry?

 

[Bigfoot]

The chain hasn't been in Canada for over 10 years now but I have happy memories of the table groaning under the weight of the breadsticks and salad. That was the best thing about olive garden in my memory.

Huh? It's still in Canada. I just ate at one a couple of months ago.

Although I don't go there for the breadsticks (I actually think their pasta is decent), I never turn that extra breadstick down.

 

[Tesseract]

Olive Garden is tasteless shit.....bleh.

i disagree, olive garden is a good night out for everyday men and women looking for a fine dine that won't break the bank. their pasta is exquisite.

 

[DietRob]

But people have said "Let's go to Olive Garden for UNLIMITED pasta!"

"Line your purse with a freezer bag Karen. We're headed to the Olive Garden."

 

[Cels]

i've never been to olive garden or red lobster

those two restaurants are struggling

clearly they need my patronage

 

[andymcc]

their pasta is exquisite.

i, too, love awful alfredo sauce dumped on flavorless noodles

 

[CTE]

Huh? It's still in Canada. I just ate at one a couple of months ago.

Although I don't go there for the breadsticks (I actually think their pasta is decent), I never turn that extra breadstick down.

Yeah. They have them in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Langley BC, and other places. Haven't been back to Winnipeg in 3 years but it was really popular there and had a Red Lobster right beside it. Both locations were swamped daily around dinner time.

 

[Log4Girlz]

What did you do to get a colored tag?

lol

He ate a hamburger that filled him with strength.

 

[Josh7289]

That's what they all say. "I'll bring out more" "You can have as many as you want, whenever I decide to come back"

You two are the first against the Olive Wall when the revolution comes.

Hahahahaha I had to quote this because I thought it was fantastically worded.

People are making such a ridiculously big deal out of this.

 

[Buzzati]

Where is the 500 page capstone thesis delineating how Sizzler went off the proverbial rails with their new corn fritter recipe. Appaling.

 

[Lijik]

Have you played it? Only 3.99 on the App Store. My high score is 42.

Was that high score pre-update or post-update

 

[ZealousD]

Pretty obvious who hasn't actually seen Starboard's criticism of Darden. Read a headline, make an assumption. Let's defend Darden when they don't deserve it, because shareholders are always wrong, or something.

 

[maxcriden]

"Line your purse with a freezer bag Karen. We're headed to the Olive Garden."

Hahah. One time when I was a kid my Mom snuck in popcorn, a whole bag, pretending she was pregnant.

 

[Tesseract]

He ate a hamburger that filled him with strength.

hallowed are the ori

 

[Persona7]

They really don't salt the water they cook the pasta in? That's just stupid.

what does this achieve ?

 

[GoldenEye 007]

what does this achieve ?

Flavor lol.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

what does this achieve ?

No salt in the the pots from corrosion.

Edit:

You add salt for flavor and to help the spaghetti strands.

 

[ckohler]

I really like Olive Garden. I eat there often and enjoy it greatly.