The curse, my curse in life is to have bad service in restaurants. No matter what. Let this be a warning to everyone: If you ever decide to take the risk of eating out in public with me, it is guaranteed that we will have bad service, the cooks will go on strike or it will take over an hour to get seated because your name "conveniently" was lost on seating list. Let me apologize in advance for what some of you have already experienced, or may someday experience with me in the future. It isn't something I can control, it just happens! Just ask Gayle, she was welcomed as a visitor into Salt Lake with a plate-full of spaghetti in her lap. Yeah, that was NOT cool.
I thought the curse had subsided a little bit, I thought that maybe just once I would be able to go into a restaurant and have an extremely pleasant experience. I was wrong ... it's back in full force.
Monday night BSC and I decided to avoid cooking at home by going to the Olive Garden for dinner. Though I'm usually not the biggest fan of Olive Garden, I do enjoy eating there every once in a while ... plus I had a HUGE craving for their salad (I would argue that it is perhaps one of the best salads in the world). So my entire reasoning for going to this restaurant was for the salad, which is supposed to come with every meal. Well, not tonight! BSC ordered something from the dinner entree list, while I ordered the appetizer trio for my meal -- which is the same price as a lot of entrees on the menu. Now, every single time I've eaten at the Olive Garden, no matter what I order, the waiter/waitress will bring a huge bowl of salad for the entire table to share with unlimited refills. Not this time. For some reason the waiter didn't like me. I don't know why, but he didn't. Here's how the dialog went:
Me
Waiter
BSC
"I would like the appetizer trio with 1, 2, and 3."
"Would you like to add a salad with that for $4.95?"
"I thought it came with a salad."
"Not appetizers."
"Oh, but even if I order this as my entree?"
"No."
"Dear, you can have my salad."
"Ok, I'll just have his salad then."
"Well, I'm sorry, if you have his salad, then you will have to pay for a refill."
He took BSC's order and then the waiter walked away. I was completely and totally flabbergasted (I like that word) that he would tell us that we had to pay for a refill on my husband's so-called bottomless salad. I'm sorry, but it's not the waiter's business who eats the salad. We paid for it with BSC's dinner entree, he should be able to give it to me if he doesn't want it!
The waiter finally brought out the salad. The large salad bowl isn't even 1/4 of the way full. I poured the entire bowl onto my small salad plate and finished it in about 5 minutes ... and of course I immediately wanted a refill, but I was NOT going to pay $4.95 for a salad that should have come with my husband's meal. NOT GONNA DO IT!
Dang, now I want one of their salads again.
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9 comments:
this is why my husband prefers us to stay away from restaurant chains, they are into "mass quantitiy, low quality"...
sorry your salad sucked, but it does sound good, eh?
Seriously!!! I've done the same thing and they waiter has informed me that the pizza or appetizer doesn't come with the meal but they usually bring me some anyways.
Please tell me you didn't leave a good tip or tip at all!! I wouldn't have.
i bet his tip was stellar.
by the way, if you get a chance and decide to tempt fate again by going back there, order the chocolate almond amore drink. it. is. awesome.
last time i was at olive garden we had a negative salad experience too . . . but they sure are good!!!
mmmmm, now i am hungry!
Everytime I eat at the Olive Garden (not just me - anyone in our family) I get a horrible upset stomach.. so Olive Garden.. BLOW ME!!!
But I do love the olives in those salads!! What do they care who eats the stupid salad?
whenever i think about olive garden, i imagine the breadsticks...all warm and super garlicky. and whenever i actually go to olive garden, and get so excited about the breadsticks, i seem to be given the ones with NO BUTTER AND GARLIC on top...so have i just idealized the breadsticks? or do i have bad breadstick karma?
also, i almost just accidentally typed "breastdick." that would have been awesome.
I found your blog through Holli - good stuff. I always thought the name Olive Garden was ironic because I love olives, and I love their salads, but they never have more than about 2 olives in that giant bowl. "Olive" Garden my ass!
that is stupid
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