@@mtavassoti it's mexican not spanish 😭..... Hispanic means from Spain and maybe???? Portugal too. Not sure thooo. But if Taco Bell and Mexican food is Hispanic then ....so is Brazilian food. And THAT doesn't make sense....At all....
I use to work at olive garden and I can tell you, the bread is brought in by a truck and warmed up, its not even fresh. And they have food sitting in a room already made half the time.
It's a relatively cheap, halfway decent sit down dinner. That's why people go there. It's a step up from fast food. And you know what you're getting no matter where in the US you are. And there was a mini boom of these types of places in the 90s so a lot of us have nostalgia for it.
As someone who has lived in the US their whole life and has eaten from Olive Garden on a number of occasions, I can say that the reason why my Family goes there is because it is the closest thing you can get from eating at a fancy restaurant with kids and one of my family‘s personal favorite parts is that you always leave with a full tummy and even some leftovers that you can have for tomorrow’s dinner (or some other time) also love there breadsticks
So this is both true and false go to a restaurant that is local and somewhat fancy for the price of olive garden you can go to a local place and have food that's 10x better. The only reason olive garden is seen as better is good advertising. Go somewhere that doesn't need an ad and the food is the ad
I go to Olive Garden because it was the special place my mom and I went to when my sister and dad were gone (my sister’s gluten free and can’t have the breadsticks and my dad doesn’t like pasta). It holds sentimental value for me. Memories of eating shell noodles with Alfredo sauce, shrimp, and cheese when I was a little kid. It’s not Italian food, but it’s my food.
Honestly olive gardens are a staple “nice night out” for a lot of broke families like mine. For birthdays, anniversaries or graduations. Just the nice feeling for going to a slightly more affordable sit down place that had nicer/cleaner food. Genuinely nobody goes there for authentic Italian food, but the more of the jist of it. For people saying it’s more expensive than whatever or make it at home for cheaper whatever its not about that. It’s about GOING OUT. The feeing of not eating chicken and rice for the 20th time that week. It’s about sitting at a table with ur family where the environment is nicer than an arbys and the food isn’t something u would have everyday. A luxury that u don’t get everyday or that isn’t accessible to u everyday. People find a way to point out a problem in everything.
It seems to me though that it's not even the best option for broke families though. I went for the first time in a while with my girlfriend and some friends and we payed about 1.5x more than we would have at the nicer and locally owned Italian place a few miles over.
Totally agree. Also, some small towns literally have only Olive Garden, Applebees, or Red Lobster to choose from. I think people forget how huge our country is and the fact that there’s a million small towns with very few options.
@@Chronacode bro what? olive garden is not fast food. a few reddit stories from cashiers and waiters/waitresses have said the desserts are frozen, which could be true, but other than that everything’s made in the kitchen. plus the comment said, closest some families can afford. olive garden is definitely not on the same level as, for instance, burger king (an actual fast food place) in price or quality
@@ethanh116 bro they prepare their food daily they just reheat it Daily does not sound fresh to me with most of the food items on the menu Additionally, they're the "italian" panda express or taco bell Their food isn't authentic at all yet they claim to be Italian Either way, its reheated The only justifiable thing to reheat would be their "meatsauce", because (at least real Italian meatsauces) take a few hours, but the rest takes few minutes I've heard that when it comes to some of their food items they sometimes just wait because of how quick it is to prepare bc they just take the 8 hours "sauce" that takes few minutes to make Make, not reheat Put (obviously) precooked "pasta" in it and warm it up It's just a fast food version of fine dining and their food is overall disgusting What is interesting enough is that some places with better quality food thats also actually italian and is fresh (and not random shit put together and called italian like olive garden does) are actually cheaper and have a better experience
For some reason the Olive Garden ambiance is relaxing, i like going there because it reminds me of being a kid. Obviously Italian food tastes completely different, but Olive Gardens got that comfort food that just makes you wanna go home and take a good nap 😴
Bread sticks, marinara, salad, and the minestrone soup. Their sangria is bomb if you like wine, brandy, and lots of chunks of fruit. Just, yum! That's why *I* eat there.
Every culture does their own “spin” on every other cultures’ food. When I was in Japan, I ate a lot of Japanese Italian food and enjoyed it just the same. I preferred to appreciate the things it did right than being negative all the time about the fact that it wasn’t authentic. Not everyone can afford that and not to mention it can be difficult to find in a country that is filled with its own people with their own general tastes and likes unique to them.
God cannot accept imperfectness and we are imperfect cause we are sinners. People need salvation because god is perfect. God loves sinners (us) so much that his son Jesus Christ died in the cross for our sins so we can repent and follow him. The door is still open to this day! But there will be a time where that door will be shut. We cannot earn our salvation through good things we do. Salvation is through repenting of your sins, believing on what Jesus Christ did, and follow his ways. This is the gift from god here. Jesus became sin and died so we can have a clean record. John 3:16 For god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Also gotta remember it is somewhat affordable in terms of a “nice” sit down restaurant. Sometimes this is what’s in their budget in terms of Italian food in their area.
@discord stuff in the netherlands we eat a ton of sandwich bread which is in the classic shape but its still real bread, no preservatives whatever. And when i went to america it also tasted like cake, absolutely vile
Why not? They could at least fo some things right, most of the authentic versions cost WAY less to make, you have a different palate from people her in Italy so of course you'd change and adjust things UT when you say authentic that's kinda insulting. Imagine if I took a couple vegetables, burned them on fire and called ir "true American barbecue". I can do what I want and maybe I'd love it but saying "authentic" is spitting in the face of the real thing, hope you get what I'm saying
@@RevolverOcelot2008 huh? Lol Applebees is “American” so it’s implied by calling it “an Italian Applebees.” Both are truly only about one step up above a Dennys..
As a person who’s lived in the same area of America my entire life I can just say we go to Olive Garden whenever we’re in a big group. We never really eat there if it’s just four of us, it’s always 6 or more people whenever we eat at an Olive Garden. We mainly go here in groups because it has such a large and nice interior and it works well for groups. It’s also good so we could all split meals and save money, I personally always get the soup and salad.
I've stooped going to olive garden because of the group thing because my family would go there as a family of 7 now we are a family of 5 so we just don't go anymore
Olive garden isn't terrible it's sad to say but it's still has people who care I've gone to "true" Italian places for more in price and it was shit u can sit there and judge but what they do is good food for a great price
No it’s not authentic Italian food but the memories of going there every single birthday with people who are no longer here anymore bring me happiness I can still enjoy something we all loved 💜 This also happens to be me and my husbands first date spot go here every anniversary
idk i feel like he always wonders why americans eat at these places, when i think it’s pretty obvious. a lot of us have never had authentic italian food or any other foods from around the world. to me this food is really good because i’m not particularly wealthy and have never really had the opportunity to purchase “better” food to compare it to. maybe it’s just me but i wish more people who do reviews like this would take into account the decent cost and high availability of these restaurants, to better understand the main question of why americans eat at these places, instead of making it seem like we just enjoy “subpar” food. (not hating btw, just providing some feedback and my opinion)
Exactly and you're not hating at all!! He's been all over the world and expects every food to be up to his taste buds, to some people going out to a cheap restaurant around the block is a treat, a time to bond with their family, only thing they can do to celebrate their achievements!!
I agree. Eating out is more expensive in the US than many places, and we have way more poor people than most developed countries. These places are cheap and have big portions. But also it is genuinely sad that this is the situation we have - big business has left a large portion of the country with a taste for big portions of unhealthy subpar food and that’s worse for culture and health. It’s sad that so much of the US is parking lots and strip malls with chain restaurants. But there are reasons for that, economic policies etc., it’s not just that so many people decided that’s what they prefer with no context.
I happen to love Olive Garden and their food. My friend and I went twice and we both enjoyed one of their best selling soups which is their Chicken Gnocchi. I also enjoyed their Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara which is served over spaghetti. Their service was fantastic and we had a super nice waitress!
Not everyone can afford to go to Italy or be snobbish about how “authentic” their food is. Olive Garden serves Italian inspired food to middle class America. I find it off putting when people eat these types of food with distain on their face. The bread may not be homemade and the they may not use high quality imported olive oil from Italy, but it doesn’t taste bad; it is not inedible garbage. For many people, particularly middle America, this is as close as they can get to Italian food due to geographic and economic limitations.
Also it imitates somewhat of a fancy restaurant, good food, but less quality and prices. People go there for the feel of an expensive meal and it really works
But then again that’s your opinion, now don’t take it the wrong way but it’s just that some people like things that other people don’t and I don’t think he is from the U.S. so pretty sure he’s not used to that restaurant. But think of it this way; your best friend LOVES mushrooms but you despise them and would prefer higher quality mushrooms, would you be mad at your friend if they said “not everyone can afford truffle mushrooms so quit being ungrateful and quit making that face” I mean idk if it changes anything but try not to criticize people for not liking a restaurant that you like.
@@-purpleapples-2835 you’re not wrong but your analogy is really weird lol. Not liking mushrooms is different than being snobby about mushrooms. And, truffles are so much more powerful than regular mushrooms, I just can’t imagine anyone who would like truffles and not mushrooms. It usually works in the opposite. In my opinion, I just think being snobby about food is degenerate behavior. Food is sustenance, and not everyone can afford the best of the best, but that doesn’t negate the purpose of the food: to nourish and fuel us. As long as it does that, i think food should be appreciated for what it is.
this is true for a lot of places in the us but it definitely depends on geography. I can't speak for other regions but in the northeast, there is an abundance of fantastic italian-american food of way higher quality and taste than olive garden for the same price or cheaper. obviously if you don't live in a place with good Italian food this doesn't apply, but for a lot of Americans there really are just better options.
I’ve tried authentic italian food before multiple times. Maybe it’s because they americanized italian food, but i really dont get the hype of authentic italian food. It’s not that good. I’d rather have dominos than “real” italian food.
Ollie G, while often characterized as a dining establishment, transcends mere culinary experience. In truth, Ollie G stands as a testament to the values of familial unity and the preservation of cherished memories. It deviates from the conventional notion of authentic Italian cuisine, yet its intent isn't to emulate, but rather to encapsulate the essence of a bygone era. For me, Ollie G serves as a nostalgic portal, evoking the camaraderie of youthful sports banquets, the laughter shared with teammates, and the beautifully simple yet formative moments of my childhood. Its cuisine, replete with familiar tastes and aromas, acts as a timeless bridge to days long past. Ollie G, in essence, is not a mere eatery, but a vessel through which one can revisit and reconnect with the tapestry of their own personal history, a cherished facet of their consciousness. In that light, Ollie G deserves a reverence that should never be undermined.
Why do hispanic and italian people always assume that americans think that every italian american or mexican american food joint is authentic? We know its not authentic. Its so annoying and they never shut up about it.
@@Mink_Tracks it's so annoying that some restaurant claim that their cousine is authentic when in reality is pure garbage. That's the part that trigger us.
@@Mink_Tracks When I was younger, growing up in a predominantly white area, I would be more sensitive to people claiming restaurants as “authentic” when they were clearly Americanized (literally had peers try to tell me Taco Bell is authentic) so I developed a reflex to just call it out when I saw it. Now, I only burst bubbles when I know the person and they try to tell me things like, “I had authentic Mexican food last night! I got the hard shell fajita at --.” There are lots of Tex-Mex/Americanized Mexican restaurants that claim they’re authentic on the sign when they’re just not. Now I’m more like, “no babes this isn’t authentic, but here’s a recommendation if you want something that’s a step in the right direction.”
For me it's really nostalgic because my best friend growing up would go there with me and she'd always drink like 3 adult sized Shirley temples as a petite eight year old. So now I go for the memories
@ lets_steal_channies_laptop... AGREED-110%!!! I grew up going to Garavelis & I can STILL remember their toasted ravioli & the cup of marinara to dip in... you could stand a spoon up in it & it would stay upright. My mouth is watering!! That was easily 45+ years ago. Olive garden... never mind...
I am well aware OG isn’t “true” Italian food and all my Italian friends laugh at me when I mention it but there’s just something about the salad, the dressing, the cheese, soft fluffy breadsticks and the tortelloni that keeps me coming back for more!!
So what you’re saying is you like your food frozen before you eat it! because that’s how the Olive Garden is now! I worked there for six years and knows that their food is frozen now because of the way it tastes(like shit)!
You like all the carbs and cheese accompanied with the atmosphere and the fact that you didn’t have to cook 3 courses. No shame in that!Just don’t try to lecture us about the food actually being “authentic” or high quality 😂 I feel the same when I tell my Chinese friends how much I secretly love sesame chicken and greasy lo mein
I just really like their salads and breadsticks haha, so 90% of the time when I would go there it was just for the soup, salad, and breadsticks combo. I think it’s mostly a nostalgia thing at this point, I have a ton of different local Italian restaurants I’d rather go to if I want actual Italian food.
I saw a video of Italians doing a blind taste test of pasta….Olive Garden was one of the choices. Guess what??? Majority of them actually liked the Olive Garden one and were shit talking it before the food came out lol a lot of the time, peoole pretend to not like food because they feel like they shouldn’t like it. I cook my own italian dishes but I like combining certain things that aren’t deemed authentic to add more complexity and umami to the dish. Olive Garden is good for what it is. My first time trying it I was surprised it was as good as it was, because people were hating on it for not being “authentic”. Those same people eat Chipotle and get chai latte on a daily basis lmao
Lemme just say this as an Indian: y'all far-fetched Starbucks lovers gotta stop acting like chai latte actually makes sense. REAL, INDIAN, chai tastes NOTHING like lattes
Dude it's not that deep, we go to Olive Garden for their "Italian" food just as we get takeout for "Chinese" food. It's all derivative, we know it, we're not expecting squid ink pasta and mussels.
Most authentic Italian places don’t have squid ink😂 that just fancy ones real authentic doesn’t mean it’s fancy some of the ones that are authentic are same price of Olive Garden and taste so much better
In reality italian recipes are mostly with poor ingredients, like tomatoes, onions, eggplants, vegetable, some cheese and meet, we obviously have fish recipes but they usually are served in different restourants that are more expensive and serves only fish
@@aidensonicthepro1346 yea you're right but not all of us have authentic Italian food places in our area. Sometimes you don't want to travel to the other side of your city sometimes you want to be able to make a 15 minutes drive to your nearby olive garden to get some itslian-ish because you like it
@@SolomonGriffen yes, I can understand, but why do so many american brands call themself "italian" when they don't have anything to do with our food or culture? I mean what does starbucks have to do with italian coffee? Just a personal question because I feel like this places would do a lot better doing different things, doing this they only look ridicolous to actual italian people and peoplewho actually went to an italian restaurant before
Our family went to Olive Garden once in about 1996. We had a very bad experience, and never went back. The food was cold, and the cheese cake was almost frozen solid.
Unfortunately a lot of Americans do. I didn’t realize this until a couple years ago but nearly everything Americans think of as Italian food is a completely foreign concept to actual Italians😅
@@nicolle2126 Other countries do it too, Nicolle!! America is influenced with all sorts of nationalities and their foods.. so of course there will be Americanized versions of foods from all over the world that the people from those places brought here!!
i remember being a teen and thinking olive garden was as close to find dining as it gets, my parents weren’t the wealthiest back then but sometimes for my bday they had just enough to take me there and i would very much enjoy the food there, olive garden may not be the best but it holds a lot of sentimental value for me and i thank it for that
I dont know why, but i got reminded on my favorite restaurant. Theres a persian resturant in my home town, its honestly pretty reasonable and I've enjoyed every time Ive been there. Food holds such a special place in my heart, yet i always forget the special places ive gone to eat out.
Well the thing Is that It doesn't even come near me cooking italian food and i am bad at cooking and Also half of the dishes he bought wern't actually italian the only italian thing was lasagna and It didn't look like lasagna
Olive Garden has big portions if you like the endless soup, salad or breadsticks. I literally only go for endless gnocchi otherwise it’s trash for Italian food
I was abouta comment for him to get the damn toasted ravs. Lived in stl almost my whole life and I was hurt when I realized that no where else has them
@@Royale..winx..club9 Not true. Theres a pizza place by my house that makes amazing chicken parm for like $13. You just have to look. Olive garden is the same price and it's trash.
Though most international and foreign foods from different countries usually don't do things as well as where it actually originated from, there was this really small taco shop in Maryland, and it is SO good. The smaller the building the better the food.
Olive Garden was the perfect place to go for birthdays, nights out, and etc. Its full of memories. It’s the closest thing you can get to a fancy restaurant for a standard middle class family. Also the breadsticks are amazing.
I think we Americans go here because our families always brought us here after church, birthday lunches, spend one on one time with someone, etc. So as we get older, it’s like the place to go when you don’t want to spend a lot of money for lunch or dinner and you don’t want fast food. Plus the salad and the breadsticks is what we also mainly only come here for anyways 😂😂
These are starting to come off pretentious, he knows what to expect lol. I feel like he’s just adding insult to injury at this point😂 Yes, nearly all og chain restaurants like Olive Garden are trash, but I’d still go to Olive Garden if presented the opportunity because i would always go there with my family🤷🏻♂️ For the memories. He’s acting like he hasn’t done a good amount of these videos at other similar chains already, we get it, your elitist lifestyle has you _gobsmacked_ that working class Americans eat such _atrocious_ food 🙄 I’m getting serious “Like if Americans want to have a nice family get together at a restaurant, at least go to Nobu” vibes from this dude. I hate elitism on display like this.
Literally. His Applebee’s one was more respectful. It’s not popular because it’s amazing Italian food it’s popular because the average person can afford to bring their family there and have something for everyone whether picky eater or not
@@MadisonTaylorSeungri and literally I’ve never met someone who genuinely believes it’s authentic Italian. But between the unlimited breadstick and the 5 cheese ziti it’s good
This is we're families who aren't boogie, or are used to 30-60$ quality plates, come to eat💁🏻♀️. If you don't have an expensive palate, then the food isn't bad. But I'm not Italian, so I've never tried AUTHENTIC Italian food, to compare🤷🏻♀️. You have to ask for FRESH breadsticks, for them to bring the fluffy warm ones. I love going there with my son & husband. It's not stuffy, like high-end restaurants.
I’m italian and fettuccine alfredo don’t exist here in rome . Americans probably picked a southern italian name and made up a sauce. alfredo is a very uncommon name btw. also a chicken parmigiana doesn’t exist, it’s a type of lasagna made from aubergine.
@@matteostefanoconnelly3548 cool, im fine that you are italian but dont share missleading information. Just search for fettucine alfredo or fettucine al burro which are even a dish made first at your hometown Rome. Other Italians would know that... Nonthenless i agree to your 2nd argument discussing chicken parmigiana, but i might give it a shot, sounds interesting...
I worked for Olive Garden for 12 years. They actually have a kitchen IN ITALY as well as a Vinyard for the house made wines. People think they just microwave their food. EVRYTHING is made fresh daily (with the exception of a few of the appetizers) I can't name another concept chain that goes that far to insure they are as authentic as possible!
I only order the steamed mussels that come with that wonderful garlic butter wine sauce I love!!! All in all, OG is a nice family restaurant. If you want "authentic" Italian fare, go somewhere else. The salad and bread sticks are very nice.❤️💋💯
@@22dontmiss tried it a lot of places and all the same outcome the sauce has no flavor on the alfredo its bland as fuck meatballs taste fake as hell could make better spaghetti from ragu
Honestly enjoyed Waffle House, I went when visiting Louisiana the staff were all on their phones and whatnot which I didn’t care because they were all super nice. The food was what I expected, not bad at all honestly!
Watching these is so interesting. I live in the US and I’ve never been to most of these places. I grew up super poor and my parents never took us out. I just continued the tradition of “we have food at home.” Lol
The food there is good, nothing you can't make yourself tho but I understand the not wanting worry about cooking or cleaning and just enjoying a meal with your family.
