Stay away from the porky tacos.
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I was also reminded of a friend who broke a tooth biting into a large metal clasp that was in her salad.
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I have been to olive garden probably 10-12 times and I have never had a issue,I wonder if the west coast is managed differently or I was extremely lucky.
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Ugh, that sounds terrible. I usually never head out to an OG, unless it's for soup and salad with the in-laws. I'd much rather give my money to a locally owned small business than a large chain...plus the wife hates Italian lol. Sorry to hear about your luck though!
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That be the one :-)
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I used to love the Olive Garden when I was a kid, my grandmother remembers that and likes to take me there whenever I'm in Nashville. I don't have the heart to tell her that I can barely stand the place now. I just get the fettucini alfredo and it isn't any worse than boiling some dried fettucini and pouring Ragu or Classico alfredo sauce over it.

There were two good locally owned italian restaurants in Charleston when I lived there, I haven't found any good ones since I moved back to Alabama. Huntsville is all about chain restaurants.
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We don't go to Olive Garden except for takeout -- and the only thing we get is their deep-fried (beef) ravioli and marinara sauce. Great snack while watching a game :-)
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I will say one thing.. I love the hell out of Olive Garden. I was surprised to see so many horrible things happen to you. I know this is an old thread, but I was just digging deep into older threads and this popped up. I've been to about 4 different Olive Garden locations in California, and most if not all have been super sanitary and on top of things. Sorry for your bad luck.

Speaking of Olive Garden, I'll be at one in 12 hours, before going to my local B&M to introduce a buddy of mine to Cigars.
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Had a whole tray of food, like 9 full plates dumped on my at an Olive Garden. Will never go again. Didn't even have a manager come up and apologize. :-)
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Did you get some pictures?
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Nope, I was 13. Still haven't set foot in one 13 years later.
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I was gonna bite my tongue and just say sorry it happened, but my local bro above hit the nail on the head... won't catch me in those places.
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I did some network installs for those places (WiFi, LAN for registers and PCs, etc) a few years ago... If you think what is in the dining room is questionable, you should see the back rooms where food is prepped. I wont name any chains, but there are a few places I will never eat again because of what I saw.
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13 -13. You're due. It's fate.

TGI Fridays sucks donkey nads.
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These chain restaurants are nothing more than fast food that you have to wait on and pay more for. Actually, I'd bet most fast food places are slightly better in a lot of cases.

However, eating at local places doesn't guarantee you'll have better luck. Local places can still be horribly run and still serve bad food due to cutting corners. They all have a bottom line.

I tend to think local chains have the highest success rate for me.
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Questionable food handleing behind the scenes can be and is consern for any and all forms of food service.

It's the chance one takes for convenience, don't like the notion? Stay home and belly up to that stove. Sheeh its only food.:-)
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Never did like Olive Garden. "Overpriced Top Ramen" is what I call it. Every time I get drug there by the GF, they don't have any meat on the menu. Then when they do, its a "seasonal item", so the next time I go, its not on the menu... How is chicken seasonal???
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Ponderosa comes to mind as really low quality. One time I ate there, it was taking a long time for me to get my food. In fact, everyone else was almost done by the time someone came out and told me they had accidentally dropped my steak on the floor, and had to start over... :-)
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I have to say I pretty much hate the olive garden... but I attribute that to the fact a friend of mine worked there and he said that a majority of there entree's come in a bag that they either boil or microwave... maybe that is the source of your rubber bands....
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Ah, Olive Garden, the "Denny's" of Italian food. I always have to bite my tongue when a co-worker says he went out to a "nice" Italian dinner with his wife, and then mentions "Olive Garden". I don't understand why people like it so much, there a plenty of real Italian restaurants around. Maybe it's the free bread sticks?
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