I have $47 in gift cards to Olive Garden. Wife and I are going to live it up something fierce. What would you order?

A short list of restaurants I have no desire to visit:

Applebee's

Bennigan's

Carino's Italian Grill

Carrabba's Italian Grill

Cheesecake Factory

Chili's

Cracker Barrel

Denny's

Fuddruckers

Hard Rock Cafe

Hooters

IHOP

Lone Star Steakhouse

O'Charley's

Olive Garden

On the Border Mexican Grill

Outback Steakhouse

PF Chang's

Ponderosa Steakhouse

Red Robin

Romano's Macaroni Grill

Ruby Tuesday

Shoney's

Sizzler

Texas Roadhouse

Waffle House

Agree with most of them except Carrabbas, Fuddruckers, PF Changs, Cracker Barrel and Waffle House. Seriously how can you not like Cracker Barrel or Waffle House? That is straight up un-American. And I was going to say sell the gift card and go somewhere else but someone beat me to it.

I agree with most of the list too.

Carrabbas has great mussels, everything else is passable.

Fuddruckers used to be good but have taken the corporate downhill route.

PF Changs - I had a bad meal once and stopped going for years. I've started going again and it's hands down the best restaurant chain.

Cracker Barrel - pure dog food drowned in butter

Waffle House - best place for breakfast

Hooters - every now and then I have a craving for their wings but usually leave disappointed.

Outback - when I'm depressed I will eat the cheese fries, bloomin onion and wings

Get the 12-pack of frozen tiramisu and take it home. You and your wife can enjoy it for dessert every day for the next 6 days. Yum!

I'd get some immodium

Are you prepared to have diarrhea something fierce?

Yes! I love OG.

I wouldn't worry about any of the cheap pasta or bread sticks this time. Get your giftcards' worth by ordering some seafood and wine and of course dessert.

My wife may get seafood, but I don't like it. I'll probably stick with pasta and soup.

You should go for a real restaurant for dinner, then go to the Olive Garden and spend $47 on dessert.

My wife and I went to the OG for a late lunch. I got the chicken alfredo, a bowl of zuppa toscano soup, three breadsticks, two diet cokes, and a glass of water. She got some steak alfredo, salad, a breadstick, and tea. We've got about $11.50 left on the gift card.

What's wrong with Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesdays, Olive Garden, or Hard Rock Cafe?? Are you not human?

I would say, "Waiter, bring me a bottle of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1982." Then I would order the soup and salad.

Yo Fuddrucker's is the shit. If we didn't have 5 Guys here it'd be the best chain burger around.

I don't tend to go to chain restaurants but was surprised that Outback turned out to be quite good (and the portions are gargantuan). Olive Garden? Did the person who gave you the gift card hate you?

They're all chain restaurants. Where have you been? You're only cool if you don't like them.

I don't understand the fascination with hating chain restaurants. To each their own, of course. I love OG and Applebee's for sure. I haven't been to most of the chains listed in this thread. But, the ones I have visited almost always offer very good food at good prices. OG is definitely one of my favorites.

Is hating a chain restaurant akin to hating Nickelback?

$47 wrote:

I don't understand the fascination with hating chain restaurants. To each their own, of course. I love OG and Applebee's for sure. I haven't been to most of the chains listed in this thread. But, the ones I have visited almost always offer very good food at good prices. OG is definitely one of my favorites.

Is hating a chain restaurant akin to hating Nickelback?

More or less. Its cool to hate them

kickin it in el azizia wrote:

$47 wrote:

I don't understand the fascination with hating chain restaurants.

Is hating a chain restaurant akin to hating Nickelback?

More or less. Its cool to hate them

With all honestly I feel bad for you guys. Did you not have a mom who could cook growing up? I simply cannot imagine someone with taste buds and memory intact thinking food from the Olive Garden is even approaching decent Italian food. It isn't.