When did black olives become gold?

By Tesa
United States
January 1, 2007 10:29am CST
Why does a place named Olive Garden give you only one black olive per person in their giant bowl of salad?? Did I miss the Great Black Olive Blight? Are black olives so expensive that Olive Garden is risking financial disaster by serving more than one or two to its customers? And if they are, then where the hell are they getting their black olives from? Because I'd be happy to volunteer to pick up several cans for them at a dollar per can or less. There's roughly 20 black olives in a can. You'd think for a dollar spent, they'd be able to spare maybe 5 or 6 in their salad. I ate there the other day, and remembered to ask for extra olives. Proud of myself for remembering (I usually forget about their olive cheapness because I rarely eat there), I figured I'd get at least 5 or 6. How many "extra" olives did they bring me? One. One puny olive. What the hell is it with them and olives? They don't deserve to be called Olive Garden. They should be called One Olive Garden. Or Garden of One Olive. Or Too Damn Stingy To Serve More Than One Olive. Another thing that pissed me off on my last visit (which probably is going to be my LAST visit): We're having an unusal heat wave for this time of year. (Can you say "Global Warming" boys and girls? I knew you could.) When I entered the restaurant, it was almost 70 degrees outside. When the hostess took me to my seat, she asked if sitting by the fireplace would be all right. I said yes, because I never imagined in a million years that they'd actually have the damn thing on. I sit down, right in front of the fireplace. Suddenly, a huge blast of heat that could melt metal comes flowing out of the vent. I think the idiots actually turned the damned thing on BECAUSE I was sitting there. It wasn't on when I was being seated. I moved over to the opposite side of the table to escape the heat, only to find that's where the vent was. I asked the waiter if it was possible to turn off the fireplace (not only for myself but for the rest of the customers, because it was already warm inside the restaurant without the fireplace emitting heat from the bowels of Hell.) He gave me a look like I was insane and that request could never be considered because it's obviously so freezing cold outside. Instead of answering my question, he asked if I'd prefer to move. I immediately said yes. Later, while eating the one extra olive the Olive Wardens allowed me, I saw a couple being seated at the same table I'd moved from. After less than a minute, the husband switched seats with the wife, who was complaining of the heat. And less than a minute after that, he started remarking about how insanely hot it was there. They ended up moving the entire table to escape the flames from Hades. The waiter acted as if nothing was wrong with having the fireplace blazing when the temps outside were the equivalent of a warm spring day. I'm sure this is because management thinks having control of the weather reinforces their position as God of the Garden of One Olive. Does anyone else find Olive Garden's policy of only one olive per customer strange, or am I the only one?
9 people like this
29 responses
@MakDomMom (1474)
• United States
1 Jan 07
I love Olive Garden! It is my favorite restaurant of all time! I don't care how many olives I get in the salad. If I wanted a whole can of olives, I would eat them at home. I love their food. My husband and I eat there every chance we get. We have never had any problems. I think it's just the one location that you visited. If you trully have a problem, then you should ask to talk to the manager. Maybe the waiter didn't recognize your request I don't know. But instead of bashing the whole chain you should have tried to solve teh problem with the management of the one you had the problem with.
• United States
1 Jan 07
Giving you one olive per person is the policy of the entire chain, not just one restaurant. I've eaten at Olive Gardens in several cities, and it's always the same: They bring out a huge bowl of salad with the number of olives in the bowl corresponding to the number of people at the table (i.e., one). :P So, talking to the management isn't going to change the policy of an entire restaurant chain. And yes, I do plan to bring my own can of olives next time I eat there. If there is a next time. :P
@AndreaM76 (1164)
• United States
1 Jan 07
Hilarious and entertaining rant! I've not eaten at an Olive Garden in over 10 years but I think I remember then not being impressed with their food. I too remember less than an handful of olives in their never ending salad bowl. This reminds me of about everytime I go to eat somewhere. I'm not hard to be pleased but something has always got to be messed up. I've had to ask for a steak to be warmed as well as the mashed potatoes at a Chilis' it was aparently getting cold because of the garlic bread they were supposed to be cooking for my group that we never recieved. There is seriously something retarded everytime I go somewhere and then the waitress after being a wench hands you a comment card! I'd love to put my true personal feelings on them but I'm much kinder than that. I think the only big complaint I made was when there was a roach floating in my drink. I went to the bathroom and threw up. That was the only time I got my meal free because I wasn't paying for something I didn't keep in my stomach!
2 people like this
• United States
26 Jan 07
Black Olives - evidently an endangered species
LMAO... next time eat next to me.. u can have mine! I hate those things! But I have to agree... Olive Garden with no amount of olives??? hmmmm??? Perhaps the garden is a lot smaller than we realize and they can't find enough to fill the bowls to the brim? LOL
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Jan 07
It's a deal! I'm going to the Garden of One Olive with you! :) BTW, that picture of the bowl of olives is making me hungry! Don't let Olive Garden see it. They'll steal it and sell it on the black market for billions of dollars since black olives are obviously so expensive. :P
@kareng (61268)
• United States
2 Jan 07
I haven't eaten there in a couple of months but I will be sure to check this out next time I go. I think it is rather cheesy of them!
• United States
6 Jan 07
Very cheesy of them, and not olivie at all. :)
@bricin6 (29)
• United States
2 Jan 07
The key is to order from their "to go" menu and enjoy your salad with a plastic fork at home. We ordered tonight and got two salads - with 12 olives apiece in them (for the two of us)! Jealous yet? LOL
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Jan 07
Yes, I am! Now hand over those olives! This is an olive stick-up! :P I've been to Olive Gardens, from Tennessee to New York City, and have never been given more than one olive unless I asked. (And see what good asking did for me last time. :P) Of course, as bad as their service has been in the past (I didn't even go into that), I'm afraid to order something "to go." it's been my experience that restaurants don't give a damn about to-go orders.) But maybe they'll give me all olives and no salad. I could go for that. :)
• United States
6 Jan 07
I have read all the responses so far and there were a lot of them. This is the kind of thing that people can really get fired up over. Forget politics and religion, what do you think about the black olive situation? The one thing that surprised me (aside from that last comment with the typo jokes) is that nobody made the obvious inference. The Olive Garden is afraid that if they give you more olives you will stick one on the end of each finger and wiggle them at other patrons. They just HATE that! They must have you pegged as just the sort who would do it.
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Jan 07
Just because I wear a necklace of black olives with black olive earrings, black olives on my shoes and a black olive on my nose shouldn't give The Garden of One Olive (aka Olive Garden) the impression that I'd put black olives on my fingertips. I have to go now and remove the pieces of black olives that are getting stuck inbetween my computer keyboard while I type. :P
@Katy238 (1028)
• United States
2 Jan 07
All I could do is laugh the entire time I was reading this..... HAHA.. Well I happen to love Olive Garden. I have never had this experience before. To the contrary, we went to an Italian restaurant for the first time AND WELL THE LAST TIME TOO, the other night. I got maybe four lettuce leaves with watered down cesar dressing as a salad and a tiny peice of lasagna for a whoopin $12. I told my hubby we could've ate at Olive Garden cheaper. Then he responded with, 'I was going to take you there but rumor has it, thier salads have been making people sick'. Anyways, sorry to hear about your bad olive experience. Wonder if you did take a can with you (make sure it is from the Dollar Store lol) then when they bring your salad, ask them to open the can of olives. I am sure you will get a good laugh with that lol.
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
2 Jan 07
Oh the Olive Garden. I don't eat there too often because of thier stinginess in all respects. The "never ending" salad bowl that you have to practically beg and grovel to get refilled then God help you if you want it filled more than once. The "never ending" pasta bowl that they discourage you from refilling "Oh surely you won't want more than one bowl...". And don't get me started on the breadsticks that I absolutly adore that they must not make very often cause it takes 30 minutes to get some more brought to you and then they act like they had to walk over hot coals to get them.
1 person likes this
@pendragon (3348)
• United States
1 Jan 07
I am a black olive fanatic and i think that was a beautiful rant!!
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Jan 07
From one black olive fanatic to another: thanks! :)
@mirage108 (3402)
• United States
2 Jan 07
I to have gone to Olive Garden and seen this, I however asked the waitress to bring me some more olive's and she happily did, and no there was no additional charge on my bill
1 person likes this
@Signal20 (2281)
• United States
2 Jan 07
LOL That was good :) Honestly, I've never noticed, but I don't eat there that often. Tell you what you do, I'd go one last time, just to do this. Get a can of olives from the store. Go to One Olive Garden. After you're seated, and they bring your salad-that you've again requested extra olives on, ask for a can opener. Then proceed to dump the can of olives on the salad, and say NOW THAT"S EXTRA OLIVES(do this loud and with a lot of excitement too lol)!!! Or better yet, ask for the extra olives, then tell the waitress you tip based on the amount of extra olives :P
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
2 Jan 07
Thank you for the enjoyable post. I could imagine it all as you wrote. I have not been to the Olive Garden in years because I never really cared for them. However I have had similar treatment about olives elsewhere. Subway of all places. On a 12 inch sub if you want black olives you are to get 6 pieces, not even a full olive. If you want more they are to charge you more for it. I find it very irritating because I don't like most of the toppings offered but I do like black olives. If I'm not having the onions and the three types of peppers why can't I have extra olives? Will it break the bank? When did olives become so expensive? Don't even get me started on salt and fast food places :) You'd think that was gold dust or something with how they hate to give you any.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Jan 07
Wow, I had no idea they were getting so valuable. Then again I don't eat out much anymore. Maybe it's just a holiday phase since Jesus had an olive branch for a crown. Maybe you should bring a can next time and donate it to the needy Olive Garden customers.
1 person likes this
@Melizzy (1381)
• United States
1 Jan 07
Xphile777, your reputation precedes you! I called ahead to Olive Garden and told them you were coming in and to short change you on black olives. Did you not notice that the black olive you were lucky enough to get was very small? It is part of my master plan to drive you insane! I control the olives! I am Lord of the Olives!
• United States
1 Jan 07
A-ha! So YOU'RE the reason why I got Third-World-looking olives! I will battle you, Lord of the Olives! I'll teach you not to mess around with Hungry Fat Woman Who Wants Her Damn Olives And Wants Them Now Damn It! (TM)" :P
@sharone74 (4837)
• United States
1 Jan 07
Your post made me laugh. In fact I am still laughing while I am typing. You are right though that is some crazy stuff! I don't understand the one olive thing and normally when I go anywhere up to an including subway restaraunt where they will give you as many sliced black olives as you want. Try this when I go somewhere and I don't get enough olives I request more, when they look at me funny i look back at them and say they are full of iron and all kinds of good stuff! Besides and I lean in conspirationally. "They'll put lead in your pencil is what I hear." Then I wink at the nearest guy, usually the server or a guy I am with and after that we get tons of olives! No extra charge either.
@sbeauty (5865)
• United States
1 Jan 07
Isn't it frustrating to go anticipating a good time and then having to pay for a miserable experience! I've never had a problem with Olive Garden, but then I don't eat the black olives, anyway, so I've never noticed the shortage. I would imagine that each restaurant in the chain is only as good as the local management, and apparently you hit a stingy one! Next time if you want black olives, maybe you could take a bottle with you, eat a few and then present the rest to the waiter telling him you're sorry for their shortage and would like to help out. Not that he can do anything, but it would be fun anyway.
1 person likes this
@doniker (493)
• United States
1 Jan 07
I have only eaten at Olive Garden about 5 times...and it was usually bad. It was never my idea, it was because someone else invited me or I had a gift card or something. Their tomato sauce is so acidity, it's awful. Once when I went there our waitress was ending her shift and rushing us. We had just started our meal when she brought the check and kept eyeballing us and to the point of being uncomfortable. Since I dislike their tomato sauce I went the alfredo route and that isn't so great either. As far as the black olive thing; the olive is a garnish. Alot of places put like one hot pepper or one radish on a salad.
1 person likes this
@rash219 (808)
• United States
1 Jan 07
ILMAO.....They should be called One Olive Garden. Or Garden of One Olive. Or Too Damn Stingy To Serve More Than One Olive....tats soo true its a really good topic so cant rant abt it though jus like the TITLE you gave to the place
1 person likes this
@greengal (4286)
• United States
2 Jan 07
Hi, that must have been a very frustrating experience..I can understand. I love Olive Garden and so deos my husband. We go there very frequently(always our first choice on any occasion) and fortunately we've never had this "olive" experience. I usually order soup and my hubby the salad, and trust me he always has loads of black olives in his salad!! Soon after I read your rant I told my hubby and he was sure he has never missed an olive in the salad. Wonder why u were the poor victim, I must say Olive Garden has lost a customer now!
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
1 Jan 07
*uprights chair* I so appreciate your comments! I really think I would have been tempted to leave the almighty extra olive as a part of my tip....complete with an explanation that apparently they needed worse than I did!! Thanks for reminding me why I don't frequent chain restaurants.
1 person likes this