Olive Garden NOT accomadating!!

[Willowglen 5]

We eat at The macaroni Grill, they happily let us get one entree, they split it in the kitchen and do not charge for an extra plate

[aubrie 6]

We have several (not all)restaurants in our area that have all the menu items in a large and small portion with the price already adjusted. Now that I'm banded, I tend to frequent those restaurants more often. I think many restaurant owners are aware of the dietary needs of their patrons and are making adjustments. Find out if you have restaurants in your area like this, and try them out. Be sure to let them know you appreciate their efforts when you leave.

[Gracey 7]

We eat at The macaroni Grill, they happily let us get one entree, they split it in the kitchen and do not charge for an extra plate

And I bet you tell people in your real life how accommodating MG is which gives them positive press!

I'm not as adamant as some posters but I believe that, as a restaurant owner, I would rather have $5 from someone ordering from the children's menu than the $0 they ended up receiving from the original poster. And if they were nice about it, I just might tip more than my normal 20%, tyvm! :tongue2:

[Minxz 0]

It is a businesses right to make rules and enforce them. At the same time they are shooting themselves in the foot. When you tell a customer NO making them angry how likely is it that they will return? You lose all future revenue from that customer. It’s a stupid business move...

[Gracey 7]

I agree plus Peter Drucker says that people tell of bad experiences 7x more than good experiences. So I'll bet the OP told people in their real life as well as those of us on LBT!

PS - I personally think the Olive Garden is yuk with band or without band!!!

[LonghornGirl 0]

before i was banded I spoke to the local restaurants that we frequent and asked about whether I could order from the kid's menu once my surgery was done. granted 2 of the 5 restaurants we go to are family owned but I got a YES from all of them. 1 of them doesn't have a kid's menu and suggested to me that when ordering I should say 1/2 order and they would take $3 off the full menu price. not once did they tell me that I had to show proof of surgery (scars or card). these are the type of places that bandsters should cultivate and partronize, not the chains that don't care or aren't ready to change to meet the needs of their customers. i'm not saying we are "disabled" or anything but you only have to look at the sheer number of ppl who use this site to see that our numbers are growing and eventually the food industry will take notice.

someone i know just opened a restaurant and asked for my feedback on how they might handle lap band patients as customers. i told them my experiences with the other places and they picked the 1/2 order, $3 off.

i'd be willing to bet not all OGs are going to hassle you but if they do, make your choice: order full menu, split a meal with someone or find somewhere else to eat. the choice really is yours!

[MonikaMMH 0]

you know you can just eat the salad and breadsticks. its like $5. and then if your friend was to get the tour of italy that it like 2 Pasta things and a piece of chicken....plenty of food for 2. you will probably have left overs still.

well just a menu suggesting. my doc said no pastas forever, but i doubt i will stick to that.

[MonikaMMH 0]

OK this is couples. We have been going out with these different couples for over 30 years...(might need new friends) tee hee Well in the past we would split 50 50 and over the decades it would even out..... But may be it is petty but when the bill comes and it is over 200 and all you had was Soup. Well now my husband will have a regular meal, and desert but he doesn't equal two. When I said something they started to pick the bill apart and the whole thing was not pretty. Oh well I guess I'm being petty. I know it is hard enough to watch all the feeding now and how much people eat... OMG I can't believe I ate so much...Maybe the eating out thing is to much for me right now... Time will tell... With our lives right now we attend around 3 to 6 formal dinners every month.. I'll eat at those the are free.....

Just have the waiter give you and your hubby a seperate check, thats what i do all the time. it takes like 2 seconds.

[ShrinkyDink 0]

At Olive Garden I order the chicken alfredo, an absolute belt buster if you eat the whole thing of course, but I just eat the chicken (which is very moist and just the right amount) and a few noodles and take the rest home where my kids are more than happy to devour it as a side dish the next day. It was my favorite thing there before the band so I feel like I'm getting a real treat, but the way I eat it now it's a nice healthy small meal. I do miss that artichoke spinich dip there though, man that stuff was good, I can probably credit about 20 pounds to it.

[Sarah.R 2]

See your all kind of lucky here in australia I'm pretty sure we don't have a card to use and even if we did I wouldn't use it, that and the fact that alot of places (97%) don't let you take the stuff away is a rip as well you pay for the food why can't you take it? Mainly it's because they don't wanna get sued, if you take something home and you don't reheat it properly and you get food poisoning or what not basically there liable which I see the point. As for the first post about the kids section, you should of just said "well, my family comes here alot as well as alot of my friends and there friends, so don't expect to have alot of business anymore as they are your clients and after i tell them that you have been rude, stuck up and just plain ignorant about my situtation I doubt they will be coming back, good luck staying manager much longer" I mean they should realise if they turn you away because of one little thing your gonna tell people and it will make them not want to go their either

[geranium 0]

I have learned a couple things.

1. Order from the appetizer menu. It's usually enough.

2. Take along a leak proof container for the left over food. Most restaurants don't provide something leakproof, and as I travel a lot, this works for me.

[AmandaHW 0]

I only read the first three pages...but some restaurants use children's meals as a "loss leader"...in other words they really aren't making any money off of them. That is why some places place an age limit.

Personally, I would never pull out a card stating that I had lapband, I would be totally embarrassed to share my personal infomration like that.

Finally, most places my kids don't even eat off of the kids menu. I am not setting my kids up for obesity by feeding them the crap that most restaurants offer on the kids menu. Now, there are definitely exceptions (cracker barrel has grilled chicken and veggies, etc) but it boggles my mind when people (myself included) who are obese and have surgery/do WW or whatever else trying to lsoe weight let their small kids eat a bunch of crap???

[DebbieGail 0]

I'm so sorry that you had a bad experience with Olive Garden and your eating out. I know that eating out can be a scary prospect. We are still struggling with fitting in and learning to live with our new choice of lifestyle. I'm thinking out loud here...maybe we need to call ahead to some of our favorite restaurants and sort of have a game plan ahead of time. The main reason we want to eat out is to enjoy those around us...and when the establishment does not want to accommodate our needs, we should not let it ruin our outing. So far, I have only had GOOD experiences and I have even went so far and emailed the headquarters to compliment the restaurants on how they have dealt with my request. Maybe the more vocal we are about our needs ... the easier it will become. Again, if we plan ahead and be prepared for what to expect ... it again gives us control over the situation. Don't stop enjoying going out with friends and family...just don't let situations like this ruin your pleasure. I always go for the doggy bags....and I always have them pack it before they serve it to me...that way I don't have to concentrate on how much I'm eating...I just have to concentrate on chewing and eating slowly. Enjoy eating out!

Deb

Highest lifetime wt. 386

1st visit to dr. 376

Surgery day 343

Today 303

[lapbandtalker 0]

I spent alot of time/energy at trying to eat out...asking cashiers if I had to pay up front, to asking waitstaff....

I just gave up.

Now, my daughter orders a meal and I will 'add' :

at Outback I add a sweet potato

at TGI Fridays I add a salad

at Ruby Tuesdays I add a potato

you see where I'm going with this. I simply get 2-3 spoonfulls of whatever my daughter is eating and put it on my plate.

I have not ever had to say, mention, or ask again.

BTW, I stopped going to Olive Garden last year as I just got tired of the tasteless salad and breadsticks. They used to be yummy, buttery and the salad plenty of dressing. Now they are both dry.

[Grandma26 1]

I love the left-overs when I order a regular sized meal. Sometimes I order an appetizer as my meal and the portion size is great. Most children's menu items are not healthy choices, they are usually high carb or fat so I would avoid them at any cost.