by Vennis A. Vennable, Independent Writer
Hallelujah the great day is finally here. After years of yearning, the faithful have been rewarded. The gilded doors have opened at last and while the fishes may be in short supply, the breadstick loaves are never ending. Surely the heavens have smiled upon us, Olive Garden is here!
Can you believe it? How could we be deserving of such bounty? Just imagine actual noodles! And if that’s not enough, tomato sauce! How sublime. It’s almost too fabulous to comprehend.
Surely all time in our little hamlet will forevermore be altered into either B.O.G. or A. O. G. (before Olive Garden and after.)
The populace, as well as many in the local media, pay homage to the corporate eatery giant. A recent poll questioned not whether we would go, but how long each of us could possibly wait before making our first pilgrimage. A local broadcaster now informs us daily of the temperature in the Olive Garden parking lot. (A handy bit of info, if you plan to stand in line for hours.)
ENOUGH! Enough I say! What has happened to lead us to this place? Has the allure of a lousy breadstick made us forget the temptation of a Bottoms Up tenderloin? Has a “never ending salad bowl” seduced us to the point that we forsake the pork burrito from Barbosa’s? Are you telling me you prefer a plate of limp noodles to a Ruben from the D&G? STOP! I simply refuse to accept that idiocy.
Now before I go any farther, let me confess, I have enjoyed a meal at other Olive Garden Restaurants, on I believe three occasions. There is honestly nothing there to dislike. The food was hot if uninspired, the service was professional. The prices weren’t outrageous. They serve a fine, generic, innocuous meal. But Italian? Olive Garden is as “genuine” Italian as Chuck E. Cheese.
Our city is blessed to have some of the most original restaurants anywhere. This column is too short to allow a proper list of local places you can get a great meal. Just a few of my favorites, in addition to those above, include The Frederick Inn, The Southgate Grill, Los Palma’s and The Kirkpatrick Café.
Even some chain restaurants make my personal list if they are locally owned and operated. We eat often at Pizza Shoppe, my wife loves “the pink stuff.” The Ground Round is certainly in this category. Your own list surely has a good number of others.
I say the move to the corporate eatery is pervasive and bad for our community. You hear a lot of talk about how the Wal-Marts of the world are ruining things for small business. How is this any different?
Let the unfortunate situation at the Hoof and Horn, be a cautionary tale for all of us. Our friends at the legendary Southside steakhouse are suffering both personally and professionally. While I in no way want to divert blame from the individuals holding the gas can, our heart goes out to a local business trying their best to survive in a climate where out of town corporate interests get tax breaks while they divert business from tried and true local establishments who have been serving us faithfully for generations.
So don’t be fooled St. Joe. The number of dining dollars available in this market is finite. I don’t see how Olive Garden means one red cent to our community. A dollar spent there is just one taken from somewhere else; probably a place not getting those tax incentives or benefiting from national advertising.
So please, I beg you, be bold! Resist the siren’s song. How about this weekend, after you cruise by the crowd swarming around our newest dining sensation, you visit one of your old haunts? Say thanks for what they do by enjoying a wonderful meal and leaving a generous tip. And on the way out the door, holler out, “Fooey to Olive Garden!”
Ok, let’s be real. I know a whole big bunch of you just can’t help it. The opening week numbers don’t lie. So go ahead if you must and get in line. I just hope the smoke on the horizon isn’t from one of your favorite places.
Filed under: General |