I too, am a little mystified by this whole topic. My girlfriend and I love the Olive Garden. Is it gourmet food? No. Is it "authentic" Italian fare? No, but then again, most of the people complaining on this thread wouldn't know "real" Italian if it bit them in the a$$. I always found the service to be reasonable, the prices to be affordable, and you just can't beat the refills on soup, salad, and breadsticks.
Additionally, I worked for the OG as a bartender for 3.5 years while I went to tech school, and while the job wasn't great, I never found the management to be as overbearing or out of touch as it is described here. OG is what it is, a chain restaurant.
But then again, I look at the names of the folks complaining on this thread, and it occurs to me that most of them complain about everything else anyway, so why should I be suprised when they complain about a restaurant that no one forces them to go to?
Evidently the post resonates with several of us who welcome the opportunity to agree that Olive Garden food is poor. Since I seldom watch television, I have no interest in the commercials; but since I do eat regularly, and am sometimes found unwillingly in the OG, I appreciate that others share my dislike for it. It's called discussion. (Prolly don't belong in "News Activism" but, what the hell.
That OK with you, Hoss?