Fine Dining and Breathing

So June 3rd was my wife Andrea’s birthday where she hit the ol’ double nickel.

 

Yep, she’s 55. 

 

As in Sammy Hagar’s “Can’t Drive 55!”

 

Anyway, June 3rd was on Monday this year and both us took the day off and we celebrated as we always do when it comes to our respective birthdays and our anniversary: we eat at Olive Garden. 

 

I have not been all that happy with previous excursions to Olive Garden.  It feels crowded like a cattle car on a third world train. 

Now I'm a bit of a curmudgeon and easily annoyed but even Andrea seems to have become aware of the less than inviting environment of her favorite restaurant.   

 

But the experience on June 3rd was different. Our dining experience was almost...   civilized.

 

Andrea and I went to Olive Garden for lunch instead of dinner and it being a week day and not a week end, the restaurant was not over stuffed with people.  The songs from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra were at a pleasant volume.

 

The key to enjoying Olive Garden is to go on a week day at lunch.  

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A few weeks prior, Andrea and I made what may be our last visit to Red Lobster for awhile.    

 

In recent weeks, Red Lobster made news by closing dozens of restaurants and declaring bankruptcy.  The blame was placed on customers eating too much limitless shrimp which used to be a special deal but then Red Lobster made it a regular thing. 

 

Offering unending shrimp all the time is a recipe for financial disaster but the woes of Red Lobster were a thing long before that.

 

A private equity firm bought Red Lobster and scored a crap ton of cash by selling the land out from under all the restaurants.  So the equity firm scores a quick billion and the restaurants have to pay rent to on land that used to be owned which just adds more pressure to bottom line.

 

As for Andrea and I perhaps not going there anymore, here’s that story. 

 

The Red Lobster in Greensboro survived the purge.   We’ve been going there for a few years now.  When we started they had a combo that we quite liked: an entrée and 2 sides.  The sides included baked potato, fries, slaw and salad and other things.  Andrea’s favorite combo was popcorn shrimp with baked potato and a salad.  

 

She likes shrimp but not “shrimp” with the tail on it and stuff . 

 

Then a couple of years ago, Red Lobster added an up charge for picking salad as a side.  

 

Then a year ago, they summarily removed the combo entirely.  Popcorn shrimp was still available with one side and a full charge for the side salad. 

 

Three weeks ago, Red Lobster dropped the bomb on Andrea:  NO popcorn shrimp.

 

Well, not exactly.  They offer it on weekdays but not on weekends.   What….?  

 

It was a death of a thousand cuts as Red Lobster kept hacking away at the last vestiges of Andrea’s enjoyment of her Red Lobster dining experience.  

Red Lobster's motto seems to be "If it ain't broke, break it."