I agree Niner- we are also in the 7 figure net worth range and do not consider Olive Garden below us- we are definitely not lower middle class- we can afford to eat anywhere we want. I found the comment from one of the posters to be quite off base. Strangely that commenter said they would accept an OG shop if they saw one- perhaps they are the lower middle class person they were referring to as an OG customer- just like some political commentators refer to voters of a certain candidate as "smelly Walmart customers" without any proof or rationale!

Wasn't looking to offend anyone. Maybe OG is not a lower middle class thing. It certainly feels like it in Southern California. I look at the people dining there. The place is usually pretty busy with larger groups of people looking to "load up" on the unlimited breadsticks and unlimited salad.

I am not above eating there when paid by an MSC to do so. It is just not a place where I look to go for good Italian food. I think of it as the Denny's of Italian Food.

If you like Italian Food...try going to Maggiano's and then tell me you still think OG is something worth really paying for with your own money.

And, Maggiano's is another chain restaurant that is priced like Olive Garden. There are lots of local Italian restaurants that are family owned and not chains. This is like saying Chilis is lower middle class, so go to Applebees.

I can even double my portion for another $8 at Maggianos. I shudder to think who is attracted to all that cheap food. /s

Here's an Italian restaurant in NY, Dominick's in the Bronx. It's not fancy. It has great food. That would be a choice if I was paying. It's less expensive than the Olive Garden. I will take my seven figure "lower class" self there, I suppose.

[m.facebook.com]

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2023 03:52PM by Niner.

Hey @Niner

I agree there are plenty of non-chain places that are good to go to. but saying OG and Maggiano's are on the same level ls like saying that Ford/Chevy are in the same class as Acura/Lexus.

btw...7 figure net worth isn't enough anymore with the spike in inflation. It used t be the goal...but the goal posts have moved (for people living in urban areas like NY and CA)

80K for ONE person household is LOW income according to this

[abc7.com].

$80,000 a year considered 'low-income' in Orange County, state report says
New state income limits, which guide affordable housing policies, are increasing in almost every county.

@hbbigdaddy wrote:

Hey @Niner

I agree there are plenty of non-chain places that are good to go to. but saying OG and Maggiano's are on the same level ls like saying that Ford/Chevy are in the same class as Acura/Lexus.

btw...7 figure net worth isn't enough anymore with the spike in inflation. It used t be the goal...but the goal posts have moved (for people living in urban areas like NY and CA)

80K for ONE person household is LOW income according to this

[abc7.com].

$80,000 a year considered 'low-income' in Orange County, state report says
New state income limits, which guide affordable housing policies, are increasing in almost every county.

My household income is a good 4x that. We don't live a fancy life in NY. So, you need 8 figure net worth? Like $10 million?!? (Since "seven figure net worth is not enough anymore")

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2023 04:51PM by Niner.

Overall the OG dining experiences sound pretty bad. I must say that a few points seem to be very nitpicky.

I don't think it should matter if another waiter or dining staff filled up the glasses of water instead of your main waiter. I went to a very nice steakhouse last month and there was a gentleman whose only job, from what I saw, was to refill water glasses at all tables.

Is it a negative if the waiter does not ask if you are celebrating an occasion? The steakhouse waiter did ask if it was a special occasion, but the other casual dining locations I've been to recently have not. I think the waiter asked in a joking way since almost every table at the restaurant was celebrating the same special event. I see that a couple of people mentioned that here.

The waiter that was wearing soiled clothing, is it possible that someone spilled food on his uniform while he was on that shift? What is the solution for that?

Throwing mints on the table, not checking on you during your dining, them having a angry demeanor, yes those are negatives and legitimate claims for poor service.

I don't think customers are responsible for poor service. Different places say they can't hire or keep employees and sometimes they are taking any warm body to cover the need. It is awkward to have the waiter there when you are calculating the tip. I've been to the chain restaurants that have the payment kiosk on the table and the waiter wasn't there to see what I was going to leave them.

not looking to argue with you @niner

if you live in NY...you know that people can be 7 figure net worth just in property value alone. That doesn't mean much now.

20 years ago, i thought I would retire on 3 million...but now don't think that's enough money for where I live and the way i want to continue to live.

Do I need 10 million (8 figures)?. I would hope not since I don't see how I would get there...but if we don't get ahold of inflation and change some things around...we are headed in that direction.

Agree! I don't count homes in net worth, just invested assets. I need somewhere to live

I left law and went into teaching. When my husband retires, his pension will be around 95k/yr (60% of your salary, with 30 years in the system). I don't know what my pension will be, but we can live on that. I don't know how people do it just living on 401k savings.

He's done in 4 years. I will likely stop then and possibly return to law.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2023 05:36PM by Niner.

I think poor service tends to be more related to pay and management (i.e, training and properly staffing a place) than the clientele, though it can go hand in hand.
I do recall seeing an article that when it comes to tips, the folks in lower middle class areas tend to tip the best - normally because they are one or two steps above the "working class" that is serving them and have done those jobs before, so they are generous tippers.
Hopefully OG will use the feedback they get to improve their staff training - some of these sound pretty bad.

Amusing topic. I had to laugh out loud.

$80,000 a year considered 'low-income' in Orange County, state report says
New state income limits, which guide affordable housing policies, are increasing in almost every county.

Really? OMG! Time to move!!!!!! Or move into your car and get a hot plate!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/26/2023 07:30PM by Madetoshop.

Plenty of people have been leaving CA. They have had more leave than come to CA (legally) in the last few years.

Been here my whole life. I want to leave for several reasons....but don't want to leave the mostly stable weather. Don't want to shovel snow or melt in Phoenix type heat. Don't need humidity of Florida.

@Madetoshop wrote:

$80,000 a year considered 'low-income' in Orange County, state report says
New state income limits, which guide affordable housing policies, are increasing in almost every county.

Really? OMG! Time to move!!!!!! Or move into your car and get a hot plate!

I left CA, mostly to be close to my kids, but also to get this farm, and OWN my property rather than just make payments on it for the rest of my life. I pay about $300 per year in property taxes, on a 5 acre farm. In CA I was paying over $3000 in property taxes every 6 months for a postage stamp sized property with a 1300 sq. ft. tract home on it, and lived in a city that seemed to derive most of it's income from fining homeowners for "code violations" from imaginary anonymous complaints.

Sounds great what state did you move to?

I was excited to see these pop up, but the shop fee of $8 plus the reimbursement of $35 does not cover the total cost of the meal. If you buy the least expensive entree, the required app and you drink water, the meal alone cost $30 before tax and tip. What am I missing? Maybe I'm just too cheap to go out of pocket and write a report for free!

@Cassiespark wrote:

I was excited to see these pop up, but the shop fee of $8 plus the reimbursement of $35 does not cover the total cost of the meal. If you buy the least expensive entree, the required app and you drink water, the meal alone cost $30 before tax and tip. What am I missing? Maybe I'm just too cheap to go out of pocket and write a report for free!

I was able to stay under reimbursement at my location with chicken marsala, the required breadstick sauce app, water, and a decent tip. The other appetizer (ravioli?) was more expensive, but my shop said to do the sauce appetizer.

Some strange comments and off base logic in this thread.

@OldmanJames wrote:

Sounds great what state did you move to?

James,

I made a mistake. Not the part about owning my land, but I should not have moved to AL. For all the time I have been allowed to spend with my grandkids, I could have found a much better place to be. I mistakenly moved to what folks used to call a "sundown town." There is so much hatred and fear in the town, and most of the surrounding towns you can feel it in the air. There are far better and friendlier cities and counties in this state.

Oy. I know the feeling. I moved to an area that is at least 20 years behind the times. Might not be as bad as where you are, but it is safe and affordable. For now, it is a place I only plan to stay in for a season of my life, which is raising the kids. After that...I'm out and downsizing.

@Morledzep wrote:

@OldmanJames wrote:

Sounds great what state did you move to?

James,

I made a mistake. Not the part about owning my land, but I should not have moved to AL. For all the time I have been allowed to spend with my grandkids, I could have found a much better place to be. I mistakenly moved to what folks used to call a "sundown town." There is so much hatred and fear in the town, and most of the surrounding towns you can feel it in the air. There are far better and friendlier cities and counties in this state.