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Tag: Olive Garden

  • Olive Garden Employee Tells Police Officer To Leave Restaurant Because Guns Are Not Allowed

    Olive Garden restaurant apologized to a police officer after one of their employees asked him to leave because he had a gun with him.

    According to Officer Michael Holsworth, he was supposed to celebrate his birthday at Olive Garden with his family, but while waiting for them, an employee approached him and said that guns are not allowed in the establishment.

    He thought that the Olive Garden employee was joking but quickly realized that he wasn’t when he was still asked to leave. “I had hoped to simply enjoy an uninterrupted birthday meal with my family. I never believed I would be asked to leave a public restaurant because I was in full police uniform, which requires me to carry my duty weapon,” Holsworth said. Holsworth took to social media and posted the Olive Garden incident on Facebook. “Please share this post and let everyone know how this establishment is treating their local law enforcement,” he said.

    Officer FB pic

    The Olive Garden manager, spokesperson, and president took action immediately after the post went viral. One of the managers already spoke with Kansas City Police Chief Daryl Forte regarding the incident and assured them they are investigating the matter. “She was very concerned and shared (police officers) are welcome there,” Forte tweeted. “Facts are being gathered.”

    Rich Jeffers, an Olive Garden media spokesperson said that they don’t have any policy refusing law enforcers and that they are always welcome in the restaurant.

    “We apologize for any misunderstanding that might have taken place. It’s unacceptable, that’s what it is. Olive Garden welcomes members of law enforcement all the time in the restaurants. We love serving them. They serve our community. The least we can do is provide them a great meal,” Jeffers said.

    According to Jeffers, Olive Garden chain president, Dave George, reached out already to Holsworth so he could apologize personally.

  • Olive Garden: “Not Our Policy” to Tell Cops They Can’t Have Guns

    Olive Garden has issued an apology to a Kansas City police officer after he was told he wasn’t welcome inside the restaurant while carrying a gun.

    Officer Michael Holsworth shared his story on Facebook, saying,

    “So I was going to eat lunch with my family today (10-11-2015), we had decided to go to the Olive Garden in Independence off 40hwy and Noland Rd for my birthday lunch. They were running late getting there so I decided to go inside and wait for them. I walked in and sat down on a bench just inside the doors. As I was sitting there waiting, one of the employees told me ‘Sir, we don’t allow guns in here.’ Now mind you I am in full police uniform and on duty. I actually thought it was a joke at first so I asked her ” Are you serious?” She replied back with ‘Yes’. So I told her ‘well I can leave I guess.’ She then replied back ‘yes please leave’”

    The post was quickly shared all over Facebook – it currently sits at around 22,000.

    “Now I never in my wildest thoughts would of thought this would happen in the Kansas City area. I see it happening all over the United States to other officers but never thought it would of happened to me. Please share this post and let everyone know how this establishment is treating their local law enforcement,” said Holsworth.

    And, as would be expected after online outrage, Olive Garden has apologized. It’s “not company policy,” according to Olive Garden spokesperson Rich Jeffers.

    “What happened with Officer Holsworth was unacceptable and completely inconsistent with how we treat members of law enforcement. Police officers are always welcome at Olive Garden. They serve our communities and we love serving them. Take the police part out, the fact that a guest was not made to feel welcome in one of our restaurants is completely counter to the values of Olive Garden,” he told ABC News.

    Remember, when you’re there – you’re family.

    In a similar but not quite identical story, an Army National Guard solider was refused service at a Kentucky Waffle House after he entered with a sidearm. The Nicholasville Waffle House stood by that decision, saying,

    “For many years we have had a ‘No Firearms’ policy in place in our restaurants. We continue to believe this is the best policy for the safety of our customers and associates.”

  • Jill Duggar: ’19 Kids and Counting’ Star Honored, Baby Shower at Olive Garden

    Jill Duggar: ’19 Kids and Counting’ Star Honored, Baby Shower at Olive Garden

    Jill Duggar and husband Derick Dillard will soon be parents, and they were reminded of that fact this weekend when his church family honored them with a baby shower at Olive Garden. The 19 Kids and Counting stars were showered with gifts for ‘Baby Dilly,’ as they’ve affectionately referred to their unborn son since learning of his conception, as well as endless salad and breadsticks.

    The weekend baby shower didn’t end the celebratory mode for the 19 Kids and Counting family, however. On Monday, they celebrated Derick Dillard’s 26th birthday. Jill Duggar shared word of his big day via Instagram with a sweet post.

    She captioned the photo, “Happy birthday @derickdillard to the man of my dreams! I love you more than ever and pray God continues to make you more like him every day! You’re the sweetest, most Godly and caring husband! I’m so blessed to be married to you! #derickdillard #birthday.”

    A photo posted by Jill Dillard (@jillmdillard) on

    So what did Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard get at their baby shower this weekend? Jill also shared an Instagram photo of some of their friends and the many gifts they received.

    A photo posted by Jill Dillard (@jillmdillard) on

    “Thank you @OliveGarden and Derick’s church family for the baby shower today! We were so blessed! #babydilly #OliveGarden #babyshower,” Jill Duggar captioned this post.

    “We love these baby gifts @derickdillard got for his birthday! 🙂 So fun! #babydilly,” she wrote on this next one.

    A photo posted by Jill Dillard (@jillmdillard) on

    Will Jill Duggar make her hubby read that owner’s manual before Baby Dilly is born?

    Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have about two months to go before baby makes three. How kind of his church family to host a shower for the happy couple.

    Jill’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are likely bursting at the seams with excitement over the thought of a new grandchild arriving. Son Josh Duggar and his wife Anna Duggar have three children and are expecting a fourth. That will mean a total of five grandchildren for the 19 Kids and Counting patriarch and matriarch–for now, anyway. Rumors have been flying ever since Jessa Duggar wed Ben Seewald in November that they will be the next to announce a pregnancy.

    Do you expect someone else will host a baby shower for Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard? The event held at Olive Garden this weekend was the second shower for the couple. A few weeks ago, Derick’s Walmart co-workers hosted a baby shower, too.

  • Red Lobster Chain Sold For $2.1 Billion

    Red Lobster Chain Sold For $2.1 Billion

    Darden Restaurants, Inc., based out of Orlando, Florida, announced yesterday that they would be selling the struggling seafood chain Red Lobster to Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion.

    Darden owns several other chains including: Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Capital Grille. They revealed their plans to sell Red Lobster back in December after their sales dropped significantly.

    The Lead Director of Darden’s Board of Directors Chuck Ledsinger said, “Today’s announcement is the culmination of a highly competitive process designed to maximize the value of the Red Lobster business and better position Darden for success.”

    “The structure of the agreement enables us to capture the value of Red Lobster and establish a market validated valuation of its real estate, while also enabling us to avoid the risks associated with continuing to operate the business in the current challenging environment,” Ledsinger added. “As we move forward, we remain committed to building on Darden’s leadership and will continue to focus on optimizing all of the Company’s assets, including its real estate.”

    Many investors, including Starboard Value LP, are arguing the sell saying that Darden should take new approaches to try and raise sells. They have asked Darden to put the sale on hold to meet with investors before going forward.

    Starboard Value Managing Member Jeffrey Smith wrote a letter to Darden’s board of directors on Wednesday stating that this could be the worst possible time to sell the chain. “While we can see how a Red Lobster separation could be convenient and beneficial for management, this could be the absolute worst time to be selling Red Lobster,” Smith wrote.

    Darden explained that they want to sell Red Lobster and focus more of their attention on revamping their Italian chain Olive Garden. We believe this agreement addresses key issues that our shareholders have raised, including the need to preserve the company’s dividend and regain momentum at Olive Garden,” Darden’s chief executive Clarence Otis said in a statement.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Red Lobster Closing Rumors Put to Bed

    Red Lobster Closing Rumors Put to Bed

    It looks like Red Lobster fans can relax, just a little. Despite rabid internet rumors that the seafood chain is closing down, owner Darden Restaurants Inc., claim otherwise. The rumors started a few days ago when LA Weekly posted an article about the uncertain future of Red Lobster.

    The article was subsequently edited because it did not get all the facts straight. But one thing is for certain, a lot of people have the seafood lover in them. Since the article was posted on December 23rd (and many articles about the potential closing followed), Red Lobster has been the number one trending topic on Yahoo.

    Of course, Twitter users have also had their say.

    Darden’s Twitter response:

    So what’s the latest story? Is Red Lobster really closing or isn’t it? Not according to Darden, which is one of the largest casual dining companies in the country. They also own Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille among others. Darden spokesman, Rich Jeffers, stated that the company does want to sell or spin Red Lobster, however, they have no intention of closing down the restaurant chain.

    The company is worth nearly $7 billion, but the health of their financial future is clearly in jeopardy. The Orlando-based Fortune 500 company had a 31 percent drop in net earnings last quarter alone. Red Lobster currently has 705 operating restaurants in the United States and Canada.

    Image via Facebook

  • Red Lobster Denies Closing Rumors

    Red Lobster Denies Closing Rumors

    Rumors have been swirling recently that Darden Restaurants, Inc., an Orlando-based Fortune 500 company that owns the seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster, will be closing the popular eatery’s doors in 2014. Now, those rumors have been addressed and squashed by Darden executives.

    An annual earnings report released earlier this month indicated that the company would soon be indefinitely closing the 705 Red Lobster restaurants scattered throughout the U.S. and Canada. However, according to Rich Jeffers, Darden’s director of media relations, that isn’t the case. Jeffers said Friday, “Never have we said we would be closing restaurants.”

    The notion that Darden would be closing Red Lobster could have possibly stemmed from a report earlier this year released by Barington Capital Group LP, an investment company now working with Darden to boost profits. Barington stated publicly that their plan for increasing sales for Darden Restaurants, Inc. would include a cut back on specials and promotions offered to customers, as well as money spent on advertising. They also suggested that some of the restaurants may need to be closed.

    According to Barington, the current fiscal year has seen investors in the company acquiring over 2% of the company’s stock, and a 19% drop in annual earnings in 2012. The investment firm also indicated that they believe the issues within Darden Restaurants, Inc. stem from the constant growth in the company’s size.

    The firm showed that Darden spent almost twice as much on advertising as their competitors in the previous fiscal year. Darden and Red Lobster apparently invested 4.8% of their revenue on television ads in 2012 and 2013, compared to the 2.5% spent on average by similar companies.

    Nonetheless, Jeffers assured upset customers that Red Lobster has no intention of closing the franchise entirely; on December 19 Darden announced that it was investigating the possibility of selling the chain or completing a spinoff of the restaurant, but either scenario would simply be a “change in ownership.”

    Red Lobster averaged sales of roughly $2.6 billion this year, and is estimated to be looking at a total revenue of $8.6 billion for the year when combining the profits from all 8 Darden-owned restaurant chains.

    Main image courtesy @redlobster via Twitter.

  • 85 Year Old’s Review of New Olive Garden Location May Make her The Betty White of the Brand

    Never overestimate the tastes of the American people. A review of the new Olive Garden in Grand Forks, ND has gone viral.

    The writer of the review is 85-year-old Marilyn Hagerty who has worked for the Grand Forks Herald; she has won numerous awards and authored thousands of articles, but none of them have received as much attention as her Olive Garden article. In the article she described having a lunch of fettuccine Alfredo, and a salad topped with several black olives. She called Olive Garden “the largest, most beautiful restaurant in Grand Forks. […] The place is impressive. It’s fashioned in Tuscan farmhouse style with a welcoming entryway. There is seating for those who are waiting.”

    Some people really liked the review and thought that it was sweet while others find a review of such a major chain to be trivial and adding to a culture of idiocracy. The reaction requires framing though; someone who has never been to an Olive Garden is more likely to be impressed by its decor and ambience than someone who has had a location right around the corner for decades. Seeing as the chain is new to the area, it is understandable why Hagerty was so taken.

    Hagerty says that her phone has been ringing off the hook for the past three days. According to wmctv.com she said that her review is getting so much attention that it feels like “a wild dream” and she doesn’t care if people jest at her positive impression of the new Olive Garden.

    Individuals who work for and represent Olive Garden are stoked about the review, “We really love to see all the support we’ve had from all the Olive Garden fans out there that have stood up for her and the Olive Garden and given us more positive feedback,” said Donald Szutenbach, Olive Garden General Manager.

    Her article has received over 1.3 million hits and has even landed her an interview on abc and a television appearance on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight” with guest host Jane Lynch from the Fox TV hit “Glee.”

    Here is what some people tweeted about her review:

    (image)@bgg2wl
    Erika Nicole Kendall    “@starfishncoffee: I kinda love that 85 yr old woman in North Dakota who reviewed her town’s brand new—Olive Garden. http://t.co/4M1EE9Ij”(image) 22 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@fshnguru
    Melissa Moylan    As someone who critiques all day long, I found Marilyn Hagerty’s review of the Olive Garden in NDakota delightful. #changeyourperspective(image) 58 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@MatthewNordin
    Matthew Nordin    Guess if u grew-up in big city, Marilyn Hagerty’s Olive Garden review is funny. But for small town folks, it’s big deal http://t.co/jOCuJj7a(image) 1 hour ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@AntDeRosa
    Anthony De Rosa    Bless Marilyn Hagerty’s heart. I may not like Olive Garden but I am in love with her. http://t.co/v1WtbnJ4(image) 2 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@raypride
    Ray Pride    107,000 clicks on Marilyn Hagerty’s Grand Forks Olive Garden review, the earnest, kind tone of which made me cry http://t.co/ZXACe43a(image) 4 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@SuzyKhimm
    Suzy Khimm    Marilyn Hagerty could become the Betty White of an Olive Garden rebranding campaign.(image) 4 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@willyblackmore
    willyblackmore    This woman is awesome. Don’t hate. @LAWeekly Interview with Olive Garden reviewer Marilyn Hagerty http://t.co/yu15YQnV(image) 4 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@robport
    Rob Port    You gotta be kidding me MT@JohnsonReports Marilyn Hagerty’s review of the Grand Forks Olive Garden has 90,000 views http://t.co/AhgWdkqe(image) 4 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@robport
    Rob Port    You gotta be kidding me MT@JohnsonReports Marilyn Hagerty’s review of the Grand Forks Olive Garden has 90,000 views http://t.co/AhgWdkqe(image) 4 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto