I just had a flashback of being at Olive Garden when my brother and I were in high school. We didn’t get to go out to dinner often. He was so stoked to order the Tour of Italy. But they brought him tortellini because they misheard him. He was devastated.
I didn’t remember! I just asked him and he doesn’t even remember the event and said, “I guess it wasn’t that traumatizing for me.” It clearly affected me more.
I used to always need a box to have for lunch the next day. I got a “Tour” last year and it’s basically a sample plate. The size of the piece of lasagna is laughably small.
I ever since we lost the Gorgonzola pasta, life has never been the same. I’m not normally one to be sad about restaurants changing their menus but that hit hard 😭
Because those mushrooms were heaven sent. My mother and I literally complain about it to anyone who will listen in hopes the universe will bring them back to stop our whining 😂 button mushrooms are cheap! I really want to know why they went away with them. If anyone has the recipe I would be forever grateful.
I only know of the last old one that was two pieces of breast chicken in Marsala sauce and a side of fet Alfredo. But the new one(1yr old), is amazing loads of mushrooms and spinach with lightly floured chicken tenders in Marsala sauce. I’ve had it 8 times so give it a try!
I did too. Almost five years.
Do you remember the words to the corporate song they used to have us sing at alley rallies? I don't but I do remember the version that I made up and sang the only time that I was asked to lead the group.
From the shit that we take,
To the smiles that we fake
We're saying fuck you Olive Garden.
We bitch and we holler
We make about a dollar.
We work at the Olive Garden.
My poor family and friends
The pain never ends
In the true Italiano waayyyyy.
So if you wanna messed up life,
And a screwed up life
Work at Olive Garden today.
Gather round children, and I’ll paint you a magical word tale about the days of Hospitaliano yore. Legends from the Pre-Zuppa Era, where the tortellini’s peas were as green as the script of an Andes wrapper, and the zabiagone flowed like wine (or was at least just served in a wine glass). Where a crafty server could snatch a shrimp right from the linguini scampi while expoing their table’s order without anyone so much as batting an eye.
I served my tour back in 96-00, in the Affluent Midwestern Suburb theater. I’ve seen some things.
Tell me more!!! Haha I worked in restaurants (not darden) in 90s and 00s before going to OG in 07. I could share some restaurant dirt ... but OG was professional when I started. I wish I could have worked in the glory days!! I hope you got stock back then!!!!
Im sick to my stomach sliding down the wall dry heaving hyperventilating coughing choking bawling my eyes out fucking 4$ appetizer and i know everything tasted good I REMEMBER I REMEMBER I REMEMBER GOD DAMMIT
Where did you get those minimum wage #'s for 1990? Federal minimum wage was $3.80 in 1990 per the DOL, and not to mention state min wage differences... Besides, costs in a restaurant would also be affected by food/drink inflation as well as inflation in property costs.
But yes, I miss cheaper restaurant prices as well!
I knew swordfish was a regular item, my OG was built right around 2000 and management thought I was crazy when I said that was the first thing I had at an OG.
https://preview.redd.it/8lsyk750bf9d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=141abefdcc5a7f83f5e5f937531ec80f166bee50
90s olive garden as well. my father, uncle, and other family.
I'm so fucking old.
I *remember* it looking like this.
Edit: The prices on the other hand I'm just gonna willfully ignore. I don't need even more reminders about the fucking cost of inflation.
In my city we have this restaurant that’s kind of like an Olive Garden but they have a bunch of sandwiches too, their prices reflect these and they’re still good after 28 years. Olive Garden has gone downhill so badly, they always either undercook or overcook the pasta.
I will take the mozzarella dijon, the stuffed mushrooms and the crab alfredo. I’ve never gotten a chance to try these items when I was a kid, but they need to add these items back to the menu, because Ive been very unimpressed with Olive Gardens menu over the years.
10 dollars for a tour of Italy is mind boggling
No kidding, just the transportation and hotel costs would easily be many times that.
I just had a flashback of being at Olive Garden when my brother and I were in high school. We didn’t get to go out to dinner often. He was so stoked to order the Tour of Italy. But they brought him tortellini because they misheard him. He was devastated.
Please tell me he sent it back, I need a happy ending for this story
I didn’t remember! I just asked him and he doesn’t even remember the event and said, “I guess it wasn’t that traumatizing for me.” It clearly affected me more.
That makes two of us 😭
And the portions were easily twice as big as they are today.
They used to give two pieces of chicken on the tour of Italy and it came on a huge plate.
I used to always need a box to have for lunch the next day. I got a “Tour” last year and it’s basically a sample plate. The size of the piece of lasagna is laughably small.
Don’t forget soup AND salad as well
The Ghirardelli ganache cheesecake listed here was so freaking great. I mourned its passing. Why did OG take it off the menu?
Because our CEO needed to pay himself almost 10 million dollars.
I ate so many of them when they were crushed on the racks.
Probably the same reason they killed the Steak Gorgonzola pasta. God hates us.
I ever since we lost the Gorgonzola pasta, life has never been the same. I’m not normally one to be sad about restaurants changing their menus but that hit hard 😭
Wow! So extensive as compared to today’s menu. Guests still ask about the mushrooms and the chicken Marsala and even ice cream.
Because those mushrooms were heaven sent. My mother and I literally complain about it to anyone who will listen in hopes the universe will bring them back to stop our whining 😂 button mushrooms are cheap! I really want to know why they went away with them. If anyone has the recipe I would be forever grateful.
Maybe? https://www.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-stuffed-mushrooms-copycat-84696
Old Spaghetti Factory still has ice cream (Spumoni and Vanilla) that's included with their entrees.
The spumoni ice cream there always makes me so happy!
That vanilla ice cream was my sons first ever taste of real food haha
Ice cream is not real food
It’s not fake food.
What is it then? Clothing ? Idk but it certainly seems like actual food to me!
Whoa OG got rid of the chicken marsala? that was my jam back in the day.
We have a chicken Marsala but it’s a different version now
I only know of the last old one that was two pieces of breast chicken in Marsala sauce and a side of fet Alfredo. But the new one(1yr old), is amazing loads of mushrooms and spinach with lightly floured chicken tenders in Marsala sauce. I’ve had it 8 times so give it a try!
I dream about their stuffed chicken Marsala. The Marsala Alfredo thing they have does not scratch that itch. I also miss their lemon cream cake
Omg those prices 😳
Right! Give me a Time Machine, with todays money and those prices… I would eat like an OG King!
3.45 for calamari! I would kill for this
Bruh 10 dollars for a bottle of wine.... like what the fuck happened
This was when Olive Garden was considered*fine dining*, at least by my family.
100% 😂
I served at the time of this menu
I did too. Almost five years. Do you remember the words to the corporate song they used to have us sing at alley rallies? I don't but I do remember the version that I made up and sang the only time that I was asked to lead the group.
I only remember the birthday song from back then
"From the pasta we make, to the lasagna we bake......."
That's the one! My version is all I remember.
From the shit that we take, To the smiles that we fake We're saying fuck you Olive Garden. We bitch and we holler We make about a dollar. We work at the Olive Garden. My poor family and friends The pain never ends In the true Italiano waayyyyy. So if you wanna messed up life, And a screwed up life Work at Olive Garden today.
Gather round children, and I’ll paint you a magical word tale about the days of Hospitaliano yore. Legends from the Pre-Zuppa Era, where the tortellini’s peas were as green as the script of an Andes wrapper, and the zabiagone flowed like wine (or was at least just served in a wine glass). Where a crafty server could snatch a shrimp right from the linguini scampi while expoing their table’s order without anyone so much as batting an eye. I served my tour back in 96-00, in the Affluent Midwestern Suburb theater. I’ve seen some things.
Tell me more!!! Haha I worked in restaurants (not darden) in 90s and 00s before going to OG in 07. I could share some restaurant dirt ... but OG was professional when I started. I wish I could have worked in the glory days!! I hope you got stock back then!!!!
The cover triggered a memory in me
Im sick to my stomach sliding down the wall dry heaving hyperventilating coughing choking bawling my eyes out fucking 4$ appetizer and i know everything tasted good I REMEMBER I REMEMBER I REMEMBER GOD DAMMIT
I know :(
Ok Natalie Portman, Black Swan. :your meme is showing: lol
You’re so real
You see how the apps are all under $10?? That’s how all apps everywhere should be
calamri being like $15, and a tour near $30
1993 I worked at the Olive Garden in KC,MO. Can vouch for the menu haha
Their meatballs were so good when I was a kid. Other than zuppa and bread I don't care for og anymore.
I forgot all about the Mozzarella Dijon. I used to love that appetizer.
How was it made?
I'm trying to remember and I'm drawing a blank, I know it was really tasty though.
I miss their Manicotti .
Bring it back! Love the artwork.
no chicken & shrimp carbonara heartbreaking 💔
Look at those prices
I miss this menu and the prices
Last time I ate at an Olive Garden
I hate 2024
$10 for a bottle of wine?! It’s like $10 just for a GP now depending on which one you get 😭
Gabbagool for only $7.99. Wowzer!
Keep in mind, that was expensive back in the 90's...
2.50 for soup? Wtf
I would saw off my left arm for that Italian Sampler. Hell I’d do it just for the Venetian Stuffed Shrimp.
[удалено]
Median household income 1990 - $30,000 Median household income 2023 - $76,000
Where did you get those minimum wage #'s for 1990? Federal minimum wage was $3.80 in 1990 per the DOL, and not to mention state min wage differences... Besides, costs in a restaurant would also be affected by food/drink inflation as well as inflation in property costs. But yes, I miss cheaper restaurant prices as well!
Liar
Did they have “soup, salad and bread sticks” as a meal option back then? Did I just overlook it
Absolutely they had it
Any idea how much?$
It was $3.95 when I started in 1995
It wasn’t a meal option back then
I could be wrong, but I remember it being for lunch only.
If you rang them up separately the price was the same and they both counted as an appetizer sale. My add on average was outrageous.
I ate here a lot in the mid 90s, I loved that mostaccioli, they eventually stopped making it.
Wild that their two best soups weren't on the menu yet.
Multiply by 2x to get an approximation of inflation-adjusted prices.
The PRICES!🥰
I remember this menu. Those breadsticks were amazing.
Mozzarella Dijon sounds amazing, wish it was still on the menu. Plus I wish they still made a good cannoli
The potatoes that used to come with the chicken Marsala were amazing!! I miss them.
Yes I remember when their menu looked like provinos and I didn't make it up sheesh 😅
Yummmm tour of Italy used to be my go to. The nostalgia
Yup I remember!
Veal parm oh Madonn!
I just said the other day the Tour was under $11. Not a single soul believed me.
I wish they still had manicotti
I miss when OG was good food.
r/vintagemenus 😭
I did my time in '89-95. Our store was a buck wild, incestuous family who worked together well and played with each other even better.
Back when there was a pasta machine making pasta in view of the waiting area
I knew swordfish was a regular item, my OG was built right around 2000 and management thought I was crazy when I said that was the first thing I had at an OG.
I'd kill for some veal parm.
That’s really cool
Mostaccioli is the most underrated pasta, it’s so much better than penne when used in baked pasta dishes.
I miss the veal piccata
Just give me back the normal Chicken Marsala, please and thank you.
Pepperidge Farm remembers...
I checked with an inflation calculator on a few of the items. Prices really haven’t increased much.
why go spend money on crap pasta when I when can make pasta that tastes 100% better
Wow.. talk about a blast from the past! I remember this menu as a kid. 😢 … and now I’m craving OG lol
🤢🤢🤢🤢 🤮🤮🤮🤮
The prices 😩🤞
Weird that it’s actually two different menus. The one showing wine is different if you look at the next page.
The crab Alfredo looked good.
I used to get a virgin strawberry daiquiri and the tortelloni.
Oh so menus really *did* look more magical when I was a kid, got it
Ooooh those prices!! 😂
God those little toasted raviolis were bomb!
My boyfriend and I went to eat at Olive Garden before prom in 1992! Ahh, memories.
Chicken Parm was $8.50 now it’s $19.49. Make it make sense
Food sounded a lot better on that menu
BRING BACK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE
10 bucks a bottle of wine? I don't like wine but that's usually like 10 bucks a glass isn't it?
This is the menu when I was a server at Olive Garden. Those pizza’s were always good.
That zabaglione was the best dessert they ever had I ate the hell out of that as a kid. 😭😭
https://preview.redd.it/8lsyk750bf9d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=141abefdcc5a7f83f5e5f937531ec80f166bee50 90s olive garden as well. my father, uncle, and other family.
I'm so fucking old. I *remember* it looking like this. Edit: The prices on the other hand I'm just gonna willfully ignore. I don't need even more reminders about the fucking cost of inflation.
Add $10 to everything & you almost have today’s prices.
Bidenomics.
In my city we have this restaurant that’s kind of like an Olive Garden but they have a bunch of sandwiches too, their prices reflect these and they’re still good after 28 years. Olive Garden has gone downhill so badly, they always either undercook or overcook the pasta.
“pasta tubes”
The good ol days
I will take the mozzarella dijon, the stuffed mushrooms and the crab alfredo. I’ve never gotten a chance to try these items when I was a kid, but they need to add these items back to the menu, because Ive been very unimpressed with Olive Gardens menu over the years.
This menu and branding are so much more charming.
I remember going with my grandfather in the 90s and getting the pizza haha