Olive Garden: "We know it's not good for the environment, but it's cheap!"

Maybe you noticed it too. On our once-a-month trip to Olive Garden, we noticed that the usual green cloth napkins were replaced with paper napkins wrapped around cheap standard-issue silverware. I guess it's not a big deal... sort of the same thing everyone does.

So anyway, the assistant manager came around to see how we were enjoying our meals and I have a tendency to turn a 'doing great' into a 5 minute conversation. Anyway we were chatting and laughing and I mentioned the paper napkins. "Yeah, I know," she sighed. "I guess the 'mother ship' thinks that saving a tree or two or washing and folding and reusing the napkins was costing too much money. Did you notice that we don't use our traditional silverware anymore either? We get them all pre-wrapped so we can quickly just slap them down on the table." She paused, leaned over and continued, "We know it's not good for the environment... but it's cheap."

For once I was speechless that she'd admit something like that. I was kind of bummed and a little depressed because my whole 'do your part' recycling and reuse every piece of paper and all that dumb stuff I normally do seems such a waste. But my friend reassured me that it's just the American way. "Now just let big business continue to take care of the world, and finish your ravioli."

a reply to: jupiter869

As a family these days finds that it must cut back on the famous brand of cookies that they love, so businesses have an even better eye upon the bottom line. And really, on what you are fussing about here, we would need an indepth cost-ratio analysis on the whole spectrum of the use of real cloth for a table versus napkins and the utilization of outside sourcing of tableware before we could judge. I'm quite sure, as was evident with the manager you spoke with, nobody in that business organization was happy with the cuts. Consider yourself lucky. They could have cut the endless salad bowl refills (if they haven't already) in your area.

BTW: I've notice this same trend at one of my favorite eating places.

I just ate at an Olive Garden here in Houston last week and had the cloth napkins as always. Where were you at?
I thought all the OGs were company owned and not franchised. Maybe it is was a decision by the local manager.

By the way.... Everyone must try the Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo, it is frikken AWESOME! I wouldn't care if they served it to me with a spork and a paper plate!

a reply to: jupiter869

The trees used for that grow back constantly, so it's not like they are cutting down Amazon forests. On the other hand chemicals to process the pulp are terrible. If they are using recycled napkins there's points for that. Nothing positive at all to say about plastic cutlery. Serious? Plastic cutlery at a restaurant is so trailer park in my opinion.

Here's the confusing part though, the napkins might not be as bad as regular cloth towels/napkins. Cloth still has to get washed every use, so for every customer you're using water that has been processed for drinking (energy+chemicals) and then you are adding soap/bleach to wash them (chemicals), and from the business perspective they are paying someone to collect and wash them all (their motivations for nixing). +Plenty of people eat without using any, so 450 cloth nappies in the wash, could be less environmentally friendly than 50 throwaway nappies .

Given the secondaries I listed for washing, it's still not ideal. Ideally, we wouldn't use napkins while we ate, just be really careful eating or simply incorporate leftovers into your clothing, )"Whats that? You like my dress? Oh thaaaaanks, it's Chanel Alfredo")

If you did need a napkin, since we aren't using cloth, we'd use recycled material napkins, and only use them for spot clean up. Conserving how much we use.

Not sure if this is cost savings/cutting overhead or simply trying to squeeze out every possible profitable penny for the hell of it.


I suspect both.

a reply to: jupiter869

Don't get me started on KFC's new spork. It's not even solid plastic the handle is a plastic frame.

originally posted by: mattsawaufo
a reply to: jupiter869

Don't get me started on KFC's new spork. It's not even solid plastic the handle is a plastic frame.

It's not a spork, it's a foon. Don't be that guy.

I would be more concerned about ingesting preservative-laden, pre-frozen crap that they insulting refer to as 'Italian food'.

i stopped going to olive garden and pretty much all commercial restaurants years ago for locally owned Italiano only. i would rather help a local mans family than a billionaires

a reply to: jupiter869
The bastards and shareholders that own these chains constantly need higher and higher returns on their investments until they drag the Company into bankruptcy Romney style. These owners care not what they are doing as long as they are making money, this mentality will destroy us all eventually.

Olive garden is to Italian food what made in China is to made in USA.

How long before You "painted the rim"? The last time I did the Choke & Puke at the OG™ I was 'touching cotton' before I got to the car.. Wait, I was wearing My sweat wicking Lycra™ 'fund-a-wear' because I had to hand wash them afterwards.. So I was "touching lycra™ that left a mark...

I 'may' have been the Vino straight from the box, February 09 was a great week...

Did they close the Checker's™ ? They have a great funnel cake..

mangia

I don't eat here but, for those of us reading about all the viruses that are easily spread ... prewrapped means sterile!

Granted I'm a picky eater so I prefer to cook. And the few places I go I always take it to go so I have lots of cutlery sets.

a reply to: tvtexan

Probably a local management decision as you are correct--OG does not have individual franchise operators. It could very well be that that particular OG isn't doing as well as the one you went to in Houston. Houston is a big oil town still (lots of HQ's) and probably hasn't felt as much of an effect from the recession years as such. Cutting expenses at a location that is struggling makes more sense in the hopes of keeping the location open though it does diminish the brand image. Cloth napkins are generally viewed as a sign of a nicer restaurant so I wonder if the OG HQ knows they've shifted to paper, lol. Brand image is frequently everything to the brand.

originally posted by: jupiter869
Maybe you noticed it too. On our once-a-month trip to Olive Garden, we noticed that the usual green cloth napkins were replaced with paper napkins wrapped around cheap standard-issue silverware. I guess it's not a big deal... sort of the same thing everyone does.

So anyway, the assistant manager came around to see how we were enjoying our meals and I have a tendency to turn a 'doing great' into a 5 minute conversation. Anyway we were chatting and laughing and I mentioned the paper napkins. "Yeah, I know," she sighed. "I guess the 'mother ship' thinks that saving a tree or two or washing and folding and reusing the napkins was costing too much money. Did you notice that we don't use our traditional silverware anymore either? We get them all pre-wrapped so we can quickly just slap them down on the table." She paused, leaned over and continued, "We know it's not good for the environment... but it's cheap."

For once I was speechless that she'd admit something like that. I was kind of bummed and a little depressed because my whole 'do your part' recycling and reuse every piece of paper and all that dumb stuff I normally do seems such a waste. But my friend reassured me that it's just the American way. "Now just let big business continue to take care of the world, and finish your ravioli."

My brother is a store manager at an Olive Garden and let's just say that paper vs cloth napkins are the least of your worries :/