The adventures of a Pasta Pass user

So this is just going to be a review of every Olive Garden dish?

is veal an option?

I will be heading out for my Friday dinner, so it will be a couple more hours before I return to my notes and laptop to resume.

It hasn't been the whole week and I have broken even with the card. People have gotten $1,000+ worth of food out of the card.

Since I am a NEET, I plan on going as often as possible.

Well quadman, there are 210 possible combinations. I have already tried the Italian sausage and I don't foresee myself wishing to order it again in a pasta bowl so someone else will have to brave it out. (The Zuppa Toscana is a different story though which I tried on Tuesday.)

you're basically garbage disposal, bruh.

yeah but i mean its olive garden so did you really win at all?

Just how fat are you?

why don't they just give you a key to the dumpster

>rather unique opportunity that would provide some OC to the board

You don't even know the meaning of OC, you fatfuck shill. You're worse than Hitler.

do you go to different olive gardens? have any of the servers started to recognize you?

...

This is one of the worst threads I've seen it quite some time. I'd rather just look at pictures of mcchickens to be honest and I says that with no sense of irony

Can you order it to go or do you have to eat it there? If so could you order multiple to go meals from every olive garden near you? That way you could get food for a whole household. On veteran's day my dad goes to every chain restaurant that gives a free meals and gets a to go meal from them all.

you clearly don't know food gore threads
this has potential

I support you OP. If you don't care about what you eat, 100 buckaroos for a few weeks of meals and the free time to go whenever you like is a great deal.
I'm working through a free burrito per week from Moe's Southwest, and I'm ready to get experimental with my ordering. I wonder if their tofu is any good.

it is
restaurants don't want it to change

Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Lunch

Tried the Zuppa Toscana and the Italian sausage worked for me here along with the other ingredients. I actually saw this thread that had a recipe for the soup if anyone is interested.

>Zuppa Toscana - Spicy Italian sausage, fresh kale and russet potatoes in a creamy broth. Made with gluten-free ingredients.

~130 lbs.

The closest one is around 10 minutes away driving. Some of my lunch waiters have acknowledged and it's generally more chill. I have seen some dinner waiters but there's more customers in the evening to handle.

I had read that they allowed ToGo ordering in the past when they had only 1,000 cards, but it's in-restaurant only this year as there's a larger concern with 22,000 cards clogging up the system. If I am eating there and I can't finish my plate or I only want to eat 3 bowls of soup and save the pasta for later, I am allowed leftover boxes that way. Leftover boxes or not, I have been bringing home breadsticks and mints each meal.

>olive garden shilling
Kek, that 4 cheese ziti is good but its fucking terrible for you

NEBP:Rigatoni/Five Cheese Marinara/Chicken Fritta

First time trying out that marinara and I could tell there was cheese in it at least. The crispy chicken was fine as well, although I might lean towards grill chicken in later dishes. Also was the first meal that I got those mints.

Money saved: $13.98
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $1.99

Total
Money saved: $41.54
Money spent: $3.32
Money tipped: $5.97

Dinner
NEPB: Angel Hair/Asiago Garlic Alfredo/Grilled Chicken
1 Side Kids Grapes

This combination was by far the best one I tasted, so I will likely order it again soon. Unfortunately I did not receive the receipt from the waiter and I forgot to ask for it, plus she didn't know how to set up tipping on the credit card.

Money saved: $14.28
Money spent: $0.52
Money tipped: $1.48

Total
Money saved: $55.82 (halfway to breaking even)
Money spent: $3.84
Money tipped: $7.45

Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Lunch
Soup-Minestrone

For a vegan soup it works out well, but I still hold a preference for the previous two soups.

>Minestrone - Fresh vegetables, beans and pasta in a light tomato broth - a vegan classic.

It's not vegan if you got it with parmesan

NEPB: Fettucine/Meat Sauce/Chicken Fritta

Looking forward to trying the sauce in other combinations.

Money saved: $13.98
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $2.49

Total
Money saved: $69.80
Money spent: $3.85
Money tipped: $9.94

How do all these dumb cunts not know how to run a credit card just for a tip? For christ's sakes it's not a hard concept but I guess if you're a waiter at Olive Garden you're probably missing quite a few brain cells.

Dinner
NEPB: Fettucine/Alfredo/Grilled Chicken

This combination worked out fine, although this became my first meal that went slow due to the backup in the kitchen.

Just copying the soup description from the website for information purposes. I could probably cut back the cheese on every meal I admit.

user, is it worth it? I mean, I know it's Olive Garden and people like to shit on it, but I mean, how badly can you really fuck up pasta. I'm mainly considering this as I go out for lunch every day at my office and spend around $10 on average, so this could be a good and somewhat nutritious deal. I'm not picky but I don't like eating complete filth either. How would you rate it/what's your opinion on it? I've actually never been to Olive Garden.

NEPB: Linguine/Creamy Mushroom/Grilled Chicken

The sauce was a new addition to their menu, and I was pleased with it. This is also a sauce that I will use again. Still a slow kitchen, but my waiter did her best regarding my other requests (water, the tip situation, etc.)

Money saved: $14.28
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $2.99

Total
Money saved: $84.08
Money spent: $3.86
Money tipped: $12.93

It was on Wednesday that I noticed the category used to charge a single penny: Open Food. Either the dinner waiters on M/Tu didn't know about that category or they were too lazy to get a supervisor to help them, hence the half a dollar difference in my tip. Not an issue if I wait an extra minute if it means they do it right, and I let tonight's waiter know when I encountered the same thing. After the restaurant cashback on my credit card ends, it's cash tips going forward.

Thursday, September 28, 2017
Lunch

Soup: Fagioli
>:^)

It was an okay soup, but I foresee myself ordering the first two soups should I go for soup.

>Pasta e Fagioli - White and red beans, ground beef, fresh tomatoes and tubetti pasta in a savory broth.

By "neverending" they probably mean "we will occassionally come by to fill your empty bowl, but don't count on it unless you make a scene." I'm just extrapolating from how they treat their endless breadsticks.

Next time I go there I'm tempted to bring a whistle.

I have seen a decent showup during the lunch hours for what it's worth. That being said, the pricing is a bit deceptive regarding the Never Ending Pasta Bowl. You can choose between the 4 soups or House salad for the starter. There are 7 pasta types, 6 sauce types, and 5 topping types, but the toppings are at an additional price (which my Pasta Pass covers btw). It doesn't reveal the topping cost on the website, but I have a picture of the menu for you to see what I mean. The first bowl they give you is a full-size bowl while subsequent refil bowls are more portioned, both sizes which I have posted. You might have luck requesting your refill in a takeout container for dinner at least, but the bowls are rather simple ingredients in comparison to other plates you could get there or something you could make in your house.

I also worked a few times at the pasta station in my university's dining hall and made custom pasta bowls rather than placing the meat on top of the sauce on top of the noodles, which is what you will get with the NEPB.

Tell me a tale of ordering more and more until they kicked you out.

NEPB: Cavatappi (corkscrew)/Five Cheese Marinara/Grilled Chicken

This combination worked out well, and I will likely integrate that noodle in more dishes.

Money saved: $14.28
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $1.99

Total
Money saved: $98.36
Money spent: $3.87
Money tipped: $14.92

i'll solve the problem for you. don't pay a tip, but your meal costs 20% more, and what could have been 20% in cash to the server under the table is now cut down due to unkie sammie. service sucked? too bad, 20% more, thanks.

Dinner
NEPB: Rotini (gluten-free)/Creamy Mushroom/Chicken Fritta

My first (yes, first) waiter could not comprehend that I wanted to have the NEPB but without a soup or salad and having my first bowl be a refill/portioned size. Very tense couple of minutes as I had no issue with other waiters regarding this custom order scheme up to that point until now explaining what I wanted. I even explained that I had a Pasta Pass so money or leftovers were not an issue for me, but it was then that I noticed that she seemed to have no clue about the card so she takes the card to talk with a manager. A few minutes later, I receive my card back from my new waiter for the evening. It was a bit awkward as the first waiter was still stationed to the adjacent table, but the second waiter knew how to deal with my different situation.

I also don't care about gluten-free products, but the pasta was good so I will likely order it again.

I will save Friday's meal posts for tomorrow as it's getting late.

NEPB: Cavatappi/Marinara/1 Meatball

Still had it in me to have another bowl. I like that I can try out at least 2 combinations if I portion it out which I can do with the smaller sizes.

Money saved: $14.28
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $1.99

Total
Money saved: $112.64 (4 days and 8 meals in and I have officially broken even with the card)
Money spent: $3.88
Money tipped: $16.91

Using the card my first meal on Monday involved the manager and during the chit-chat he admitted how useful that card would be. I have heard of people getting thousands worth out of their cards and I intend to do the same as it's a way for me to help my family save on the household's food costs.

Actually I'm fine with this. The restaurant industry needs to burn a little.

Reminder Joe's Crab Shack started paying waiters like $15 an hour but banned tips and they threw a fit that they were underpaid.

How much cashback do you get per dollar spent? Also which credit card do you use? I have an Amex but the benefits kinda suck and I am shopping for a different provider.

Good god these waiters all sound completely fucking daft. Every time I didn't understand something at a job, I would ask a supervisor or senior staff member, learn how to fix it, and not be so stupid next time.
But I also don't work at shitheaps like Olive Garbage.

$1000 worth of retail cost food, maybe $80 worth of actual food cost.

Pasta is cheap as fuck.

I'd be scared going the same place everyday and only leaving a couple bucks for the servers that have to put up with me.
For me, tipping is a bribe used best by repeating customers.

This blog sucks

god I'd just eat cavatappi all day long

Nobody is "putting up" with him, they're just doing their job AND getting free money (tip) besides their regular salary.
I don't see what's the problem.

i know this is the way it is supposed to be. i am unconvinced that this is how the entitled youth see it.

Employers don't want to pay their employees so they convince dumb Americans to do it for them by scaring them with 'your meal will be more expensive.' Yet, with tip your meal is already more expensive.

>Employers don't want to pay their employees so they convince dumb Americans to do it for them by scaring them with 'your meal will be more expensive.'
No, they don't. At all. It's a cultural/incentive thing. You get good service you voluntarily tip. If you don't, you don't. Shitty servers don't last, good servers do.
>well it's dumb
Most cultural things are
>I don't like it
Then move
>I don't live in america
Then what is the problem.
>I bet you are a server
Nope, electrician.

There, I took out about 50 shitposts.

make it 15% which is much more reasonable. Also I'd be totally fine with this. There's going to be crocodile tears from roastie waiters because they now suddenly don't get literal hundreds of dollars on a good night, where they expect $60 on a $300 bill for 8 people.

Are you tired of it yet?

They also claim the quality of service will go down which is utter bullshit since in japan and korea there isn't any tipping and service is far superior to most 'murrican restaurants.

Do you have schizophrenia? Did you actually just play out a non-existent shitpost scenario in your head?

No, I don't. Glad we moved directly to insults, I feel like we really cut to the chase here.

>japan
>service

You litterally have to yell at your waiters for everything my man. They will NOT check up on you.

>b...but in my animus dey
Nobody gives a shit weeb. It is how it is.
japan-talk.com/jt/new/service-in-japan

It's weird though because at shops they won't get off your dick. I didn't mind it, but I would not call it "good service". The waiters are robots, they do what they are told and NOTHING further. But, they also don't expect tips at all. Both places have their upside and downsides.

you're a fagioli

This is true in most normal restaurants in japan, however fine dining options exist and the service is much closer to what a westerner would expect.

You'll be paying a good $40+ per person, but meh that's not terrible.

It's not as much of an insult as asking if you actually had some sort of medical condition. You seem like you take this imageboard way too seriously.

Thanks for the thread OP, it's a nice change-up. I like your running total on your orders' balance. Glad you've already broke even.

Even in higher class dining (I never went to a Michelin star or anything) they did refill your drinks but they would not ask you shit. Again, different, but I would not call it good.

>would not ask you shit

Are you white?

Half Japanese half white.

Yeah but do you LOOK white

OP here. I have been focused on /cfb/ as my team had a key match today. I will have dinner soon and I will plan to watch some more college ball, but I will update later tonight.

ASL

I was waiting for one of these threads to pop up.
I knew out of all you fast food eating fatasses somebody on here had to get one of those stupid things.
Also are you allowed to loan the card out to other people to use or do they check your ID with it?

Friday, September 29, 2017
Lunch

House Salad

I didn't care for the olives and peppers, but that salad bowl was more filling than I though it would be. I actually liked that the vinaigrette was mixed in with the salad, compared to the pasta bowls where I have to mix the noodles and sauce together.

>discover.com/credit-cards/cashback-bonus/cashback-calendar.html
A 5% cashback bonus over three months adds up. Although I have it as a backup card, the cashback is one scenario where it becomes my primary card.

I have still encountered waiters that are confused, but if I see that they have other customers to deal with and make the effort to check with their supervisor regarding the Pasta Pass or the tip setup then I give them leeway and wait the extra minute to ensure everything works out on both ends. I have previously worked in food services so I emphasize up to a certain point.

That is true, but it should still make a yuge dent on my household's food costs.

Almost one week in and I haven't gotten tired of the food yet. I've been more concerned about my health not deteriorating, so more water and any chances of walking my sibling's pet I will take.

Officially I cannot transfer the card to a different person, but it is possible that someone could get away with it. My local Olive Garden has recognized me since day 1 so it won't be a problem for me here, but the restaurant does reserve the right to check any card holder's ID to verify.

NEPB: Rotini/Creamy Mushroom/Shrimp Fritta

The shrimp is the most expensive topping ($4.99), but crispy shrimp is crispy shrimp. I'll lean more towards the chicken, but I'll still let shrimp have another day to experiment around with.

Money saved: $14.98
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $1.99

Total
Money saved: $127.62
Money spent: $3.89
Money tipped: $18.90

Rotate your pictures you fucking nigger.

Getting late here to prepare Saturday's notes, plus there is /Pac-12AfterDark/ to witness. There was no conflict this week with eating and watching the football team play, but I'm sure it'll pop up in these next 7 weeks.

Dinner
NEPB: Cavatappi/Alfredo/Shrimp Fritta x2
(picture is the first bowl, but I won't upload a picture of the duplicate refill bowl)

First time that I had to wait a few minutes for a seat, but OG is a restaurant that gets busy around this part of the week. Not only were there high school kids dressed up for homecoming, but there were 3 iterations of "Happy Birthday" during my meal. I realized I misspoke and ended up with a refill of the same thing, but I was fine with the combination regardless. Almost got charged 52 cents for those damn grapes, but quick clarification on my new insight got it to become a penny charge. Again, not an issue to wait an extra minute if I see that they have other tables and are receptive to doing it the right way.

Money saved: $14.98
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $1.99

Total
Money saved: $142.6
Money spent: $3.90
Money tipped: $20.89

>Money spent

What is this amount? I understand the tip being separate, but why do you keep getting charged some small amount like $0.01?

lmao

not op here
it's drinks and other things outside the scope

OP is tipping with a card and usually the computer need to have a sale before you can add a card tip. So they charge him a penny.

Saturday, September 30, 2017
Lunch

Soup-Chicken & Gnocchi (Not uploading duplicates of soups and salads)
NEPB-Angel Hair/Five Cheese Marinara/Chicken Fritta

Liked the noodle and sauce combination already and the crispy chicken switch this time worked out well. My waiter had a weird station where it spanned into a different room where I was and he seemed to have not dealt with a Pasta Pass or credit card tipping yet, but he pulled through fortunately.

I also checked Veeky Forums to discover that it's blocked on their WiFi due to "adult content" so live thread updates won't be possible.

Money saved : $13.98
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $1.99

Total
Money saved: $156.58
Money spent: $3.91
Money tipped: $22.88

Like the others said, money saved is from the amount the Pasta Pass covered while money spent would be for drinks, anything else not covered by my Pasta Pass, and setting up the tip on the credit card. Now that Discover has ended this quarter's (restaurant) cashback deal, that category will likely remain unchanged for a while as I will begin tipping with cash.

Another thing is that I pay no tax on my Pasta Pass meals since I paid the tax when I purchased it. Everything else on their menu is fair game for Uncle Sam.

The picture appears straight when viewing on my phone and laptop, but uploading them here rotates it. Then again, I'm taking pictures of circular plates so it could be a lot worse.

this looks legit delicious. wish they had a pesto sauce

Save for today's lunch a couple hours ago, I am now caught up regarding posts.

Dinner

Soup-Zuppa Toscana
NEPB-Angel Hair/Asiago Alredo/Chicken Fritta

I mistyped thinking I was referring to the Angel Hair and Asiago Garlic Alfredo combination, but that lunch combo is also good. Fazoli's had reopened in my area last year and I have enjoyed eating simple pasta meals there, but I have also enjoyed these sit-down meals with the vast amount of combinations I can request.

I had to wait a bit again to be seated and I had my waiter and two others that assisted him due to the mix of large families, high school students celebrating homecoming, college football fans and another birthday group, but he too pulled through with encountering the Pasta Pass and card tipping for the first time.

Money saved : $13.98
Money spent: $0.01
Money tipped: $1.99

Total
Money saved: $170.56
Money spent: $3.92
Money tipped: $24.87

I wonder if the servers have started talking behind your back yet

"Oh it's the asshole with the pasta pass, fuck that guy."

Have you tried the chicken and shrimp carbonara OP? It's my favorite thing from their menu (that I've tried).

I'll update the thread once there's a lull in the Catalan happening.

Bumping for Olive Garden Frogposter
Keep eating good, friend

Sunday, October 1, 2017
Lunch

Salad
NEPB-Rigatoni/Meat Sauce/2 Meatballs

First time I sat at the bar since the tables were occupied, and I finally had a previous waiter for a second time. Chill atmosphere with another birthday celebration to boot. I do like trying this noodle type out more as it's not as compact compared to other noodles in previous dishes. Provided I don't purchase an additional item off the menu, then it's cash tips moving forward.

Money saved : $13.78
Money spent: $0.00
Money tipped: $2.00

Total
Money saved: $184.34
Money spent: $3.92
Money tipped: $26.87

At least in my presence they have been hospitable, but I've been the least of their concerns being just one person ordering the same promotion each time compared to the multitude of couples and families inside their sections. At least from my previous job, I was more occupied serving the next customer or restocking ingredients.

I'm limiting myself to eligible items on the card for the duration of the period. I have heard people ordering that dish a few times already so I might have to try it out when it's convenient.

The fact you still have to tip makes it not worth it. After factoring the initial $100, You're basically getting shitty pasta for a somewhat low price.

As I tried uploading this and I realized I forgot to take a picture of the lunch pasta bowl. That picture is the first picture of dinner while this post has the second picture of dinner.

Will report once again tomorrow.

Dinner

NEPB-Rotini/Creamy Mushroom/Grilled Chicken (Full size)
NEPB-Rotini/Creamy Mushroom/Chicken Fritta x2 (Portion size)

I can still get away with wearing summer clothes for a while longer here, but tonight's weather let me know that I better prepare for the season change. More hostesses are recognizing me as well as another manager. The way I got set up this time was to start off with the full size bowl and then with the 2 portion size bowls. Ate through the full size and the first refill size and took the second refill size home. My waiter was on top of her game from the ordering set up to departing with my prepared bag. Oh, and another birthday celebration.

Money saved : $14.28
Money spent: $0.00
Money tipped: $3.00

Total
Money saved: $198.62
Money spent: $3.92
Money tipped: $29.87

How fat are you?

he is one of those skinny fucks who eat like a pig

AHHHHHHHHH

report and sage shill threads

Monday, October 2, 2017
Lunch

Soup-Chicken & Gnocchi
NEPB-Rigatoni/Meat Sauce/2 Meatballs

Ate there at a later time than intended. Second time that I've had a previous waiter, and my second time having the plate I forgot to take a picture of yesterday.

Money saved : $13.78
Money spent: $0.00
Money tipped: $2.00

Total
Money saved: $212.40
Money spent: $3.92
Money tipped: $31.87

Dude...
Just fucking get an instagram, we dont care about olive garden shit.

Next update when?

>adventures of a living garbage disposal unit
You are the equivalent of a pig in the back alley of the restaurant that is fed left-overs.

>I have previously worked in food services so I emphasize up to a certain point.

You empathize up to a certain point. I don't mean to emphasize what is a small error in this thread, just helping you for next time user.

>>japan
>>service

>You litterally have to yell at your waiters for everything my man. They will NOT check up on you

Thats how it works in China and it is much better than in US
Theres always someone hanging out waiting for anyone to call them over