All I want for Christmas is to avoid the crowds. It seems every store and restaurant in Columbus is packed.
Aren't we facing tough economic times? Someone forgot to tell the shoppers and diners.
Last night Jeff and I went to the Olive Garden. (I know the big, bad chain, but hey, this isn't New York) Picture it: A quiet Tuesday night, an 8 p.m. dinner for two, a glass of wine, some Christmas music playing in the background.
Sounds serene, huh. The perfect way to relax after a busy day at work.
Wrong. We struggle to find a parking spot and then we can barely squeeze into the restaurant's door because so many hungry people are crowded around waiting for tables.
The wait is 25 minutes... on Tuesday! Yikes. We try our luck at the bar (first-come, first-serve policy there). And there is a family with a 9- or 10-year-old daughter sitting at the bar. Not at a table near the bar, at the actual bar. She could reach over an pour herself a beer. Not that she was, it was strictly sweet tea for this family of three dressed in their finest sweats. When did it become O.K. for kids to sit at the bar? Don't you have to be 21?
After 10 minutes and some elbow-throwing, we snagged two seats at the bar and proceeded with our meal. It wasn't exactly the quiet, relaxing dinner we'd been hoping for, but hopefully the crowd signifies that Olive Garden is doing well financially. People need their breadsticks, especially in hard economic times.
2 comments:
You are back. Yay! I think you should have kicked the girl out of the bar. I've seen you put people in their places. You could have done it!
Yay, probably right. Her dad was awfully big, though. Or at least he looked bigged in those sweat pants.
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