Olive Garden

[XISMZERO]

I know some of these topics gets slow, but let's try and keep the personal comments off these boards and back into useful information everyone can gather from. Go start a thread in the bashing section if you'd like to air your grievances.

[TheFugitive]

Apparently one of the key investors in Olive Garden feels that their biggest problem
is that they're giving away too many breadsticks.

http://fortune.com/2014/09/12/investor-tells-olive-garden-fewer-breadsticks-sell-more-booze/

Say WHAT??  They've never brought me more than 3 at a time that I can remember.

[ynkeesfn82]

Olive Garden to offer sandwiches made out of bread sticks in hopes of winning customers back.

http://www.courant.com/business/ct-olive-gardens-breadstick-sandwiches-20150511-story.html

[shore72]

We eat at OG about once a month, most recently last Saturday. One of my wife's favorite places (she loves the zuppa tuscana) and I don't mind it. It can get old eating there too often; I think more variety on the menu could help. Considering that we are rural, middle class with no Italian blood, we may be a pretty well targeted demographic for them! I've never eaten at a "real" Italian restaurant except for some nicer pizzerias.

[retailisking]

The Biddeford, Maine OG served its last patrons on Friday. That's just weeks after the Biddeford Ruby Tuesday shuttered.
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/09/17/while-olive-garden-thrives-across-the-country-biddeford-restaurant-shutters/

[Zayre88]

Last time we wanted to go at that Olive Garden a couple months ago the place was packed, something like 30-minute wait to get a table...

Now it's closing, I don't get it... 

[retailisking]

Maybe the lease was up and they got a bad vibe from the Ruby Tuesday closure or there was a big increase in the rent. Either that or maybe the place didn't do enough business during off-peak times.

[Zayre88]

There is a bad vibe on that whole shopping center!

So many store have closed : Linens'n Things, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Old Navy, Fashion Bug, Lowe's, Best Buy and now Olive Garden..

With Market Basket and new stores like Michaels, it did bounce back a little

[giantsfan2016]

There is a bad vibe on that whole shopping center!

So many store have closed : Linens'n Things, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Old Navy, Fashion Bug, Lowe's, Best Buy and now Olive Garden..

With Market Basket and new stores like Michaels, it did bounce back a little

Similarly there is a shopping center in Bristol, Connecticut where every chain that has occupied one of the anchor spots in the plaza has gone under since the 70s. And no one is moving into the plaza.

Woolco
Rickel
Pergament Express
Sears Appliance & Hardware

The spot is currently a Hobby Lobby. From what I was told they signed a 10 year lease in 2014 after Sears closed.

Other stores that have closed in the plaza over the years Waldbaum's Food Mart, CVS, Marshall's, Family Dollar, Hit-or-Miss, Sullivan School of Self Defense, The Salvation Army, Joann's, Aaron's Furniture, and Webster Bank.

Waldbaum's is Big Lots.
The Salvation Army is part of the Hobby Lobby.
CVS/Family Dollar/Aarons is still empty since 2014. (Aaron's moved to a smaller location on the other end of Route 6).
Hit-or-Miss/Sullivan School of Self Defense is still empty.
Marshall's is still empty since 2007ish. Tho Spirit Halloween opened a store there this year. (Marshall's relocated to a larger store in Plainville, CT),
Joann's is empty since 2014. (They relocated to a larger store in Southington).
Webster Bank just closed in 2016.