Posted on 10/13/2011 5:36:30 AM PDT by IbJensen
ANNISTON, Ala. -- Officials with the parent company of Olive Garden restaurants say they're sorry if a decision regarding an Alabama Kiwanis club's desire to display the American flag caused any concern.
The comments come after 80-year-old Marti Warren of Anniston said she wasn't allowed to bring an American flag into an Olive Garden for a planned Kiwanis Club banquet in the east Alabama town of Oxford.
Warren learned the night of the banquet that she wouldn't be allowed to display the flag or the Kiwanis banner in the restaurant, she said.
"I was so angry," she told WBRC-TV. "I felt like I had been slapped in the face."
Orlando-based parent firm Darden restaurants said in a statement that "like all Americans we have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for the American flag and everything it symbolizes."
The Oxford Olive Garden lacks a private dining area, which led to the decision, company officials said.
"To be fair to everyone and avoid disrupting the dining experience for all other guests, they're unable to accommodate flags or banners of any type in the dining room," according to the statement.
Without a flag at the Kiwanis banquet, Warren said she asked club members to close their eyes and picture the flag waving in the wind as they said the pledge of allegiance.
Besides, now we know they are unpatriotic to boot! More reason to bypass OG!
What BS. I’ve seen parties in Olive Garden where there were huge banners and a dozen big mylar balloons.
Not to defend them but they didn’t allow ANY flags.
Olive Garden should check into moving their chain to some 3rd world hell hole country other than the USA. After reading this article, I won’t be going to Olive Garden.
Why would you have a Kiwanis Banquet or any other kind of event at an Olive Garden restaurant that doesn’t even have a private dining room?
I would ban it but in these last two years we haven;t eaten out, no going away, no take out orders etc
All thanks to Zero and his admin for their crap economic agenda.
The food sucks bigtime.
Well they should have.
It would certainly annoy me if I were eating dinner in a restaurant, and a group of people came in with flags and "chants". That is not appropriate behavior in the common dining room of a restaurant.
They should have either rented out the restaurant for the evening, or found a venue with a private dining room (which Olive Garden restaurants don't have AFAIK) to hold their ceremony.
A non-issue to me. Unless the banquet is in some sort of separate function room, OG has to think of the other diners who have to share the same dining area. I certainly don’t want to look at a Kiwanis banner while I’m there. I suspect the American flag request is a bit of a red herring, thrown in to make this a story.
There should always be one exception to any “no flag” rule...
It bugs me the way many restaurants trot out their wait crew to sing happy b’day to somebody’s brat in total disregard to the nearby customers also.
Some restaurants do have party rooms and/or can be placed in out of the way positions for those who choose such things. But this would be too radical for some...
Semper Watching!
*****
Isn’t this Michelle’s favorite restaurant?
Darden Restaurants, who owns the Olive Garden, also donates to Planned Parenthood.
Darden owns Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, and Seasons 52.
I’m on the Olive Garden’s side on this one. Heaven knows why they chose a restaurant in the main dining area rather than one with a private room. Stupid choice to make. And I happen to like Olive Garden’s food. Never had a bad meal there yet and I love their endless salad, and their breadsticks. They are delicious. If you haven’t been there for a long time, I suggest you try it again.
Thanks. I’ll stay out of all of them.
Thanks. I’ll stay out of all of them.
Next time these folks need to go find a real Italian restaurant run by a real, G-d fearing, patriotic, Italian or Sicilian family.
One thing to keep in mind is that OG is applying a consistent (albeit strict) policy. They did not single out the American flag - they just didn’t make an exception for it.
I don’t eat there anyway, but we should consider the story in whole, not just based on the most inflammatory angle possible.
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