Olive Garden

Doesn't Recommend

MANUEL C

Joined 3 years ago

RACIAL TENSION IN THE AIR. This restaurant is in a predominantly in a “white” neighborhood; being a light skinned Latino married to a African-American woman who was pregnant at the time, going to this restaurant was one of the worst experiences I have ever had.

From the parking lot, to the waiting area, all the way to our table in the back people just stared. What a highly uncomfortable feeling. To make matters worst, we were celebrating my wife’s sister’s birthday that day, she turned 25. Because it was her birthday; her driver’s license had expired, driver’s licenses are scheduled to expire on your birthday in New York. She had ordered a pina-coloda with rum and she was asked for ID. When she provided her driver’s license, she was told that it wasn’t a valid ID and they could not serve her liquor (all though she was above age). The waitress from the beginning was treating us with a fake smile as if she felt uncomfortable serving us.

I asked to speak to the manager since my sister in law had provided documentation that she was above age and shouldn’t be singled out for not having a “valid” on her birthday (the day it expired). When the manager approached us he explained that those were the rules. I asked the manager if he had asked all customer’s in his establishment drinking liquor for their IDs regardless if they looked if they were in their 60, 50, 40, 30 or 20. The fact was that if you look old enough they don’t ask you for ID, so why make such a big fuzz over an expiration date while ignoring her birth date. I also pointed out that he may have served liquor to other people in his establishment, who may not even have had an ID on them if they were asked. The fact some people look old enough to not ask for ID is not a factor in serving them liquor; so why was that a factor in our case. After all, African American sister in law was above age too. So why single her out and discriminate against an adult who looks young.

By this time we are getting even more stares from the other “white” people sitting all around us. Stares as if we went to this establishment to cause trouble. In addition to the horrible feeling we were feeling, the waitress says that they can not accept her ID because “friends tend to give their ID’s away once they expire”. I laughed at her comment and told her to look at the picture and said that the girl on the picture on the state issued license was the same girl sitting at the table, so how can anyone give her their license so that she could come into this restaurant and act like she is someone else.

We got up from the table and left with people starring at us like “thank GOD they’re leaving”. We will NEVER go into another Olive Garden EVER again, specially this one.