Generally I do not take the time to write reviews of chain restaurants.  To me, the reasons are obvious... starting with the fact that chain restaurants are pretty much only interested in a couple of things: getting as many people into and out of the place in as little time as possible, and making sure that "the bottom line" remains of utmost importance.  Things like plating, top-notch service and dynamite food are generally not of great concern.  Having said that, not only do I understand understand the concept, I really don't have a problem with it.  If price is one's major concern -- and let's face it, many times price is the only concern -- then a chain restaurant is often a very good choice.

But when one can find great pricing, great food and decent service, the result is value and in that case I don't believe that the venue really matters all that much.  Frankly, whenever I can find a great Italian dinner and enjoy it with a nice glass of wine and get decent service -- without surrendering a major portion of my wallet -- you can bet that I will be a return customer. 

For years (literally), Lauren and I had chosen Olive Garden in St. Charles as one of our favorite spots to go for those very reasons; we enjoyed dinner there perhaps two or three times a year... at least until last year, which is when we noticed that things had begun to change.  Unfortunately, the changes were not for the better.  Service began to slip, portion control was a lost art (usually on the low side), plating had actually become sloppy and, importantly, the place did not seem quite as clean as it had once been.  I realize that the majority of these problems are directly related to management and, to be honest, we had noticed a change in managers.  With each change, the value seemed to slip a bit further as prices rose.  Unfortunately my bottom line is this: when value slips below a certain point, it's time to move on (kinda like Zambrano and the Cubs...).

I will not take the time here to analyze any further, nor share comments about our dinners.  They were very ordinary and really nothing to write about.  Just like when I discovered that I was suddenly paying more for the same orange juice in a smaller container (and wondering if the water content had been increased), it was time to look for a better value.  Boo-hoo Olive Garden... you had it and you lost it.   

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