A side splitting Reddit post where thousands of people defended their decision to eat at the Times Square Olive Garden went viral. The hilarious answers run the gambit from desperation to curiosity. Here’s the full story.
If you’re a real New Yorker and, god forbid you had to walk through the post modern hellscape that is Times Square, you may have looked in the window of the Olive Garden and thought, “Why would you eat there?” If that has ever run through your mind, well, apparently you’re alone.
When Reddit users have a burning question for the world at large they turn to “AskReddit.” Nefftron posted the burning question, subreddit where users as “Redditors who have eaten at the Times Square Olive Garden, why?”
If you’re reading this, there is the faint possibility that you’re thinking “What’s the big deal with the Olive Garden in Times Square?” For many, it represents the commercialisation of the city in the most obvious way. They believe the restaurant is over priced and is famous just because it’s there; a tourist trap, if you will. Even if you were a tourist, almost certainly you have a more reasonably priced olive garden in your hometown. Basically, in a city with some of the finest restaurants in the world, eating at the Olive Garden in Times Square for many is a mind-boggling decision …they are definitely doing something right though, whether you’re a hater or not, the restaurant is constantly full.
The Reddit post went up late Sunday afternoon and, as of writing this, has 12051 comments and over 50k upvotes. Here are some of our favorite defenses:
Blame Sandy
rj10792: Went to college in NYC during Hurricane Sandy. With the power out for a few days after, my roommates and I went out looking for food and electricity (Midtown still had power). We convinced ourselves that the Times Square Olive Garden was a better option than fighting for outlets in an ATM vestibule.
$25 for 4 hours of charging my phone, unlimited breadsticks, and drinks. Marginally worth it. 3/5 would do it again next hurricane.
…or blame mom
_denim_chicken: My mom insisted on it. I had the mushroom ravioli and I put a bunch of breadsticks in my backpack to snack on later.
Nature Calls
GrabAColdOne: I pooped in there once. It felt like Ocarina of Time trying to dodge all the people that would kick me out because you aren’t supposed to poop in there unless you are eating there. They are very explicit about this. But I was sneaky, and I succeeded. I pooped. I know this doesn’t answer your question, but I’ve never told anyone I’ve pooped in there before and I needed at least one person to know.
Heart breaker
Kazi1776: I have a buddy who goes there when he is breaking up with someone. He doesn’t want to ruin any other restaurants.
Bewildered Tourist
Baba_-Yaga: Tourist. Jet lagged. Hungry. Overexcited about being in NY. Slightly intimidated by the whole thing. Really hungry.
Of Course:
actualspacepirate: Breadsticks.
Featured image source [Flickr | Elvert Barnes]