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Old 08-05-2011, 01:57 PM   #1  
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Default Ordering from kids menu?

We will be going out of town for the weekend and will be eating out at the Olive Garden one night...I don't want to get a big meal and have half packaged up, as I am not going to store it in the hotel room/car, so was hoping to order from the kids menu.

Do restaurants (especially the Olive Garden) let you do this? Or do they stick to "you need to be under 10/12 to order from kids menu"?

TIA
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Old 08-05-2011, 02:13 PM   #2  
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You need to be a kid under 12.
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Old 08-05-2011, 02:14 PM   #3  
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I don't know about Olive Garden but I just got back from Disney and they let me order from the kids menu.
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Old 08-05-2011, 04:33 PM   #4  
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A lot of it depends on your server, I think. I used to wait tables (not at Olive Garden but a couple places were pretty big chains) and I always let people do it- even if the "policy" was kids only. . Most places will let you do it, though some of them charge a little extra- a dollar or two- if you're over the age limit.

Are you 55 or over? A lot of places will let you do it if you're a "senior" (seems so silly that 55 is senior!).

Also, you can do soup and the salad they bring at OG for not a lot of calories, if all else fails.
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Old 08-05-2011, 07:07 PM   #5  
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The best thing at Olive Garden is the zuppa toscana!!!!!! Soup and salad is usually what my best friend and myself order when we go to Olive Garden. Not (just) because we're cheap, but mostly because it's all that we like to eat. (We always tip the server AWESOMELY since we know it is so inexpensive.)

Some places will let you order off the kids' menu if you have dietary restrictions and a doctor's note
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Old 08-05-2011, 07:30 PM   #6  
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I order the kids meals (Happy Meals, etc.) sometimes because the portions are smaller. It really depends on the restaurant. Just ask them.
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Old 08-05-2011, 07:32 PM   #7  
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Maybe just stick to soup and salad. The zuppa toscana has only about 170 calories in it, and you can order the salad with no croutons, skip the cheese, and light italian dressing on the side!
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Old 08-05-2011, 08:30 PM   #8  
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There are times when it is better both mentally and for your body to just order something reasonable and ask to for the "dog box" up front, portion it out and then stick it under your chair.......and leave it there!!!!!! Seriously, a very reasonable portion of something you enjoy plus the salad without dressing should pencil out both calorie and budget wise. Alternatively if someone in your group is a light eater you could offer to split a meal - I have some friends who routinely do this. Of course if they let you order off the KM and it is both tasty and inexpesive - go for it
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Old 08-05-2011, 09:04 PM   #9  
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I'd split something with another person or order an appetizer instead of an entree. I sometimes do that anyway, even when not on a diet because sometimes the appetizers are more interesting!
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Old 08-05-2011, 10:20 PM   #10  
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I don't know if the kids menu at OG is really that great????
What's on it spaghetti or pizza maybe?
I'd do the soup/salad option or share something with someone.
Just watch out for the breadsticks--they can be addictive!
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Old 08-05-2011, 10:33 PM   #11  
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Thanks for the suggestions! I am also vegetarian, so the Olive Garden has limited appeal to me. But, my DH loves it there, and since we don't have Olive Garden in Ontario, it is a real treat for him ( he is so not vegetarian).

I was thinking the spaghetti with marinara from the kids menu, but I guess I could try the minestrone soup....
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Old 08-06-2011, 08:13 AM   #12  
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The last time I was there, I got the Venetian Apricot chicken- super tasty! It's 400 calories, which isn't too bad for dinner. I only ate one piece of the chicken though (it's served with two) so you can save calories that way. The sodium count is high, but that's the case with virtually all eating out meals!
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Old 08-06-2011, 11:40 AM   #13  
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I've only been there once since I started WW but I got the Apricot chicken as well (though yeah I see you don't eat chicken ), and got that with the minestrone soup. I thought both were really good!

Though if they'd let you order a smaller portion of spaghetti with marinara that seems decent. I remember pointswise anyway, eating half of a spaghetti/marinara or cheese ravioli dish would have worked out pretty well but didn't want to deal with having another half of a pasta dish to eat later.

Sad that most places don't just offer smaller portions to people that want them.
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Old 08-06-2011, 05:42 PM   #14  
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Do they have a 55+ menu? I'm not 55 yet (2 years to go) but I've ordered from them at other restaurants. Also, I've never been to an Olive Garden (20 lashes with wet lo-carb pasta for me), but does their kids' menu actually have more than just mac-n-cheese, hamburgers, pizza and chicken or fish fingers? I should get going and make my reservations for my high-school reunion and the high-end fish restaurant where it's being held has EXACTLY those items on the kid menu. Really, is there something in the Bible, the Koran, the Constitution or Atlas Shrugged that says those are the only things you're supposed to eat until you're 12??

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Old 08-07-2011, 02:15 PM   #15  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Somni View Post
Sad that most places don't just offer smaller portions to people that want them.
Amen, without regard to their being over 55 or under 12. And why is 55 the start of being "senior" anyway? More and more now we hear about people not considering themselves "old" until they reach at least 80. My mom and I used to go to Perkins, and when her appetite was good I'd order from the 55 menu and she'd order from the regular menu. (Apropos of not much, I think she and I were the only two women in the universe who went to a restaurant and ordered an entree or sandwich instead of a salad!)
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