Anonymous wrote:First grade teacher here-- that sounds like a tasty gift! I'd like it. (Just make sure that your school is near an Olive Garden-- I think the only ones around here are Tyson's, Falls Church and Laurel, right?) I love the mushroom ravioli.

There is one in Woodbridge, VA as well.

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the OG hate. Is it just because it is a chain and therefore not pretentious enough for the wanna be snobs? Olive Garden isn't bad. It's not my first choice, but my FIL loves to go there, so we go every other month or so. The food is better than some we had in Rome, believe it or not.

It's incredibly bland, very basic Italian food.

Any gift is appreciated. If there's a Panera or lunch place by the school that's a good place to give a gift card, too.

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the OG hate. Is it just because it is a chain and therefore not pretentious enough for the wanna be snobs? Olive Garden isn't bad. It's not my first choice, but my FIL loves to go there, so we go every other month or so. The food is better than some we had in Rome, believe it or not.

but I bet it didn't give you the poops the way OG does...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the OG hate. Is it just because it is a chain and therefore not pretentious enough for the wanna be snobs? Olive Garden isn't bad. It's not my first choice, but my FIL loves to go there, so we go every other month or so. The food is better than some we had in Rome, believe it or not.

I believe that not.

Seriously. We were having lunch (in an admittedly touristy restaurant) and my husband got a dish that reminded us both of Chef Boy-ar-dee.

Eh. I find OG really varies on location. I don't hate it, but I wouldn't choose it normally. We go there sometimes when we are on a road trip, and you need to just pull off the interstate and eat and get right back on.

Anonymous wrote:Target is the best IMO. There's something for everyone.

Amazon too.

I would not go Target. Many people are protesting or not going because they let the opposite sex in bathrooms now.

Just do a visa gift card and she can decide.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the OG hate. Is it just because it is a chain and therefore not pretentious enough for the wanna be snobs? Olive Garden isn't bad. It's not my first choice, but my FIL loves to go there, so we go every other month or so. The food is better than some we had in Rome, believe it or not.

I believe that not.

Seriously. We were having lunch (in an admittedly touristy restaurant) and my husband got a dish that reminded us both of Chef Boy-ar-dee.

This issue with OG is this, clearly the world is divided on whether it is good or bad so you've got a 50-50 shot the teacher will love it.

Also as some PPs have mentioned the teacher is not likely to eat alone and $25 is going to cover 2 adults.

Some say a gift is not a gift if the recipient has to spend money to use it.

Others will say, it is the thought that counts and the recipient should be gracious.

Personally I just ordered ones from Amazon.

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the OG hate. Is it just because it is a chain and therefore not pretentious enough for the wanna be snobs? Olive Garden isn't bad. It's not my first choice, but my FIL loves to go there, so we go every other month or so. The food is better than some we had in Rome, believe it or not.

I believe that not.

I don't get the OG hate. Is it just because it is a chain and therefore not pretentious enough for the wanna be snobs? Olive Garden isn't bad. It's not my first choice, but my FIL loves to go there, so we go every other month or so. The food is better than some we had in Rome, believe it or not.

Why not do Amazon? You can get anything you want there

The problem with $25 at Olive Garden, is like a PP said---you can't get a meal for two there for under $25. So teacher will either need to go by herself, or add her own money just to use it.
If you want to give her a restaurant gift card, I might go with something more like Panera--you could get a reasonable lunch for two people there for $25...or the teacher could use it a little bit at a time; coffee one day, pastry on another, etc.

It's very generous, and we're rich enough to not have to pretend to be above chain restaurants.

Also keep in mind that any Olive Garden GC can be used at a number of other locations under the parent company. Off the top of my head, it might also include Bonefish Grill, Outback, and a few more.

Yuck. Really depends on the teacher. How about a GC to the great american restaurants instead if you want to do a chain?