This is one of two co-winning articles chosen from Dr. Loprete’s English Seminar class. Some minor edits have been made. Thank you and congratulations to all who submitted! We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to read your work, and we hope that you will continue writing!
To everyone who loves food, I highly suggest going to Olive Garden. This is an Italy-inspired chain restaurant; you can find Olive Garden restaurants almost everywhere in the States, although certain locations are better than others. They have a variety of entrees, including chicken alfredo, chicken parmigiana, and chicken scampi; but if these options don’t float your boat, they have many other delicious entrees to choose from, too. The Olive Garden in Boston, MA, more specifically in the South Bay Shopping Center, is the location I chose to visit.
After a long day of shopping at Nike, Target, and Ulta Beauty, I had worked up an appetite and decided to go and get something to eat. With many restaurants to choose from, I searched for an option that would be the fastest. After surveying AppleBees, Panera, Chipotle, and Shake Shack, the amount of time that I would have had to wait to even place my order was ridiculous, so I decided to give Olive Garden a chance. One thing I noticed before even entering the restaurant, though, was that the parking lot was full of people who would park their cars there and leave them there while they went shopping, as opposed to parking there to eat at the restaurant. Unfortunately, this can make for parking issues and angry customers, especially when it comes to those drivers who actually want to park there in order to eat there. That said, the exterior was inviting and it made it feel like you were actually in Italy. There were grapevines, a bunch of pretty flowers, and benches for people who didn’t want to eat inside, providing a lovely outdoor option for people who wanted to enjoy their day, yet still chow down on some delicious food.
As soon as I opened the door, the aroma of good-smelling food surrounded me. I walked up to the host and asked for a table. In a matter of five seconds, she said, “Right this way!” with a huge smile on her face. Now, some people might find that creepy, but to me, it felt as though the hostess had been trained to treat customers with respect. After she showed me to the table, I sat down and looked at the menu.
When I tell you how amazed I was by how many options there were to choose from, some may think I’m crazy for feeling this way, but really, I was blown away! The waiter then promptly came by to check on me and asked if I was ready to order. Although I had not been able to survey the full menu yet, she let me know there was an option to choose any entree and get unlimited soup or salad with it. Off the bat, I was on board. SOUP OR SALAD FOR FREEEEE!!!!!! Yes, please! Excitedly, I decided on the chicken and gnocchi soup as well as the chicken alfredo pasta.
While waiting for the food, I looked around the restaurant and saw how everyone was either with their family or with a loved one, seemingly having fun and enjoying themselves. It was evident that this restaurant really tried to convey not only a sense of Italy, but also a sense of home as calm music filled the air, mingled with the laughter and happiness of other customers. About fifteen minutes later, the food came; the soup was nice and hot and seasoned to perfection, and the chicken alfredo was very creamy and delicious. After I devoured my meal, the waiter came back and asked me how everything was, and she also asked me if I was interested in any desserts. I politely declined because I was so full, but I told her, “You bet I will be getting some next time!”
