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| - Maybe prices alone shouldn't be a reviewers biggest consideration, but long-term, long-time customers KNOW how we got here, how a dish that used to be $X.00 is now $Y.00. Carrabba's has always had good flavor, good taste and began, really, as a viable chain alternative to Olive Garden. But the value just isn't there anymore. Used to be, not now. I imagine every Carrabba CEO has hired in the last 10 years has raised prices...and not to just to keep up with groceries but to fast-pace improve the bottom line. Improve this, Mr. Pace: I won't be back.
Case in point: Fettuccine Wesie. Costs?
(How long's has this item been on the menu? Longer than you've been with Carrabba, President & Cr-Info???-Pacey-boy, I'd bet. Want that bet?)
Fettuccine Wesie starts out as a basic Fettuccine Alfredo, so, maybe, 10 oz pasta. That's not expensive...$1?
Served with "sautéed shrimp", but my whole order only had three ship. Three. Wait. A whole abondanza !!! 3 (!) (Cost: $3.00, tops?);
Add scallions+basil+garlic and mushrooms white + wine lemon butter sauce. $1.00?).
Good dish for a long time. Just that now, much smaller portion (after a while, 15 years ago, it all began: they started faking it by giving extra Alfredo, like a base-extender, cutting the shrimp from 7 to 5, even less mushrooms...
If you add that up, that's a total of $5.00, and I thought it generous. No, I didn't list "mushrooms", but there's room here. $5 is plenty. Divide the sale price of $18.45 by $5 in cost: 27.1% food cost. That's reasonable, most restaurants, in reality, shoot for 30 and under. The problem is, I ate this dish in a much larger version...look: it's just not worth it.
But let's say I'm wrong. Let's say the cost of those ingredients isn't $5 dollars but was $4.00. The 3 shrimp is $2, TOPS. That now brings the food cost under 21. 21.6 to be precise. That's promotable number, baby. And why there's no value left for the customer.
So now, it's still a good dish, FLAVOR-WISE, for $13.95 or $14.95, but now it's all stripped down...now it's $18.45 and it's just not worth it. Not even close.
Service? What service? Self-entitled little d-bags.
Somebody better check Johnny Carrabba's no-compete; might be time to get back in the business. They are ruining your namesake.
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