Not so WLS friendly restaurant!!

I finally got the nerve up to use my 'I have had WLS, please let me order a smaller portion or a child size' card last Saturday.  It was at the Olive Garden on Memorial in Tulsa.  I usually just get a regular meal & take the leftovers home for later (or for DH) but was going to be shopping for a few hours & knew the food would go bad in the heat.
So I show my card to the waiter & he politely tells me he has to show it to his manager (HOW EMBARASSING!!!)  Then he comes back to the table and tells me that they can't do a 1/2 portion or whatever because there is no button on the register to ring it up!  That was the dumbest excuse & if I hadn't been there with other people I would have left without ordering.
I spent the whole meal thinking that all the staff were staring at me for still being so fat but trying to get a cheaper meal (Imagine what they would have thought 67 pounds ago!).  Of course the fact that we were all using sign language to communicate may have had something to do with them staring!   Anyway, Olive Garden is on the list as a WLS unfriendly place for me!
Any suggestions where I should go next time?  I don't want to go through that again.

Ahhh, doesn't that just drive you crazy!  I normally don't go to Olive Garden, but occasionally if friends are going, I end up there.  I usually end up getting soup and salad, just because it seems safest for me.  I have used my card a few times, but always end up answering questions that make me uncomfortable.  We took my nephew to CiCi's Pizza and I showed the girl my card and she asked me how much I'd lost, when I told her 85 lbs. (at the time) she was amazed, then asked how much I more I was going to lose, I told her about 80 more, and in a very loud voice she said you don't have 80 more to lose!  There won't be anything left of you....heheh little does she know!  LOL  However, it made me very uncomfortable because everyone in the restaurant heard her.  I know she didn't mean it badly, but I have found that people think they can ask you anything when they find out you have had WLS.   I guess I should be used to that, in a small town, people (especially elderly people, but I love them anyway) will ask you anything!  One time a lady that I"d have never thought would have asked someone, she asked me if I had gotten new teeth!  LOL

I have eaten at Olive Garden and ordered the grilled chicken and broccoli from the kid's menu and never was questioned. To be honest, in almost a year I have only used my card twice -- once at a buffet in Salina, KS and once at the Furrs in Moore. I did not have a problem either time. Most times I either just buy a regular meal and bring leftovers home or share with my husband or kids. Other times I order a la carte or appetizers. I don't do kid's meals too often as most times the things on kid's meals are not WLS friendly. I really have not had a hard time finding things I can eat doing it this way and that way I also don't get the inevitable questions from curious (or nosey) people.

Hijack! Nancy, you look amazing!! I love the new Avitar!

What is their problem at Olive G. The childrens menu's anymore, are so carb loaded that I even hate ordering off those too. I hate that they force us to explain to the room or waitstaff,  our life history. I would rather just say....Hey I have an alergy to this or that and that I didn't want it on my plate please  They would jump all over that to protect you! 
We should tell on here which places are WLF, so we can promote them.

Thanks Sherry!

I have found a few restaurants where there are things on the kids' menus that I can order -- Olive Garden, Chili's, and Cracker Barrel are a few I can remember but most times I eat appetizers or share.

I'm 23 months post op and have lost over 100 pounds with my lap band.  I've never used my card, because it was too embarrassing.  Charleston's is very WLS friendly.  I order the kid's sirloin with veggies.  It's a perfect size, delicious, and quite reasonably priced-5.99 I think.  For fast food, Taco Bell is my favorite.  I order a side of fajita meat with refried beans.  It's a little over 2.00 for a very tasty meal.

I HAVE NOT USED MY CARD YET. I USUALLY EAT OFF MY HUSBAND OR SONS PLATE OR ORDER AN APPETIZER OR OFF THE CHILDRENS MENU. I DONT PLAN ON GOING TO OLIVE GARDEN BECAUSE I AM TOO TEMPTED BY PASTA!

I would've been embarassed by the whole thing too. When I eat out, I'll order a regular meal and ask for a to go box as soon as I receive the food. I've had some waiters look at me like I'm crazy until they come back to me 15-mins later and I tell them I'm done. To me, its embarassing when they make a big deal about how little you've eaten (like the food was bad). One of my friends just tells them I have a tiny tummy and can't eat that much.

Now remember I am blunt so this is what I do...people stared at me whn I was obese so now then ycan stare for me being assertive. I always ask for a manager and say Look I have a huge popluations of friends who have had WLS I can blog about your resturant about how you made it enjoyable experience or blog about how nasty you were. This site is a national site so what will it be...To give a discount and dont say you cant cause its not on the register or have me walk out yelling about discrimation..
It always works....except at Ryans firehouse .
Most most resturants that are upper grade will honor your request. Applebees, Chilis Charleston Pearls, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesdays etc. Now on the east coast gee every place there honors wls patients.
AND I AM NOT ASHAMED to ask for a discount and if someone is smart about it and say you can print those cards from online..I always lift my shirt up and ask did I get from an online site....oh yes being me can be fun

I wanna go to lunch with you! Sounds like a fun time!!