That Time Olive Garden Read My Blog

As a blogger, sometimes I feel like I’m pretty anonymous. In fact, most times I feel pretty anonymous.

Until yesterday.

I wrote a post a couple of days ago for Casey at Love and Waffles entitled “Six Ways a Date At Olive Garden Can Tell You If He’s a Keeper.” It’s literally dripping with sass. I was proud of my own cleverness, but I didn’t really think much of it. I write sassy things a lot. (If you haven’t read it, read it now!)

Yesterday, I noticed I had a private message on my Facebook page. This basically never happens, so I was intrigued.

Olive Garden messaged me on Facebook.

Okay, it didn’t say “from Olive Garden to Taylor Yates” but whatever. One of Olive Garden’s PR people had found my blog post on Casey’s blog and really enjoyed it. She said they’d like to offer Brandon and I a date night to try all of the new menu items they’re bringing in. She’s letting the general manager that we’re coming, and they’re paying for the meal. Basically, I’m now a celebrity of the Casper Olive Garden.

What?

This stuff never happens to me!

I was pretty excited, as you can see.

https://twitter.com/pinstripesandLG/status/479016110767882240

As I said, sometimes blogging feels pretty anonymous. I have my loyal readers (which I appreciate dearly!) but sometimes it feels like only a teeny, tiny corner of the internet is even seeing your work. It can be frustrating and a little disheartening.

That’s why when I got that Facebook message, I had two main thoughts:

1. Omg omg omg omg omg Olive Garden cares about what I write I feel like a celebrity maybe I am one now I wonder if people at the local Olive Garden will now know who I am probably not but at least I get free food yay
2. Welp good thing I spoke positively about Olive Garden that would have been awkward otherwise and no free food for me but who am I kidding what could I have said bad about Olive Garden besides the fact sometimes they put too much sauce on things but is that even bad NO

Again, pretty obvious I was excited.

I’ve worked with a couple of brands and had a couple of bloggers I admire comment about my work, but there was something different about having a huge corporation acknowledge my writing, especially one that has been a fixture in both my diet and my love life (yes, love and food are very much intertwined in my life).

Have you ever been recognized by someone big or someone you admire for your hard work? Did they offer you free breadsticks?

UPDATE: Olive Garden tweeted a link to my post, and they now follow me on Twitter. Between them following me and Starbucks following me, I couldn’t be cooler.