US EditionNorth Dakota Newspaper Columnist Whose Olive Garden Review Went Viral Dies at 99
Marilyn Hagerty's decades-long journalism career included a viral 2012 Olive Garden review and multiple awards, highlighting her impact on local and national media.
- Marilyn Hagerty, longtime Grand Forks Herald columnist, died on Tuesday morning, September 16, 2025, at a hospital in Grand Forks at age 99.
- Beginning her journalism career in high school, she spent nearly seven decades writing, and in 2012, her sincere critique of the first Olive Garden in her hometown unexpectedly went viral, earning national attention despite initial mockery.
- The viral response included many emails, phone calls, interviews, and a book deal with a foreword by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who defended her writing style as refreshing on Twitter.
- Her review praised the $10.95 chicken Alfredo as warm and comforting, and UND awarded Hagerty an honorary doctorate in 2021, with President Andy Armacost calling her a treasure for city, state, and nation.
- Marilyn Hagerty, a journalist for nearly seven decades who was cherished both locally and nationally, passed away on the morning that Robert Redford also died; funeral plans have yet to be finalized.
33 Articles
33 Articles
Critic Whose Earnest Review of Olive Garden Went Viral Dies
Marilyn Hagerty, a North Dakota newspaper columnist whose earnest review of her local Olive Garden became a social media sensation, died Tuesday. She was 99. Gail Hagerty remembered her mother as a journalist at heart who was more interested in giving readers an honest assessment than in being critical, reports...
Associated Press News
North Dakota newspaper columnist whose Olive Garden review went viral dies at 99
Marilyn Hagerty, the North Dakota newspaper columnist whose earnest review of her local Olive Garden became a social media sensation, has died. She was 99.
Marilyn Hagerty, Herald reporter and columnist for nearly 70 years, dies at age 99
GRAND FORKS — Marilyn Hagerty, lifelong newspaperwoman, longtime Grand Forks Herald columnist and nationally famous food critic, has died. Hagerty died Tuesday morning, Sept. 16, 2025, at the age of 99. She is survived by her son, James “Bob” Hagerty; a daughter, Gail Hagerty; and eight grandchildren. Her younger daughter, Carol Hagerty Werner, died in 2011. Funeral arrangements are pending. “This is news of great impact at the Herald, for our …
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