Five Questions for the Creators of the Times Square Olive Garden Compass

Here’s a question that’s probably not on everyone’s mind: how do you find your way to the Times Square Olive Garden? Well, a quirky team has come up with a solution — they’re creating a compass that directs you solely to the Times Square Olive Garden.

At first, I thought this was just a clever prank when I stumbled upon it on social media. But after chatting with the creators, Jason Goldberg and Steve Nasopoulos, who teamed up with Glub Glub Labs, I realized it’s not a joke at all.

Now, you might wonder why this exists and why now? Why not a compass for something like the Times Square Margaritaville? The answer is simple: they were tired of guessing the way to the Olive Garden. Sure, you could check your phone, but in a world where everyone is glued to their screens, a more analog experience felt refreshing.

They chose Olive Garden because, let’s be honest, where else can you get lasagna as a side? Good luck finding that at the M&M store!

For the tech enthusiasts out there, here’s how it works. The brains behind the operation at Glub Glub Labs have equipped the compass with an Arduino Nano microcontroller to handle the inputs and outputs. It’s linked to a GPS unit (SAM-M10Q), typically used for drone navigation, along with a gyro sensor to track rotation once it locks onto a north reference. A stepper motor turns the dial, and it’s powered by two batteries salvaged from disposable vapes.

Since the Olive Garden in Times Square is stationary (as far as we know), the compass operates offline, using hardcoded coordinates, the user’s GPS location, and some onboard trigonometry.

As for the terms of service, they’re quite amusing and specific (like “don’t walk off a cliff or into the ocean”). The creators admitted they had never drafted terms before, so they just imagined scenarios they wanted to avoid liability for (they even left out walking into an active volcano… for now).

Regarding production, they’re still figuring out how many to make. The response has been overwhelming, with over 2,000 people on the waitlist, far exceeding their expectations. They plan to keep it a small batch, likely around fifty at a time, unless Olive Garden decides to take this venture global.

Stay tuned for the release date, which is coming soon!