Olive Garden

Reviews 4

RA

Raymond Reyes

The last time I ever went to Olive Garden was about a year ago. I used to like the place despite the long wait time, but ever since my last experience at the restaurant, I hadnt been so keen on eating there afterwards. I am not sure if its gotten any better, but heres what happened then: When my family (which consists of six people) had first walked through the door, the lady at the counter told us the wait was gonna be about 20 minutes. Immediately after, we looked into the room behind the lady and saw that almost every table in that room was COMPLETELY EMPTY. Yes, even the big ones that sat 5+ people. Naturally, we all assumed that there were reservations being held for the large tables, so my dad and I decided to spend time checking out the nearby hardware store. Five minutes in, my mother had found out that absolutely no one had taken any of those tables, and that the lady at the counter was apparently oblivious to the number of empty tables around the restaurant. My dad and I walked out of the hardware store, we got our seats at one of the tables, and patiently waited for our waiter. Ordering our drinks wasnt a problem, but when it got to food, I decided to get this Butternut Squash Alfredo Pasta they had as one of their specials. And then we waited.patiently for our food. Fifteen minutes pass. Twenty. Thirty-five. From what it looked like, we seemed to be the only customers in the room, aside from an old couple eating in the corner. We noticed no one had come in, and the place was strangely quiet. It made us wonder what was taking so long despite the fact that there was hardly anyone else to be served. After waiting nearly a full hour, our food finally made it to the table. Completely starving, I immediately feasted on my Butternut Squash pasta, and instantly realized the terrible mistake I had made. The pasta was sweet. Disgustingly sweet. I tried my best to finish as much of the dish as possible, but I ended up just putting my fork down before I could finish halfway. My typical cast-iron stomach couldnt stomach anymore. I even let my siblings and my parents try it, and they all recoiled at the taste. None of us enjoyed our food. Overall, that experience I had at Olive Garden was less than stellar; I was unimpressed by the lack of organization and the terrible food, not to mention the reducing number of customers which told us that the restaurant was walking the path of failure. Even afterwards, once I got home, I immediately had diarrhea in the bathroom and subsequently threw a Hot Pocket in the microwave for a midnight snack. TL,DR : Lady told us to wait for twenty minutes in a restaurant full of empty tables. We got served crap food which we waited about an hour to get.

MA

Mandy Simmons

I am a picky snit when confronted with bad service. And other than just One time with a sassy back talking African American Richard Simmons type server ( who I am sure he went away fast ) Ive seldom had a bad experience there except for one that worked out quite to my advantage. One time on a Friday ( a while after lunch ) afternoon I had pre ordered a huge order of food to carry home to feed my family and guests. It was nearly $60 bucks worth of food. I was told it was not quite ready please sit and have a free drink at the bar. I saw a young gal come in and she was given 4 bags of food and she paid $20 for it and her eyes clearly told me that she knew she was getting more food than she ordered. Im not shy and I went up there and said "Um I think she has my order." The serving gal shot me a look like "mind ur own business." Oh well I tried. I waited 20 more minutes ( I was in no hurry ) and the two young folks I spoke to acted like Id never ordered and they did not know what I was talking about...the guy said "what call in order?" A male manager came out of the back just then and he asked why I was upset, he found my order on a ticket in the trash and he recreated the whole thing plus hed added some big dessert to go ( I found out later yummy! ). This time it only took 15 mins...and it was all fresh and all super hot. Hed brought it all over to me and I tried to pay and he said no way maam. He would not take my money. Score! THAT KEEPS ME COMING BACK. I quietly told him that the girl knew she was giving her friend a sweetheart deal and I was back at lunch less than a week later and I never saw her or the waiter in cahoots with her again. If you do wrong ur out. Delicous!

DA

Daniel Pineau

Way better than I expected Olive Garden to be, based on recent years. I recommend you check it out if you havent already. I stand behind my 2014 review as an accurate reflection of OG then, but it isnt so today. For the past few visits, Ive picked up on a transformation here - both in front and back of the house as well as in ambiance. Our server today at lunch (Justin) was top notch. Good personality, attentive, respectful, confident yet humble. He was a very good representative of the restaurant and one who gave the diner the impression they were dining at a "next level up" establishment. Soup/Salad IS OGs bread/butter for lunch and four of us ordered this while one opted for a pasta entree. Everything came out swiftly and cheerfully. I had the opportunity to meet the GM before we sat down. I told him about my working here for a month (making breadsticks, then apps, then being "on the line" all in the prior of that month). Very nice guy who clearly has a vision for this restaurant and is leading OG towards the right direction! When I commented on the noticeably improved decor (e.g. The wine-rack wall upon entry) he told me they had gone through a substantial updating of decor and furnishings. Im happy to report that tallahassees OG is figuring out ways to stay relevant in an ever-improving marketplace. If youre seeking out a good lunch or dinner - this updated menu wont let you down - and youll feel like you went out to a nice restaurant to boot. One thing that Im NOT a fan of is the tablet terminal on the table. Yes - I get it that its convenient for some who are on a schedule (I used ours today) but I just dont like it. I get it that this paints me as a Luddite of sorts...

CI

Cicely Kimbrough

Yesterday was my boyfriends birthday. He decided on Olive Garden. I havent been there in years but I remember how good the Seafood Portifino was. Unfortunately it was no longer on they menu. We arrived about 8:45 and there was a 15 minute wait. After being seated our waitress took about 10 minutes before coming to the table and taking our drink order. When she came back with our drinks we asked about our salad and breadsticks and we were informed that it comes out after we have ordered and since we werent quite ready to order we had to wait to get our salad and breadsticks. Once we ordered about 5 minutes later she brings out breadsticks but no salad or soup. We got the attention of another waitress to ask why our salad and soup wasnt bought out with the breadsticks and she assured us she was gonna find out what was going on and about 7 minutes later salad and soup finally comes. We got our food about 40 minutes later and it was disgusting. I ordered the shrimp and chicken carbonaro and the alfredo sauce was so thick I couldnt eat it. They had run out of alfredo sauce and to make more really quick and it was an epic fail. Not only was the sauce disgusting the chicken tasted scorched and for $18.49 I only got 5 shrimp which were medium sized shrimp. Will definitely not eat here again or refer anyone to eat here.