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Olive Garden - Again They Were A Disappointment
Complaint
Review by ok4now on 2012-11-22
Rating: 
Olive Garden used to be a decent restaurant with reasonable prices and generous portions. They gave you your monies worth. The menu prices are much higher now with noticeably smaller portions. We visited them about four months ago and were not happy with the meal. Maybe they just had a bad night. Not anxious to return we were given a $50.00 gift card so we gave them another try.
Went on a Monday night at 8:00 pm and we still had a 20 minute wait for a table. The service was very slow. Our server took over 15 minutes just to bring the soup & salad and he forgot the beverages. After that he disappeared and we still had not ordered. Finally he returned but seemed unsure about the menu. They have mostly kids working there.
Fast forward. I ordered the Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara for $16.95. When served it consisted of a small portion of pasta, 5 baby shrimp and 4 very small bite size pieces of chicken. It was more like an appetizer.
My wife ordered the Steak Toscano, a 12 oz center cut strip for $20.75. The steak was not tough but it was dry and had no flavor. It needed some gravy as did the mashed potatoes which took another 10 minutes to get. By this time the steak was cold.
Conclusion: We are done with the Olive Garden. For the prices that they are now charging with small portions we can go to a real Italian restaurant and get much better food. They lost a customer.
Went on a Monday night at 8:00 pm and we still had a 20 minute wait for a table. The service was very slow. Our server took over 15 minutes just to bring the soup & salad and he forgot the beverages. After that he disappeared and we still had not ordered. Finally he returned but seemed unsure about the menu. They have mostly kids working there.
Fast forward. I ordered the Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara for $16.95. When served it consisted of a small portion of pasta, 5 baby shrimp and 4 very small bite size pieces of chicken. It was more like an appetizer.
My wife ordered the Steak Toscano, a 12 oz center cut strip for $20.75. The steak was not tough but it was dry and had no flavor. It needed some gravy as did the mashed potatoes which took another 10 minutes to get. By this time the steak was cold.
Conclusion: We are done with the Olive Garden. For the prices that they are now charging with small portions we can go to a real Italian restaurant and get much better food. They lost a customer.
Comments:
Posted by Alain on 2012-11-22:
We had a $25 gift card for Olive Garden. I gave it to my sister-in-law. I really hope the Olive Garden here is better than the one you went to or I'll never hear the end of it! Thanks for the review!
Posted by BigAl on 2012-11-22:
This review brings to mind a question I have had for a long time. Why do people give gift certificates? Who would rather have a $50 gift certificate instead of $50 cash? I know a lot of people consider cash gifts as "crude" but I do not agree. Furthermore in this day and age if you feel cash gifts are crude would not a pre-paid $50 visa be considered a gift certificate which can be used anywhere? Sorry folks but to me gift certificates are just stupid.
Posted by trmn8r on 2012-11-22:
I gave up on Olive Garden about 5 years due to declining food quality from what I would also call "decent", as well as service that had become sketchy.
From what I am reading, the OG experience has become worse overall in the last few years. I have no interest in returning to witness this firsthand.
From what I am reading, the OG experience has become worse overall in the last few years. I have no interest in returning to witness this firsthand.
Posted by tnchuck100 on 2012-11-22:
Posting where this particular Olive Garden was located would have been helpful.
While portion size and price may be common among all of the Olive Gardens the service would have been a local issue.
Where did this occur?
While portion size and price may be common among all of the Olive Gardens the service would have been a local issue.
Where did this occur?
Posted by littleshorty on 2012-11-22:
I went to Olive Garden for only the second time a few months ago. The service was slow. I ordered a shrimp appetizer and it was so salty. My friend ordered soup which she said was salty. The breadsticks were soggy and salty. I will never go back.
Posted by Wally86 on 2012-11-23:
I tend to get good service when I go to OG. Its all about location I guess.
Good Review, OK
Good Review, OK
Posted by ok4now on 2012-11-23:
tnchuck100, The O.G. location was at 2328 W. Moreland Rd, Willow Grove, Pa. To be fair we have tried other O.G. locations with the same poor results.
Example: In Philly located at 9280 Roosevelt Blvd is the busiest O.G. in the country. No matter what time you go, day or night, it's packed with extended wait times. On the weekend it takes about an hour to get a table. Once you're seated be prepared for slow service and over priced mediocre food. The only explanation I have for this is the majority of patrons have not had really good authentic Italian food to compare it to. It's like saying Taco Bell has great Mexican food. I'm done with this chain joint.
Example: In Philly located at 9280 Roosevelt Blvd is the busiest O.G. in the country. No matter what time you go, day or night, it's packed with extended wait times. On the weekend it takes about an hour to get a table. Once you're seated be prepared for slow service and over priced mediocre food. The only explanation I have for this is the majority of patrons have not had really good authentic Italian food to compare it to. It's like saying Taco Bell has great Mexican food. I'm done with this chain joint.
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