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September 12, 2009
Olive Garden: Three Quick Reviews
Blogging about Crispers reminded me that I never did post my reviews of a few recent visits to Olive Garden. So here they are...
Olive Garden Lunch 8/5
I ended up at the Olive Garden in Pinellas Park at about 11 a.m. and the place definitely had that “just-opened” feel. I hadn't really planned to go in there at all because I was traveling on a budget and thus was trying to eat cheap. But I kept seeing this huge billboard saying that there was an Olive Garden just a little further down the road. (Brilliant move that! 'Cause there are a half-dozen restaurants right there and if I hadn't known there was an Olive Garden just around the corner, I might have stopped at one of those instead.) Plus I was somehow reminded that they had an unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks special for lunch. (Maybe I saw an ad. I can't remember.) So, I figured: “hey that's just as cheap as Panera or Five Guys, (other places I had patronized that week), so why not?”
Not only was I not disappointed, I was so blown away by the great food and stellar service that I immediately started plotting to come back that night for dinner. (Which I did, but more on that later.)
For lunch I ordered the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, which turned out to be a little more expensive that I remembered. (I had it in my head as $4 and something, but it was really $6.95. Still, a very good deal.) I wanted the Pasta e Fagioli (soup) but also wanted to try the Chicken and Gnocchi soup. Since it was unlimited refills, I had both. In the end I liked the Chicken and Gnocci, but not as much as the Pasta e Faioli.
The salad and breadsticks were also delicious. I can't remember the last time I liked a salad so much. (Really, me and healthy foods have a somewhat strained relationship.) The breadsticks were exactly the right consistency—soft with a slight crustiest on the outside—and nicely flavored.
While the food and the ambiance were great, it was the service that really blew me away. Throughout the meal the server was attentive, friendly, and efficient. But the real test came when I was paying the bill. The check was $9 something and all I had was a $20 and a couple ones. I paid with the $20 and waited to see what sort of change she would bring me. She proved to be the consummate professional by returning my change not in the $10 bill I so often get—(Duh, people, how am I supposed to leave you a decent tip if you don't give me any small bills?)—but in a five and five ones. That alone earned her an extra dollar on her tip, bringing the tip total to $3 on a $9 check. Not bad.
I enjoyed lunch so much that I spent the afternoon trying to figure out how to get back for dinner. Then a little extra money came my way and I knew I would be back at Olive Garden for dinner. Huzzah!
Olive Garden Dinner 8/5
When I went back for dinner that night, the experience was again excellent.
I had the soup and salad again. With just Pasta e Faioli this time. (No second soup.) It again came with breadsticks. (Yum.) I also ordered an appetizer that I had noticed on my previous visit: Lasagna Fritta.
Again, everything was delicious and the service was great.
If pressed, the only thing I would point to as being "not quite perfect" was that one of the breadsticks was a little overdone—just a little too crusty and not nice and soft in the middle like it should be. But what did I care? The other breadstick was perfect, as was the rest of the meal.
When it was time for the check, the server informed me that the manager would be bringing it. Turns out I was the lucky winner of a survey invitation. (Which is lucky for the restaurant too because I was certainly gonna give them all A's after two stellar experiences in one day!) The manager gave me the news with my check. (He looked exactly like you would expect for the manager of an Italian restaurant: a big guy with a warm face and happy disposition, dressed in a personalized chef's jacket.) I assured him that I would be giving them a good report.
I filled out the survey that evening. I could hardly wait to use the $4-off coupon that came with it.
Olive Garden lunch sometime later in August
Once I got home I decided to try my local Olive Garden. Although the food and atmosphere was just as good as I had experienced in Pinellas Park, the service wasn't up to the same standards. Don't get me wrong, the server was efficient and kind of friendly. But here's a helpful hint for all you servers out there: complaining to your customers about how tired you are and how much you can't wait for your shift to be over doesn't increase your tip as much as you might think it does. Come on, guys! How am I supposed to feel good about being in your restaurant if you are so obviously resentful and angry about being there? I'm just saying.
I've been meaning to go back and give the local Olive Garden another chance, 'cause it was only one server and maybe she was just having a really bad day. But I haven't been back yet, and honestly I'm not so anxious to try again. I may just save my coupon for the next time I'm in Pinellas Park. After all, it's not that far away.
Posted by Selena at September 12, 2009 04:20 PM