Olive Garden: Read reviews and ask questions (2024)

Server

June 2022 • Framingham, MA

What I liked

The flexibility, the hours, the management, peers

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

It's hard work but worth it

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Waiter

May - August 2023 • Bismarck, ND

What I liked

I loved working with people and getting to serve people.

What I wish was different

I wish that the base salary had been higher.

Advice

Be patient with people, even when it becomes very frustrating. Just being kind to people goes a long way.

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server

July 2023 • Corpus Christi, TX

What I liked

Food stability benefits, great management, fast money.

What I wish was different

Amount of hours worked.

Advice

Make friends while you work!

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Server

June 2023 • Cranberry Township, PA

What I liked

The family aspect of the staff and the environment.

What I wish was different

My schedule, just a day off

Advice

I would go into serving in general with an open mind and not let yourself get worked up over little things that happen.

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Server

May 2023 • Tuscaloosa, AL

What I liked

The people here are amazing! The benefits are also super nice.

What I wish was different

Better hourly pay

Advice

Server

October 2020 • Athens, GA

What I liked

The people and the fast-paced environment

What I wish was different

The pay

Advice

Work as much as possible

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Host

July - August 2022 • Portland, OR

What I liked

The employees there were very fun and welcoming.

What I wish was different

I wish Olive Garden were run differently. Unlike other companies, hosts didn't get a share of the tips made, so you were expected to do a lot for minimum wage. They also make it very hard to work up the ranks.

Advice

Make the best of your experience, but there are better options out there.

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Cafe Server

January 2019 • Idaho Falls, ID

What I liked

interacting with my guests.

What I wish was different

i wish that as a corporate company, they were not so focused on up-selling.

Advice

Focus on making your guests happy and get those tips!!

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Line Cook

March 2021 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Everything nice staff

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Great way to learn new skills

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Bartender

May - September 2021 • Vancouver, WA

What I liked

What I wish was different

I wish that I was solely bartending and making higher than minimum wage

Advice

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Restaurant Server

April 2021 • Burnsville, MN

What I liked

How we all work together to make guests have a welcoming experience

What I wish was different

Advice

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Server

January 2018 • Amherst, NY

What I liked

My coworkers are amazing and it's a really fun job. Tips are a huge plus and contribute significantly to my compensation when I work.

What I wish was different

Manager and coworker turnover has been an on-going issue, but serving is mostly college students so it should be expected as people graduate and find full-time jobs.

Advice

Be confident in your ability to be a good server and remember to always smile!

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Restaurant Server

May 2018 • North Wales, PA

What I liked

Coworkers

What I wish was different

The pay

Advice

Save the money you earn

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Server

February 2020 • Portage, MI

What I liked

Flexible Hours, Sales opportunities, Great Coworkers, and Great Managers

What I wish was different

Recognition of employees (ie: Good vs Bad)

Advice

There's never a dull moment, so really just go into work everyday with a smile and see where it takes you! Work together with your team and it will pay back for you tenfold. Get to know the coworkers and they could turn out to be some of your best friends.

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Server

January 2019 • St. Charles, IL

What I liked

Great staff, fast paced.

What I wish was different

n/a

Advice

If you enjoy working with others it’s a great opportunity.

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Dining Room Host/Hostess

July 2019 - April 2020 • Pittsburgh, PA

What I liked

I liked the weekly pay, it was very beneficial

What I wish was different

No pay card, just direct deposit

Advice

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server

August 2020 • San Antonio, TX

What I liked

I loved helping people

What I wish was different

Long hours

Advice

Make that money

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Server

February - August 2020 • Cerritos, CA

What I liked

Flexibility

What I wish was different

Organization

Advice

N/A

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hostess

January 2017 - August 2018 • Noblesville, IN

What I liked

the hours were really good

What I wish was different

the management was not the best

Advice

don’t get involved in workplace drama

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Server

July 2019 • Fort Worth, TX

What I liked

Flexible hours

What I wish was different

Party was very low not minimum wage

Advice

Great if you have a large homework load

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Olive Garden: Read reviews and ask questions (2024)

FAQs

Do host get tipped at Olive Garden? ›

We weren't “allowed” to accept tips as a host.

Does Olive Garden make their meals from scratch? ›

It wouldn't be unreasonable to guess that Olive Garden, the massive Italian-American restaurant chain with over 900 locations, follows a similar process. But by most accounts, the majority of items on Olive Garden's menu are made in-house, from scratch, on a daily basis — including its signature soups.

Who is Olive Gardens' biggest competitor? ›

Carrabba's Italian Grill

With over 100 restaurants across 29 states, Carrabba's Italian Grill is Olive Garden's biggest competition. Visiting Carrabba's for dinner, you'll find entrees going for $20 to $30 on average.

Who owns Olive Garden? ›

How much did you make as a server at Olive Garden? ›

What is the average salary for an Olive Garden Server? As of May 16, 2024, the average annual pay for an Olive Garden Server in the United States is $31,106 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $14.95 an hour. This is the equivalent of $598/week or $2,592/month.

How much does Olive Garden pay with tips? ›

$32
Pay TypeRangeMedian
Base Pay$17 - $24$20/hr
Tips$8 - $16$11/hr

Why is Olive Garden so famous? ›

An immediate hit amongst diners, Olive Garden expanded in a major way throughout the '80s and '90s, thanks to its focus on keeping bills low (on average, in the low $20 range), while helping feed America's obsession with Italian food.

What is the slogan of Olive Garden? ›

Advertising and marketing

When unlimited soup and breadsticks were added to the menu, the slogan was changed to "When you're here, you're family". The slogan changed in early 2013 to "We're all family here".

What is unique to Olive Garden? ›

The dishes we're known for.

Our signature garden salad and freshly baked breadsticks with Never Ending servings of your choice of homemade soup.

Is Olive Garden owned by Disney? ›

Walt Disney World and Darden Restaurants (which owns restaurant chains like Olive Garden and Red Lobster) both have happy-looking public faces regarding the health of the people they employ.

Is Olive Garden raising their prices? ›

Darden Restaurants, the company that owns and operates restaurants like Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse and Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, reported they will be increasing prices company-wide by an average of 2% to 3% over the next year. Olive Garden had already seen a 1% increase in menu prices last year.

Are Olive Garden and Red Lobster owned by the same company? ›

Darden SW LLC, a Florida limited liability company, the sole member of which is GMRI, Inc., doing business as Red Lobster and Olive Garden. Florida SE, Inc., a Florida corporation and direct wholly owned subsidiary of GMRI, Inc., doing business as Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.

Do you get tipped out as a host? ›

Tipping out means that your servers and bartenders will collect gratuities from customers, then at the end of their shift, will give a percentage to the hosts, bussers, food runners, kitchen staff, and anyone else who supported them that night.

Do you tip the host? ›

Host - No tip is necessary unless a special service was performed, then tip appropriately for the size of the favor.

What do hosts do at Olive Garden? ›

As a host, you will ensure that various guest and team member touch points are regularly sanitized and disinfected. Our hosts take pride in making loyal guests by guiding them to their table, presenting them with clean menus, and offering suggestions to enhance their dining experience.

Do food runners get tipped out at Olive Garden? ›

Food runners do not receive tips directly from customers. However, it is common practice in many restaurants for servers to tip out food runners at the end of a shift.

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