Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Cleveland

Olive Garden in Cleveland, TN – A Dining Experience I’ll Never Forget By Evaune Winsor Fielding

I don’t usually write reviews, but after the unforgettable experience I had at the Olive Garden in Cleveland, Tennessee, I simply had to take a moment to share.

This past week, I had the joy of welcoming our newest financial educator recruit to the team, and what better way to celebrate than breaking bread together over some classic Italian comfort food. I chose Olive Garden, hoping for a relaxed and friendly atmosphere—and what we received far exceeded anything I could’ve imagined.

From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with genuine smiles and warmth. The hostess made us feel like VIPs from the start, but the real magic began when we were introduced to our waitress, Joie.

Let me just say—Joie is a gem. Her name suits her perfectly because she brought so much joy to our table. She was attentive without being overbearing, knowledgeable about the menu (she even helped us pair the perfect wine with our meals), and she never once let our breadsticks or glasses go empty. She treated our table like we were family—laughing with us, learning about our mission to educate families financially, and even offering to share the Olive Garden rewards program to help us “save where it counts” (a woman after my own heart!).

But what truly made the evening exceptional was the visit from the restaurant manager, whose name, unfortunately, I didn’t catch—but whose presence was unforgettable. He came to our table not once, but twice, just to make sure everything was perfect. He even thanked us for choosing Olive Garden to celebrate such a special milestone. That kind of intentional leadership—where the small touches mean everything—reminded me of what we teach in our team: people matter most.

The food? Delicious. Piping hot spinach, artichoke dip my personal favorite, perfectly seasoned chicken alfredo with the added mushrooms I requested to be served and the crisp salad, oh yeah the kind of breadsticks you eat even when you’re full (you know the ones). But honestly, it was the service and heart behind the experience that made it the best dining experience I can recall.

To the Olive Garden team in Cleveland, thank you. You made this meal more than a dinner—you made it a celebration. I walked away with a full heart and a grateful spirit, reminded that excellence in service can turn a simple meal into a lasting memory.

Five shining stars. Highly recommend. We’ll be back—many times over with every team member every client we have found our home away from home dining experience.

With gratitude, Evaune Winsor Fielding Financial Educator | Team Builder | Advocate for Amazing...

I will say the food was excellent and there was basically no wait time, I dont want to talk bad about ther service but that was the one area our experience was lacking. the young lady just seemed ether preoccupied or like her mind was somewhere else. drinks didnt get refilled never got checked on until we stopped her to ask for the check. and when we got our to go boxes, I dont k ow if it's common practice, but every time we have been there the waitress will box it up for you, or at least offer. she just sropped off 2 boxes and never saw her again. didnt bring or offer the little bag to keep the bread in. she wasnt rude or anything. she just disnt seem like she had her head in the game. I dont know if she had something personal going on, and that would make it more understandable I know she has a life outside of olive garden, we just didnt feel like we got the same level of care we have always gotten there in the past. that being said the chicken parm the salad the bread was 100% on point and we will still be back, just hope maybe next time we get a different waitress, or at least the same woman to be more attentive and feiendly.

by the way we are very easy to please guests we dont ask for weird stuff or be picky or send food back or ask for 100 diff things. and we are probably above average tippers. I know all your staff works hard for what they earn and we like to show our appreciation for a good meal and good service with a very generous tip. usually what the little guide printed on the recept is we go 5 -15 dollars over what the highest tip is, depending on how we were treated. so I dont want this to come off as were those impossible to please customers who will never be satisfied. we just like to at least have our drinks filled up if...

My daughter and I had the most memorable experience. We were celebrating her THIRTEENTH birthday, and the fun began before we were even sat down.

After promoting an overwhelmingly embarrassing display to the manager working the hostess station, she went the extra mile by making sure every person in FOH came by and personally wished my daughter a happy birthday! We had incredible chats and loads of laughs due to the individuality of people who seemed to truly enjoy engaging in the fun.

They didn’t stop there with making sure “while we were there, we were family”! Our waiter, Aiden, slipped me a note requesting my daughter’s name. Again, ensuring a personalized experienced. It wasn’t long until the manager, our waiter, and about eleven other people came out to sing Happy Birthday and including my daughter’s name in the song! She was mortified and it was fantastic!!

At the end of service another manager came out to personally wish her a happy birthday, and because of all of the birthday fun we even had other guests who were dining in stop by to wish her a happy birthday.

All-in-all I could have never dreamed up a more fun and memorable dining experience to celebrate my daughter. It was truly a beautiful display of kind and hard working people coming together for a young girl’s birthday. If I had the cash that day I would have flooded the staff with tips. Instead, I’m leaving you all a GLOWING review in hopes you all receive the recognition you deserve.

You are WONDERFUL people! I am humbled and incredibly grateful to have had the honest experience at Olive Garden where “When you’re here,...