Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Lee's Summit

We have been going to this OG for years and it used to be not that good prior to the pandemic. We stopped going due to this, however started going again in 2024 and were amazed of how they improved their game overall. Last evening was a very big change and not in a good way. When arriving there were at least 4-5 hostesses? standing there laughing doing nothing that I could tell. Finally one of them asked how many were in our party and gave her the answer. She had a funny look on her face like perplexed of where she was going to seat us with the restaurant being empty at 4:45pm. She then said she needed to go do something and walked off and minutes later came back and said "follow me". She took us all the way in the back corner and seated us (odd). We finally had our waitress drop by and she had some difficulty taking our drink order (water & ice tea) which was also odd. We ordered soup and salad and went down hill from there. There were huge chunks of lettuce hearts in the salad which is a big no-no in my book along with yellowish leaves making me think it's old or at least not "QC'D well when loading into the salad bowl. We ate it anyway but the breadsticks were cold and hard. Again. We ate it thinking we will ask for more no biggie. Then the waitress asked what soups we had again and I asked her if she wrote it down? She replied yes, and I said I can repeat it if needed but she said no she wrote it down. Really weird along with some crazy faces she was making. So then she brought the wrong soup. My tea was empty for 15 minutes and she was horrible at her job. Besides that the table was dirty when we arrived and the bathroom was a disaster. When the manager came over to ask how everything was I told him subpar and I wanted a comp for part of the meal because of the poo service. Our waitress was standing beside him when I was laying out all of the issues we experienced. Glad she was because she needed to heat it and didn't deny anything I told him. The manager later came back and comped our entire meal which I didn't ask for only a partial. He did the right thing thought. BTW, the waitress never apologized or anything. It's going to be awhile before we go back if we choose to. They have really gone down hill to...

A Familiar, Welcoming Embrace with a Modern Twist

Review: I recently had the pleasure of revisiting the Olive Garden in Lee's Summit, the very establishment where I was a part of the pioneer busser team back in 2012 when its doors first opened. Despite the passage of nearly a decade, much of the familiar charm remains the same - down to the evocative black-and-white photograph of a young girl gazing into the distance at table 411, a quaint touch that's etched indelibly into my memory.

However, it seems the winds of change have swept through certain areas of operations. I was both surprised and slightly disappointed to see bussers maneuvering with carts, a far cry from the tray-balancing artistry we practiced in the earlier days. The balance of trays above our shoulders, carried with one arm, was not just a skill, but an elegant dance of service that Olive Garden wanted us to perfect for the overall look and feel. The carts, while practical, seemed to strip a bit of that aesthetic appeal, a subtle shift in ethos that I didn't particularly fancy.

But let me assure you, this small deviation did little to tarnish the overall dining experience. A wonderful server whose name, unfortunately, escapes my memory, was a true professional. She knew the menu like the back of her hand, effortlessly managing her section while engaging with this crazy old former employee of hers. Her finesse, along with the exquisite quality of the food, echoed the high standard of service I recall from my days working here.

In a bout of nostalgia, I couldn't resist playing my part in prebussing my table, even going as far as wielding the crumb catcher behind the seat! The server's good-natured response to my antics was much appreciated.

In essence, the Olive Garden in Lee's Summit has managed to retain the core of its original charm while embracing modern efficiency. I have to tip my hat to the entire team for maintaining this delicate balance and offering an exceptional dining experience. Despite my minor quibbles with the carts, I wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant. If you're looking for a delightful blend of delicious food, friendly service, and warm nostalgia, you're in...

I've been to Olive Garden's in other cities/states but this one just can't seem to get it right. On three different occasions we've had very slow, sub par service. One of the three times it was very busy so we gave plenty of leeway. When after 45 mins half of our table of 6 had drinks (2 of which was water) and one basket of bread sticks, one of 3 appetizers arrived and the only child in the party hadn't received anything.. You know you're in for a rough dinner. Finally, she arrived with the last drinks, salad and soup (still not the 2 missing appetizers or child's meal requested early). I asked for mine to go, I had to go to work ASAP, and reminded about the child's dinner and asked to remove my appetizer since I needed to leave. She apologized, said not a problem, and would be right back. 25 min go by, 2 new tables beside us get food lol (different server), and eventually we see a manager glancing our way. He comes over a little later, someone in my party explains their situation, I explain mine, request my tab to be wiped, I need to go ASAP, and he says he'll take care of it to give him 2 mins. He comes back with my app, salad, bread sticks and meal to go, a $25 coupon to come back (within 45 days I think) and I found out later he wiped a couple more things from their bill. Because they were from out of town he didn't have a coupon for a place other than our area.

It was great to have some accommodations made but I couldn't enjoy my meal even at work. There wasn't time. It was a birthday dinner for someone in my party that's why they chose Olive Garden so that made this situation suck more. Then, there just wasn't an opportunity to use the coupon.

A lot of time has passed (a year) since then and friends have said they have had slow, sub par experiences as well. I really hope I'm wrong and they are getting reliable, trainable, customer service oriented help. If the kitchen is slow, that can't be to blame. If the servers are new, that can't be to blame. No one kept us informed nor checked to see how we were until far too late. They need to be accountable before they have no choice but to give away food and turn away...