Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Monroe

My recent visit to Olive Garden left much to be desired, as I encountered a slew of disappointing issues that marred what should have been an enjoyable dining experience. From cold food to soured olives, room temperature dishes, frozen cake, and lackluster service, here's why I won't be returning anytime soon:

Things started off poorly when the table and seats were sticky and still had crumbs from the previous guests.

It did not get any better when I asked the server if they could make a non-alcoholic beverage. The response I received was an "I dont know," followed by a blank stare as I was expected to pick something else, despite being two strides from the bar/bartender. Our waiter seemed the mumbled queries we did get were very hard to hear. It was clear that customer satisfaction was not a priority.

Next up, the salad. As a fan of black olives, I was dismayed to discover that the olives served were soured and completely inedible. If I would have had a paper napkin or anywhere to spit it out, I would have. I told my husband if I came down with salmonella, it was the olives that did me in.

I ordered Zuppa Tuscana (soup) as my entree. Instead of coming out with my husband's food, it was served at the same time as the salad. I had no choice but to eat before him. The soup was already at room temperature when it arrived, evident that the dish had been sitting out for far too long before reaching our table, detracting from the overall dining experience.

Thinking that a dessert might turn in an otherwise disappointing meal, I ordered the tiramisu. The plate arrived with a suspicious blue drip and a purple smear on the plate. I do not know if these were syrups from the bar or cleaning products. I just knew they did not belong on our plate. To top everything off, the cake was still frozen. This was not only a letdown in terms of taste and texture but also a clear indication of subpar quality control and attention to detail.

Overall, my experience at Olive Garden was far from satisfactory, marred by cold and expired food, frozen dishes, and poor service. With so many other dining options available, I see no reason to return to Olive Garden...

It must have been the toothpick dangled from his mouth which prevented the host from uttering more than a grunt, and barely escorted us to a table before disappearing without a word. After we were seated, the waiter was nice, and tried, but was obviously painfully ill-trained. The waiter didn't know the menu, the food order was screwed up, water didn't come out as requested, there was no anticipation of guest needs, and this caused further delay. The food coming out of the kitchen was really meh - rotting iceberg lettuce, box croutons, barely any dressing, meat sauce with barely visible pieces of meat. I had very low expectations for an Italian franchise to begin, but I expected at least better than I can make at home. At the time to pay, we weren't presented with a check, but were instead shown the payment device on the table, which only had appetizers totaled - no entrees. Of course, we loved the price, but asked the waiter to fix it. After he assured us the billed amount was fixed, the device showed no total. All of the service issues that I observed could be resolved with training and ongoing management guidance. In short, I don't understand how this place can manage 4.2 stars. Maybe other people like the prices.

Update: In answer to the management reply, isn't is fascinating how placating are the responses, but vacuous the real acknowledgement of the issues described, and short on detailed action steps. No, I am certainly NOT going to consume any more of my time explaining the basic elements of restaurant service to a group of people who clearly intend to do nothing but continue to placate. Absolutely not. My recommendation to anyone considering a pasta meal, scratch Olive Garden...

I went to Olive Garden in Monroe to have lunch at 2:00 p.m. on June 13, 2025. First off, the table was very sticky. I took the napkin that came with the silverware, wet it, and tried to clean the table to no avail. I finally got another napkin and spread it on the table in front of me so things wouldn't stick to the table. When the salad came, it had little to no salad dressing. It was tasteless. The croutons were as hard as rocks and inedible. The bread sticks were hard, tough, and appeared to have been baked ahead of time and kept in a warmer (not fresh). When my order came very shortly after the salad and bread sticks arrived, (eggplant parmigiana--my favorite dish anywhere), the spaghetti was watery and there was very little sauce. What little sauce there was, was also watery. The eggplant was dry but not crunchy. I requested more sauce. Because of the speed my main order came out (I had barely started eating my salad when it arrived) and the condition of the main course, I believe the meal may have been prepared ahead of time. There was no reason for that because the restaurant was not that busy and 2:00 p.m. is well past the lunch rush, even on a Friday. My server left several times to address concerns I raised and simply did not return. When she finally did return, she appeared each time to have forgotten my earlier request(s). I would repeat and she would leave to go fulfill my request again. For instance, since there was very little sauce in my plate, I requested more Marinara sauce. By the time I finally got it (after two requests with a long wait in between) the spaghetti and eggplant...