Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Pinellas Park

It has been a while since I last ate at an Olive Garden – maybe over two years. Last Saturday, my family decided they wanted to go, and I was like, 'meh.' Based on past experiences, I found it to be just average Italian food – high prices, 'ok' quality. However, it had been a while since I set foot in this chain, so I agreed, mostly driven by the nostalgic feeling of dining at OG.

Economically, a lot has happened over the past years – big brand restaurants closing down, employee layoffs, smaller portions, and price hikes. I dine out often, visiting restaurants ranging from $ to $$$$. I frequent mom-and-pop establishments as well as traditional chains like OG. This recent visit to OG was surprisingly impressive.

First and foremost, the interior was immaculate. Dare I say, even better than I remembered? Keep in mind, I was at the OG located at 6700 US-19, Pinellas Park. One thing that's clear over the years is that cleanliness standards have dropped significantly, but that wasn't the case at this location. It makes me want to try another OG location to see if it's a management or a franchise consistency thing. The place was really clean, and the ambiance was amazing – several notches above other local franchises I've recently visited. Many restaurants are becoming run-down, and that's been frustrating, but this was a pleasant surprise.

Another standout was the service. Our server, 'Joey,' could easily work at a Michelin-starred restaurant with the level of service he provided. He ticked all the usual boxes – personable, funny, attentive. But what really set him apart was that whenever food was brought out to other tables, he'd keep us informed: 'Your dish is being prepared and will be out shortly.' And we didn't even wait long.

There was a moment when our food arrived. One guy was carrying a tray of plates, and Joey was clearing our salad dishes (which were amazing, as usual). In a typical scenario, Joey might have just taken our salad plates and let the other guy serve our main courses. But that's not what happened. They had a quick discussion, and Joey said, 'It's easier if you take these (salad plates) back.' They switched positions, and Joey served our hot meals. It's these fine details of high-quality service that matter. Consistency is rare these days, and the service truly impressed me.

Last but not least, let's talk value. Did OG lower their prices? Looking through the menu, the prices were amazing. So much so that I added extra meatballs to my Five Cheese Ziti. If they didn't lower their prices, maybe they've kept them the same since my last visit? When the dishes arrived, I was a bit skeptical about serving sizes. But to my surprise, the portions were huge. I couldn't finish even a quarter of my meal, and the food was fantastic, even better than I remembered.

There was something about the quality of this location. I want to say OG has changed, but I can't make that claim yet. Is what I experienced unique to this location? It was hands down the best OG experience to date. Maybe I'll visit another location next weekend and put it to the test.

In the vast sea of restaurant choices, quality and value have plummeted. It was refreshing to see a well-known establishment like Olive Garden raise the bar in a tough economy. Thank you for providing such a...

Alex, wow!!! I'm really not sure what to say, I've honestly never been at a loss for words, I didn't think that service and food could get any better. Outstanding!!!!!! I'm either the luckiest guy on the planet always getting the best of the best servers or everyone here at Olive Garden is absolutely amazing...!!! Amber, thank you for coming out of your way to come by and see me, your sincere hello and happy birthday was very special to me. Alex, I loved your suggestion on dessert, you truly are "The Great."

Today, as always, food so beautifully amazing!!! Service, they all, the entire Olive Garden family will always sincerely love on you, their guest!!! Amber, what a joy and pleasure to have you serve us; you made us feel so welcomed, not to mention you have such a beautiful, pleasant charismatic personality, and pretty smile!!! We're always going to come back, why wouldn't we.

Fantabulous!!! When Italian food is on the heart, Olive Garden is the place hands down. The beautiful greet at the door upon entry, estimated wait time was 10 mins, but seated in less than 3 mins. Hostess warmly sat us down, server following... Service as always incredibly satisfying, fast, accurate, and with a smile. Manager Chef Amy never forgets a face, she delightfully and personally brings out my absolute favorite appetizer, Stuffed Mushrooms, and with a warm smile asked how we were doing and asked how she could be of service to us... This Olive Garden never seems to fail but only succeed in pleasing and satisfying their customers. I've, along with my wife and children have experienced many local Tampa Bay Italian restaurants, and by far this Olive Garden is truly top notch in every area, service, food, and completely affordable... honestly, I could go on and on how good this place is, but truly it's an experience...

My wife and I came in just for some soup and breadsticks tonight. Our waitress Melissa S said soup was only available with salad for $11.99. We have come in for lunch and dinner many times before and gotten just soup and breadsticks. She went to ask another associate and came back to say that soup alone with breadsticks is $8.99. This is not the first time we have had the upsell push for salad as though it is the only way when we know that soup alone is available. We both ordered water with lemon for our drinks. She suggested an upsell dip for the breadsticks for $4.99 but we did not get it. She brought the water and took our soup order (starting with Pasta e Fagioli). After the first round of soup was delivered, we began to sense a bit of an attitude because we did not order her upsells; even slamming a refill glass of water (the only refill) on the table. The quality and temperature of the food was good and soup refills were timely, but we felt as though we were treated as the “cheap table”. We have been here many times over the years, and with large family groups. We should not be handled like a bother just because we ordered a smaller meal tonight. Upon leaving we found a charge for games we did not play; we brought our own games on my cellphone. When asked (with a snippy attitude) she removed the charge. When we left, she said thank you but left no mints. When leaving irritated we asked for mints as melissa did not leave or mention any. she heard it and yelled out WE ARE OUT OF MINTS! She could have explained that. Melissa was...