Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Port Charlotte

Olive Garden, since it is a restaurant chain and part of a large business conglomerate, has a predictable menu and decor. That also means it is quite pleasant although a bit noisy when packed with patrons. Veterans Day was packed, yet I had a table for four to myself (because I was in uniform?) due partly to my 6pm arrival. As for service, the waitstaff will always be ready to grind some grated cheese on your entree or fill your water glass. My waitress was exceptionally attentive, but she did not wish to have her photo posted for this review. So, to describe her, she is the short and charming busy one. Good luck guessing who she is...you will be lucky to have her serve you. The fact that you don't need to wait long or look for your waiter is a blessing and makes the dining experience so much more pleasurable. I left full in the belly and happy on my face because the portions are large enough to please. If your entree is too large, ask your waiter for a "to go" box and then order dessert and coffee. The cost is reasonable, about a $ to $$, but closer to a $. I ate last night at another, more upscale Ital restaurant in Islip, rated at $$. The bill was $179.00 for two. The price point should have been rated a $$$. Olive Garden is well below that and not as fancy nor quiet. My bill came to about $32.00 plus a generous tip. For clarification, for the same money you can feed a family of four or five adults for $120 to $150 at 30 dollars per person plus the tip (or less without alcoholic beverages and the profit-driven desserts). This is just to give you some perspective. Great place to bring your family. Four stars instead of five only because I can prepare the same food at home...but that is not as much fun as...

I’ve had some terrible service and have never complained, but this is down right ridiculous. We went in to the Port Charlotte Olive Garden Friday night at about 7:30pm. It was busy which is normal, we put our name down & got a buzzer. Go to the bar, grab some drinks & hang out a while. The restaurant clears out & people are just walking in & being sat. about 8:45pm we went up to the host & they check on our wait & they tell us our name was never put in(even though we’re give a buzzer)- which we get, it happens. No big deal. They get the manager and then seat us, she gives us an app on the house which is awesome. Our waitress takes that & we were ready to order which she says she’ll be right back... 25 minutes later she comes back with the app, we finally order and order drinks as well. Brings out drinks & a soup, 5 minutes later brings our other guests salad, no bread sticks, asked for a refill on water, never ended up getting it. Never got a side of Alfredo my guest ordered, when the food came out our waitress did not bring it, did not come back to check on us, had to grab another waitress to get our checks and even then she would just pass the table, did not stop. When it came to the check we had to have the Alfredo sauce we did not receive, and also when you do the tip on the little electronic thing, the percentages are off, it claims 20% of 18 is 5.70, and would not let me do any less I find ridiculous. I get things happen, but this was ridiculous. Leaving I asked to speak to a manager and waited 15 minutes for her again and she was never brought. Walking out not even a “have a good night” from any of the 3 host/hostess standing up there gossiping. I come here quite often and I hope my next experience is 10...

I love going to Olive Garden and every time I’ve gone previously it was a all around awesome experience. Except yesterday. I asked for a booth table and was met with a snarky reply and a eye roll, which if it was a hassle I would’ve just taken a regular table, they wearnt busy which is why I asked. Then the waitress assigned our table for one didn’t introduce herself, for two was talking so fast I couldn’t understand her and when I asked her to repeat herself she was really rude and huffed and then talked even faster to me! So I just said okay to whatever it was. When putting the cheese on I’ve always been asked how much or when to stop, she didn’t she just threw some cheese on and walked away! Then 15 minutes later after I’ve already eaten most of my endless pasta bowl which I got the chicken frittata with spinach artichoke sauce, she comes out saying they skimped on my chicken (which I didn’t say anything nor did I think they skimped me prior to this) and handed me a plate with 4 strips of shriveled up fatty slices of chicken that looked like they seen better days, I was very suspicious as to why she did that...I didn’t eat the chicken but just finished my meal and left, was so appalled I didn’t even want another helping of my “endless pasta bowl” . She also was in the middle of a conversation with a coworker while she was helping us and she kept apologizing to the coworker each time we interrupted their conversation as if we are being rude! I really wish I would’ve gotten her name, I was very appalled that someone in customer service was acting in such a way! I have really bad social anxiety so I just paid and left. As soon as I put her tip down and snatched it right off the table and walked...