Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Raleigh

What a bad experience! I really had my heart and stomach set on a good dining experience but that quickly faded.

Let's start with being greeted. No one greeted. There were 3 young ladies at the hostess stand no one spoke. One of the 3 ladies walked us to our table "motioned" us to follow her to our table.

Our server, Andre S., was great and honestly the issue was above him.

We ordered an appetizer and drinks for starters. The Shrimp Fritto Misto was excellent. The seasoning/breading was great. First time trying it and it was a hit! Definitely recommend. The Italian Margarita was good too. Definitely didn't miss!

HOWEVER, MY ENTRÉE WAS DISGUISTING! I ordered the Seafood Alfredo, as soon as my server placed the plate down there was a RAW SCALLOP. Made the server aware. It was a one off, no biggie....I then take a bit of the pasta. No flavor, no seasoning, no pepper no anything. The Alfredo tasted just like it came from the jar. The shrimps were not cooked. I mean absolutely poor execution on the meal. I didn't order anything else because the kitchen was closing and I honestly was hesitant thinking my food would be rushed or done incorrectly.

I asked for the manager, Karli. I honestly was better off dealing with Andre. Karli's customer service could use some improvement. Attitude and body language was "its a long day, I don't want to deal with an unhappy guest, I'm over being here".

The atmosphere from the staff was they did not want to be there either The kitchen staff were already shutting down or prepping their areas for cleaning. I've been in the industry so I understand when it gets towards the end of the night and you want to be proactive so you can go. It's good as worker but not a good impression for paying customers, looking to enjoy a night out and great food!

This was my very first time visiting the Brier Creek location and having to leave a negative review with Olive Garden in general. But the service at the hostess stand was terrible, the entree was terrible, and the manager was the cherry on top. I love the Cary and Capital Blvd locations. I'll stick to what I know. This location was...

During a recent visit to Olive Garden, I ordered the shrimp scampi, which was preceded by the classic salad and breadsticks. The salad was fresh and enjoyable, and the breadsticks were warm and well-prepared. The service was prompt, and the waitress was kind and polite throughout my visit.

However, a few aspects of the experience detracted from what I hoped would be a relaxing meal. While I was still enjoying my salad, my main entrée arrived rather quickly. That was understandable, and I continued eating without issue. But what happened next was both surprising and concerning. As I took my first bite of the entrée, the waitress came by—not to clear my own dishes—but to collect soiled dishes from the booth behind me and temporarily placed them on my table, right next to my meal. This was unexpected and, frankly, unsanitary. I was truly taken aback, as this does not reflect the level of service I’ve come to expect from a restaurant like Olive Garden.

Regarding the food, the shrimp scampi was unfortunately excessively salty and lacked the balance of flavor I was expecting. I notified the waitress, and she was helpful in arranging a replacement dish. I chose the herb-grilled salmon with broccoli, which was better, but still on the salty side. Additionally, the broccoli served was plain steamed, rather than the Parmesan garlic broccoli described on the menu. When I asked about the difference, the waitress seemed unaware of the menu detail, which left me disappointed.

Before leaving, I attempted to share my feedback using the tabletop kiosk. Unfortunately, the system limited my response and did not allow for a full explanation of my experience, which is why I’m choosing to share it here.

While I appreciated the friendly service and enjoyed the salad and breadsticks, the overall visit missed the mark due to food quality, service missteps, and a lack of attentiveness to detail. I hope this feedback helps encourage improvements in both training and...

My wife and I have always enjoyed frequenting Olive Garden restaurants. To food is and ambiance is always very good. There are other places we could frequent when it comes to Italian food but we had started going to the Briar Creek Oliver Garden soon after it open. It pains me to give them the lowest rating, but customer service is paramount to the success of any business especially the restaurant business. We stopped by on the afternoon of August 1st during the lunch hour rush. We have always expected a wait and this day was no different. The way the host treats and takes care of guests waiting their turn and how they call their guests when its there turn to be seated not only shows how the staff and management cards for its customers, but is the first overall impressions of the day’s quality of both the service and food served. Most restaurants use customers' phones to notify them by text when their table is ready, but technology can fail. This is why they ask for a name on the waitlist. When a customer is in the waiting room and the phone fails to respond it is customary to call out their name. Instead, on this busy day, they elected to mark no show even though we were seated. When we asked when the table would be ready, they noted we had been called. Instead of placing us next in line, we were added to the back of the waitlist. This lack of customer service lays at the feet of the managers whose name is printed outside the door of this restaurant. It is unfortunate, but this is the only reason we will no longer visit the Olive Garden in Brier Creek. When we are hungry for Olive Garden in the future, we will visit one of their two other locations in the Raleigh area. For all other times, we will simply spend our money at one of the many other restaurants in the Briar Creek areas...