Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Sandy

Lunch on a Saturday is always busy at the Olive Garden. We were told our wait would be 20 mins, but were seated in about 15. Our waiter Brandon was good, but not great. While he took our drink orders shortly after we were seated he took his time coming back for the food order. Looking around the restaurant there really were not a lot of people just after 12 PM. I wonder if the restaurant was short staffed. When we first put our name on the wait list, I asked if we could sit at the bar, but was told they only had one bartender and wouldn't let us eat at the bar. We were seated at the back of the restaurant next to an emergency exit and there was a fire extinguisher next to the fourth chair at our table. This made it awkward and uncomfortable for anyone sitting by the fire extinguisher as it boxed in the chair. Fortunately our group was only three people. Our food was hot and very tasty. I opted for the never ending soup, salad, and bread sticks, while others ordered angel hair pasta and fettuccine. Two of us drank raspberry lemonade and the other person in our trio had a diet cola. I downed three bowls of the delicious Zuppa Toscano along with three bread sticks and one serving of salad. I usually order dessert, but on this occasion I filled up on my entree. I do recommend the tiramisu or the chocolate tuxedo cheesecake. Once we finished our food we waited about 10 minutes for our waiter to notice that we were done and bring us the bill. I did use the bathroom which was clean and well kept up. Our waiter was unable to acquire a signal for the tablet at our table and brought us a printed bill before taking my card to the cashier. Overall I enjoy eating at the Olive Garden, however I think the prices are high for casual dining especially when you pay $9.99 for a...

Update: I was offered a gift card for my troubles and was very impressed with my second trip. I didn't make a fuss, so they didn't know about my last experience. But, I went during a dinner rush with my son and was amazed at how well this team worked together. I was in and out quickly with prompt service. The food is what it is, but know that they got their service down. Well done, folks! 3 stars for food, 5 stars for service.

I hadn't gone to an Olive Garden in 20+ years and I really don't think I'll be going back. My party wanted to go, so I went. The waiter was friendly enough, however, first I asked if there were any lunch specials--and he said not on Saturdays. Cool. Way to take care of your customers. Then, I ordered the 2 for $9.99 appetizer deal (which he could have presented as a sort of lunch special), and requested the fried lasagna and mozzarella sticks, which were both included per the menu. When the bill came, they rang up separately and ended up costing an extra $5. When I asked about it, he said it wasn't included in that special. So, 1. I asked for the $9.99 and if they weren't part of that promotion--then would have been the time to mention it. 2. When I mentioned it at the end, it would have been wise to try to do literally anything about it, other than offer a weak apology as if nothing could be done. It's a restaurant. Something can always be done. And if you'd checked your printed menu, you'd see that I was correct and they were rung up incorrectly. But, I didn't push it further in front of my girlfriend, and the rest of the party--I let it go. But, I did take the $5 out of your tip. I'm normally generous, but...

Sure, here's a more casual restatement with corrected grammar:

I've been wanting to go to Olive Garden with my husband for about six months, and we decided to wait until our anniversary to go. Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing. First of all, our waitress seemed rushed and not very friendly, which made the atmosphere awkward. Couldn't catch her name. My husband ordered the chicken gnocchi soup, but it was disappointing—it was overly thick and more like canned condensed chicken soup, with very few gnocchi and chicken pieces. My soup (zuppa toscana) was decent. Our entrees were okay, but the breadsticks were dry.

The most frustrating part was when we asked for a takeout container for our soups, breadsticks, and extra Alfredo sauce. Initially, one staff member said it was possible but would take time because they needed to make fresh gnocchi soup. However, our main server later informed us that takeout for these items wasn't allowed because it's all-you-can-eat only within the restaurant, which seemed inconsistent since we were able to get breadstick refills to go. We paid $70 and couldn't even take our leftovers home.

To add to the disappointment, we didn't receive the chocolate mints at the end, as our server left abruptly after refilling our breadsticks and sauce. I wanted to ask for them, as they're a favorite of ours, but I felt too embarrassed and just left. Overall, our anniversary experience was underwhelming, especially for the price. I've had better service at other restaurants like Chili's or even McDonald's. Olive Garden should do better with...