Olive Garden Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Virginia

My husband and I decided to eat here on Sunday night as our power had gone out and we didn't want fast food (like McDonald's) . We were also missing some familiarity , as my husbands a marine and it's been awhile since we've been stationed somewhere with chain restaurants like this . We arrived around 9 pm - which we already felt terrible about because they close at 10 . I used to manage the food and beverage dept of a country club and I know the servers like to roll silverware do their sidework and get out early . The host (long blondish hair) and her manager (lady with brown hair ?) seemed less than pleased having more guests come in . We waited about 15 minutes for our server Laura to come to the table . She got our drinks and left again . a little while later she brought us cold bread . my husband and I just got stationed here & we had been unpacking all day so we ate the bread pretty quickly . she comes back to take our order and says "wow you guys really devoured that bread" which was pretty inappropriate and made my husband uncomfortable . we tried to ignore it feeling like she just made a bad choice with her attempt at a joke . we ordered our entrees and ate the salad that came with it . by the time our food came out it was about 9:20/30 and my husband was ready for a refill . we were also hoping for more bread . Laura didn't come back until 9:45 . I asked if we could get refills and more bread . Laura said "yeah I don't know about that , the kitchens pretty much all cleaned up but I could check ?". she came back a few moments later and said "yeah no everything's cleaned up . that's kind of what happens when you come at the end of the night . we haven't had bread for the last 30 minutes ." which was completely uncalled for and the main reason I'm writing this review . if the kitchen is going to close around 9 pm (which explains our cold bread the first time) then what is the point of being open until 10 ? they were still taking guests as we were sitting there until 9:45 ish . so those people didn't get food ? nothing made sense . this location is open until 10 but if you come any later than 9 pm , you will not be treated the same as someone who comes at 5pm . It was a waste of our time , gas , money and so on to visit this Olive Garden . I don't recommend going here unless you enjoy being treated like a nuisance rather than a...

WAS OUR FAVORITE PLACE BUT HAS GONE DOWN OVER THE YEARS

Upon arrival, I was greeted by Braylin, who appeared to be responsible for checking in guests and informing the manager where to seat parties. Unfortunately, her demeanor came across as unprofessional and discourteous. Her tone and attitude lacked the courtesy and professionalism expected in a customer-facing role.

While the young gentleman who eventually seated us was polite and respectful, he seemed hesitant when I asked for the greeter’s name. I then requested to speak with the manager, Christian, who I’ve interacted with before. After being seated in the back room—which I personally find uninviting—I asked if we could move to an available booth that was clearly unoccupied at the time. The staff member checked and returned to inform us that Braylin said it would be another 25–30 minutes to be seated there, despite the booth being visibly available.

Additionally, we had checked in online beforehand, and the system indicated only two parties were ahead of us with an estimated wait time of under 10 minutes. In reality, we waited over 30 minutes. When I inquired about the discrepancy, I was told by a staff member Braylin that the system "doesn’t recognize everyone present" and that they “don’t really use it.” This caused further confusion and frustration, especially when we witnessed several larger parties (some of 4 and 5 people) being seated ahead of us after we were told we would be next, despite arriving early.

When I brought this up to Braylin and the manager, Christian, he explained that the booth was not assigned to any server. However, shortly after, a party of four was seated there—raising serious concerns about transparency and fairness in how guests are accommodated.

The only positive aspect of our visit was the service provided by our server, Martha. She was professional, courteous, and made us feel welcome. Her attitude was a stark contrast to the experience we had upon arrival.

I hope this feedback is taken seriously, as customer service is often what determines whether guests choose to return. I would appreciate a response, particularly regarding the conduct of both the greeter, Braylin, and the handling of the situation by the manager...

Not my best experience here. I was on hold trying to place a Togo order for so long, that I had pulled up to the restaurant and decided to sit at the bar instead. The shorter older woman at the bar was my server and she was rude from the beginning. Her passive aggressive joke was not funny. I could hear the sarcasm in her tone. Because I was alone & only had 2 breadsticks I asked her for a ramekin of Alfredo sauce instead of a dipping sauce boat which is $5. I told her I would pay for a smaller portion (the ramekin). But she told me I couldn’t do that. She told me if I wanted to dip my breadsticks I would need to buy the dipping boat. I persisted and asked if there were ANY smaller options as I only have 2 breadsticks, I told her I usually never have an issue when asking for this & she clearly got irritated & mumbled something like “I’ll just get it” and walked away. She continued to serve others at the bar and then a couple minutes later came over to me and said “I confirmed with my manager , you would have to buy the entire dipping boat there’s nothing else you can do”. I responded “no, I’m good” and that was that. I didn’t eat my 2 breadsticks they were dry. I left with a bad taste in my mouth about this place. I just don’t understand.. It’s just me, I have 2 breadsticks, didn’t want any more than what I had, I only wanted some Alfredo sauce & I was willing to pay for a smaller portion. A boat of dipping sauce is a lot of sauce and usually enough for 4 or more breadsticks which is what you usually get when you sit down in Olive Garden. I had 2. I’m not sure if this is asking for too much but I don’t think so. Also the shrimp scampi I got didn’t taste good tonight either, it’s not always like this but tonight it wasn’t good & for $20 they were very skimpy with the angel hair as well. The customer service here is trash. I worked for Olive Garden for 5 years and have been eating there since I was little. To not be accommodating of something so small that I was also willing to pay for shows how this Olive Garden here in...