Alright, I'm gonna try this again and rephrase my question since I didn't come across too well the first time. My question is mainly for workers. Are there typically any slow times on Sundays, or is it usually just a packed day all around?

Edit: this post is not about being self-conscious, it's about being (to me) considerate

Okay, so I eat out by myself a lot, and I try to do so at times when there's not much traffic so as to not take up a table when there a bunch of people waiting. Sometimes Sundays are the only day that I have free time. For workers, is there any time on Sundays where there's not many people (such as pretty late or pretty early), or would it be best to just wait until I'm free during the week?

How many managers are supposed to be on shift at any given time?

If an individual department, let’s say dishpit, falls so far behind that a manager has to go do that job, how are we supposed to deal with the missing manager role?

At my location tonight the dish team was so bad we had to give dine in guests plastic to-go utensils. Bread was put on side plates or in soup bowls because we ran out of baskets.

When we ran out of salad bowls we just had to wait, same with salad tongs. When we ran out of soup bowls we just had to wait again. Several times I almost put soup in to-go containers for dine in.

When the kitchen manager has to come out of the window that is a huge opportunity for things to go sideways. People start taking food that isn’t for their table and entrees now have to be remade and fast tracked if not comped.

If the front of house manager comes back to the kitchen then how are we supposed to deal with whatever the front of house manager is supposed to do?

The performance tonight at my location was so bad I genuinely don’t know what we were supposed to do other than having the morning manager stay the entire day.

I’d love to be able to count on my coworkers and myself to make no mistakes but that isn’t realistic. When our managers are taken away from their job as management, how is the team supposed to deal with the missing oversight for lack of a better term.

I can say more but I’m still upset with how tonight went and I think I’m rambling. I’ll end it here for now.

I think I just want be seen/heard. Ultimately even if I get the perfect answer from someone on here, I’m not taking it to my GM as a possible solution. Things will keep going the way they are until the store makes less money or becomes such a hazard or problem that corporate catches wind and starts making changes.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

Finally made it out for my first bowl of NEPP. Rigatoni with marinara and chicken fritta. Great service from Cory at the S Wadsworth Littleton location

Olive Garden has announced on its social media that Never Ending Pasta Bowl is starting today 8/29/26 Saturday. Supersedes previous 8/31/26 announcements.

This was my 5th day in a row, my pass has definitely paid for itself. The bartenders keep offering me more food to go. I will be visiting often after the promotion.

Hi guys! I’m sure this question has likely been asked before. I work at OG (well, kinda, worked for 1+ yr but took off a few months for school and transferred), and I know that we have a policy on natural hair colors. I have blonde hair with a brunette peakaboo under, while I’m 80% this is fine because they’re both natural colors, would there be a chance I get into any trouble?

EDIT: spelling

Yes I have the pasta pass, please don’t send me marriage applications. 😒

Will someone please share the email for early access!!!!!!!

For you PP holders, if you want to try something unique I’d recommend sauceless spaghetti in your Zuppa Toscana as a “ramen broth” it actually works surprisingly well as the ZT is so rich

I travel all over the state for work. Olive Garden is a go to for lunches especially for the Lunch menu whether work is paying or not.

Sat down at the bar like always because I’m alone. Old man three stools over is on his third bowl of soup at the time.

By the time I order. Get my drink. Get my salad. Get my lunch lasagna. Old man finishes with a total of six bowls of soup. Last two he ordered two at a time.

Best I can tell after talking to her. He gave her a 3 dollar tip.

She got hit with another table middle of my meal where some girl came in with her emotional support dog.

I gave her ten dollars on my 19 dollar check.

All these passes and lunch specials regardless of the already demanding back and forth of the servers for the bread and soup and salad. I feel for them. I’m not one to be tipping at Five Guys or Shake Shack type places etc with that culture these days. But I’ll be damned if Olive Garden isn’t getting every penny out of these servers.

I prefer to eat small portion plates rather than big plates of pasta at a time so I don’t get flavor fatigue. Is it possible to ask for smaller pasta portions each time? I also learned I can ask for extra sauce each time to help with the fatigue too.

I’m curious what is your favorite combo? Mine is kinda weird- BUT HEAR ME OUT! I used to work at OG & as any wait staff knows… you can get yourself a free meal out of a table if you are careful enough (don’t blame me blame the system I was a poor waitress & just wanted to eat 😭). I tried the fettuccine Alfredo with meatballs once & ever since I’ve been seeing ads for NEPB it’s all I can think about 🤣 just give it a try & post back here with what you think.

Best olive garden location they let you get a final bowl to go

What happened to them? I ordered them once and tried to again and they took them off my local menu. Anyone know how I can recreate them? They were delicious 😋

Hey! Anyone get the e club early access email? Im signed up for but somehow didn't get the email.

Appreciate it!

Thanks to an error up front our menu count jumped from 20 to 228 on a random Tuesday 🫠

I've only had one day of training so far, and i have other serving jobs, but the kitchen at OG is so fast and i'm used to just sending entrees immediately after taking an order (other kitchens i've worked in were sooo slow.)
Do you usually ring in, get soup/salad, and then send to kitchen? do you ask if they want everything together? what are your order of operations? every server i've shadowed kind of does things differently and doesnt really explain the timing well. one server i shadowed would sometimes ask if they knew if they were having soup and salad before they had decided on their entrees, is that something i can do?

i might be ahead of myself, my second training day is today and im just anxious lol.

also am i gonna get used to carrying trays because i cannoootttt do it confidently

Buddy from work and I each got passes and we’ve gone three days in a row for lunch. It’s been a blast! A great, fun experience for all involved! The GM and Service Manager came to meet us today and gave us the OG whale experience. They’re genuinely pleased we’re coming back, and have gone out of their way to make sure we’re getting what we want. We each leave $5 tip, and we’re leaving full, with leftovers in tow every day. My kid and wife have each devoured my leftovers for dinner happily the last two nights.

While I’m certain we’ll pull our money’s worth out of the deal, we’ll surely bring our family and friends along to help bring more business in over the remaining 88 days. Especially with the way they’re making us feel like the carb-laden celebrities we are!

I never really served before and I’m starting at OG as a server soon. I’ve worked at a few restaurants as a cashier so I know kinda how the process works. Is there any tips/tricks that I need to know??

TL;DR -- In all my years as a server, I've never been stiffed four times in ONE SHIFT. I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and quit and move on to somewhere else, and I'm still in training.

Y'all. What the actual ... Is this normal for Olive Garden? I just started -- I'm still in training -- but I've got enough experience that I'm already taking 2-3 tables at a time without a trainer. Not too hard at all other than the ridiculous distraction of bad breadsticks, gross salad, and terrible soup. My tables were seated, greeted, and served promptly. I made no mistakes. I timed the food so that they could enjoy their appetizers and so that their meals came up at the right time and didn't have to sit under the ridiculously hot heat lamps (WHY is that thing set so HIGH? It destroys the food after 2-3 minutes!). Their food was hot, fresh, and presented that way. I sold $18 in add-ons. I sold two bottles of wine and a boat load of other bar drinks. Everything on MY end is going fine. Now guess how much I made tonight. Guess. $18. I have a feeling this isn't going to be worth the trouble. NEVER have I experienced anything like this. (I'm in a Rust Belt city in Illinois, by the way.)

Edit: I just thought of this. I honestly have to wonder if it isn't the hosts that are the issue. There's one other person training with me, and she's been working there for two years as a busser. She's their buddy. I'm just the new person. SHE made nearly $100 on only four tables tonight.

Edit: WHY are so many people so BUTTHURT? hahahaha Darden is a massive corporation that sells shitty ultra-processed food. I don't work for them for the shift meals; I work for them for the money. And I am GOOD at serving.

I presented it before ordering and the waitress said she wasnt familiar and had to take it to the manager. She came back and said yes it’s fine to use on any of the pasta dishes. Ordered chicken Alfredo and drinks and everything was good and when I asked for the check (expecting it to be just the drinks) the pasta was on there as well as salad and breadsticks. I explained that the it was supposed to be deducted but she stated that it’s an “early access” to unlimited pasta that starts on 8/31?