What's It Like Working at Olive Garden
Good starter job for teenagers
Indeed Featured review
The most useful review selected by Indeed
Your typical serving job. Get a better job as soon as you can. Can lead to some fun work place interactions with coworkers. Wouldn't ever want to have to go back.
Don't Work Here
Server (Former Employee) - Washington State - November 23, 2021
I worked here for 8 years and 8 years too many. Don't work here if you want money, support, growth, etc. Good things included $1 soup and salad for employees and actually, that is about it. They used to have a good anniversary pay, but they restructured it after covid and now it is bad. They do have a 401k so that's good at least, but not worth what you will endure here. Find a better restaurant to work at. I'm telling you from experience.
Pros
$1 soup and salad for employees
easy work
it was fun, i got to meet a bunch of people, and really felt like it was an ok work experience. If I needed least hours will school they gave it to me.
Fun place to work
Most of my coworkers are nice and create a good work environment, however management doesn't really help, and they are unprofessional at times. Overall it's not that bad
Easy job that pays fairly well
I absolutely loved working at this location. Mostly due to the relationships I had with my coworkers. Mostly everyone I worked with was helpful, friendly and easy to talk to. The hiring process was great and they provide you with excellent training to get you on the floor and feel confident in your job. Mind you, this was my first serving job ever. Many people I've worked with have complained about our GM or quit because of her. I definitely feel that at times she was unfair or played favorites with the staff. She also enforced a strict call-off policy which many people lost their jobs over, myself included. This was due to a rather serious medical issue I was experiencing and she would not accept a doctor's excuse. Before I was termed, I found a job down the street so I was ready to leave at that point. I'd like to say the only reason I'd return is if I was desperate or by influence from my friends.
Pros
Coworkers, breaks, easy work
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This Location Is A+
The GM is a very nice and genuinely cares about you. Very flexible with schedules and time off. If you show up on time, work hard and have a good attitude it is very easy to make money and genuinely enjoyable. Collage town so lots of turnover with staff but they usually do a good job at hiring a team of people who all get along. One con is there are lots of regular guests who are very entitled and needy. Also unlimited soup and salad is the worst. You will be required to up-sell a lot, but higher tickets usually results in higher tips so it's not bad. Overall a great place to work though and I would definitely recommend!
Pros
Great GM, Nice Co-Workers, Flexible
Cons
Soup and Salad Refills
Fun environment.
Overall a great place to grow and learn. Eventually you will hit a block in regards to forward movement. If in-restaurant management is your only goal, it is great.
Great co workers horrible management
Management priorities were totally twisted and interaction with staff was condescending very sad the way they treated the employees that actually kept them in their positions
Pros
Excellent co workers best team I ever worked with EXCLUDING MANAGEMENT
Cons
Managers held THEMSELVES higher than the staff that actually kept them in their positions very sad r
Pain hard to get ahead
I've been trying to move up but nobody has , has given me the chance to do so. I would would wanna be manger at one point but I can't get know one to train me it's upsetting. Because I would like to move to the New Orleans and possibly be a manager down at the Longhorn or the cheddars down there
okay place to work
The environment can be stressful, especially when the restaurant is not properly staffed. Pay and management are good. Most employees are given the opportunity to cross-train in several positions, so they are not stuck doing the sane job every day.
Pros
Employee discount, flexible schedules
Unfortunate
People are constantly quitting. Looks good from the outside but overall VERY high stress. Some managers are pretty chill and others will be on your as the whole shift.
It was okay
It was a fine workplace depending on the employees. The servers are lazy and fake and the managers are lazy and don't care about their employees. It was fun at times but overall tiring.
It's a good place
The management is great at my location, though I've heard differently about different locations. The money is typically pretty good because of tips, but of course not every guest will tip.
Pros
Coworkers, tips, discounted food
Love the people I work with
Management is great if you just do your job. I love the flexibility of my schedule and the fact you can trade you shift if you need a day off. I'm not gonna lie, endless soup and salad is annoying. You work your butt off on refills and the tip is low because the check is under $15.
Cons
Endless soup and salad
Good money
Looking for quick money serving is for you. Decent tips but don't look to go into management unless your willing to suck up and do tons of extra work for free for a year or better
Disappointing
Ive been working for them company for 10 years and im not sure when it started to change but it's nothing like it used to be. The standards have dropped and the leadership from corporate just is not the same. The benefits are amazing and there is room for growth if you work really really hard for it.
Pros
Benefits and a well known concept
Cons
Favoritism, all politics
Terrible place to work
Disorganized doesn't even begin to describe what working at olive garden was like. I dreaded going in every single day and would come home in pain and exhausted.
Cool coworkers difficult management
Co-workers were cool, everybody was stoners so obviously no drug test. The managers never seemed to communicate with each other, and blamed whatever server was standing there. While also throwing the next manager under the bus. They seemed terrified of corporate being called ( most likely due to their bonus) and would do darn near anything to make sure a customer wouldn't call. This includes throwing the cooks and servers under the bus and discrediting their character AND PROCEED TO give YOUUU a write-up for a bad review lol.
Pros
Money, Nice Breaks, Decent Customers
Cons
Dishonest Managers, NO Communication
Lots of work, good people
Olive Garden is my first job, I have worked here for about two years and don't have many complaints. However, we offer unlimited soups, salads, and breadsticks which us servers have to grab ourselves. Therefore, we do a lot of work, only having up to three table on top of that. This is a good job if it is your first serving job, but not where you would want to get stuck. I love the people I work with, though. They are the reason I do not want to leave. The money is okay, we attract some snotty people.
Pros
Free meals once a day, flexible with your availability.
Cons
Guests, some management.
Great
Great I like working here. It's cool some people are annoying but that is to be expected everything else is great. The guests are cool and so are some of the workers
Good work culture, money is meh but consistent
serving here isn't going to yield amazing money but the culture is good and the team environment is good. No side work which rocks but soup/salad/breadsticks is a LOT of work
Pros
cheap food good company structure
What's It Like Working at Olive Garden
Source: https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Olive-Garden/reviews