Olive Garden Employee Job Reviews in the United States

"As a Kitchen Lead at Olive Garden, the salary was reasonable, but the work hours were quite long, and there was a lack of work-life balance. The job was challenging and required a lot of physical work. The management was supportive, and the colleagues were cooperative. However, the job did not provide many opportunities for growth or learning. The work culture was good, but there was a lack of flexibility in terms of work hours."

"Do NOT work here. I worked here for YEARS. Worst job I ever had. You'll make amazing friends, but the high school style mentality of middle age women who work here is ridiculous. All gossip and backstabbing. And the management? A joke. One manager out of the lot is worth your time... And it's NOT the GM. He's a homophobe and loves to play favorites and make sure if he doesn't like you, you suffer. Worked here for years, had been mentioned in actual news articles as an amazing server for these people, and was fired for putting in my two weeks notice. Called me the next morning and fired me over the phone. Was the GM who called. Not shocked. He'd already threatened to fire me for being gay, in front of a customer. I'm not even gay."

"It was a big mistake to work here. Run around the whole shift refilling all you can eat salty breadsticks and soups, salad, and soda. All the workers lose weight here from running around without being offered a break. The owner has a bad reputation from former Apple Bee employees too. No Aloha in the land of Aloha and a tyrant! Most of the original crew has quit under one year. Major clique favoritism working environment from former Bubba Gump friends there. I've worked in many different restaurants and Olive Garden Ala Moana has the worse culture of all! Workers only applied here because Covid19 shutdown a lot of other businesses and restaurants. I don't recommend working here unless you are desperate. The money wasn't very good for the amount of non stop running around. OG doesn't even offer Caesars Salad which is much more nutritious than the prepackaged unlimited iceburg lettuce salad that they are famous for. Salty food for salt lovers."

"Working here is challenging due to the pandemic and not alot of people. They over work the ones they have and the kitchen manager is not the best. Treats some with disrespect and has his favorites. And fires people for no reason. The General manager and other manager always treat people with respect and know how hard it is for us. If I were them I would get rid of the kitchen manager as he lies to the health department when there are employee covid cases telling them its a gas leak! Huh? Anyway unless you want to be treated bad in the kitchen do not work for Methuen mass olive garden."

"I have worked for Olive Garden for over a year now. The leadership is wonderful and does everything possible to accommodate your needs. It is a great and friendly work environment."

"I've worked for Olive Garden since 2010. I loved it for such a long time but the past 2 years have grown very challenging and as a manager, I'm starting to feel like just a number and not appreciated for my hard work. The managers have worked so hard throughout this past challenging year and I feel like we've been taken advantage of. Work/life balance is OK if you don't mind giving up your evenings and weekends but that's what is expected of you to work in the restaurant industry so you know what you signed up for. I have grown so much with this company and for that I am grateful."

"I worked at Olive Garden for about a year and unfortunately I had to resign due to the pandemic. I truly enjoyed working with the team and guests. The management team cares for their team members, which in turn, shows in the service the team gives to their guests. And the guests return because of the great experience they have."

"They are a solid company who have been around for many years with established clientele. You know the goals expected of you each shift, and are given the team members and technology to ensure complete guest satisfaction. The hours are reliable each week and overall the company does its best to give you flexibility."

"Although I do enjoy working here, they do not guarantee that you, as a server, will make money. With no opportunity to add gratuity, I have had big tops not tip me and I later went home with less than $4 for hours of work. Coworkers are fantastic though."

"I enjoyed working there at times. There was a constant problem of being short-staffed, so people were regularly asked to work longer hours and extra shifts."

"So I have not been working here long but I seriously think they need to work on cleanliness. I think i only saw one person do any kind of sanitation on the line and the kitchen was a mess with things thrown all over. Also need to change their gloves after touching chicken as there is risk of cross contamination. It doesn't look like they take care of equipment either. I just think they could use to be more proactive with overall cleanliness. Also the set up isn't great for fast food production to get the food out to quests quicker the way its set up is if it were busier you would be bumping into each other and possibly burning someone or worse. And I think Trainers if they're going to train it should be properly. But the people there are nice and friendly like a family atmosphere."

"The employees at this establishment take the Olive Garden motto of "We're all family here" to heart, everyone is extremely helpful and staff becomes very close. However, one thing I felt lacked was the cleanliness. Still up to code but some employees chose short cuts that were not sanitary. The hours are great and schedule is very flexible."

"I have worked for Darden for almost a year now and I must say that it's a great company that offers multiple benefits for its employees. There are 401k programs that promise to help employees retire by matching their investments. There are also charities that help feed the hungry. Specifically one called Darden Dimes that I have taken part of. During my time with the company I have noticed managers come and go but the strong ones always remain and stay true to the core values of providing an excellent guest and employee experience. Mostly the company has convinced me that to succeed in this world you need to maintain a "can do" attitude and it really holds true for the restaurant industry, I believe that working for the company has given me insight on how to maintain a level head in stressful situations and especially how to solve complex problems efficiently."

"I’ve worked for Darden Restaurants for about 2 years and can say that the company does help improve the culinary talents of its employees. While in college I’ve worked as a chef, shift lead and cook not only for Darden but Brinker and Red Robin as well. If you are passionate about cooking and providing quality customer service these jobs are for you."

"RUN as fast as you can! Disgusting..evil...2 faced horrible managers. It was like dealing with people in junior high school it was sick! Hostile work environment !!! Never worked at a restaurant like this before my life !! The managers literally make up lies about certain employees. Myself included! It was so embarrassing telling people I worked for this company it is seriously the most disgusting company I ever worked out. Drama Drama Drama!!! If you want to work at a place where you feel like crap every time you walk in the door ...work at Olive Garden in Bloomingdales Illinois!"