Customer Service
Olive Garden Can Take My Money
A model for quality control and customer service
Growing up on the East Coast and attending Catholic school for 8 years, I had a lot of Italian friends. If there was one thing I could say to offend them it was mentioning that Olive Garden was a good place to get Italian food. And saying “offend” is probably putting it lightly. I remember meeting one Italian American lady from New York at a conference in Houston and the subject came around to food. Someone mentioned Olive Garden and she almost vomited on the table and couldn’t catch her breath. She was that serious about only eating authentic Italian fare.
I’ve had homemade Italian food; I’ve even been to Italy… so yes, I get it. But I still love me some Olive Garden and not just because of the food.
While Italians might call Olive Garden Italian fast food, I wouldn’t go that far. I would reserve that label for something more along the lines of Fazoli’s. Another chain I’m not embarrassed to say I’ve tried.
Olive Garden is owned by Darden Restaurants, the owners of Red Lobster which is also the butt of many jokes when it comes to seafood restaurants. However you feel, there is a sweet spot for these family casual dining restaurants, popular around America where it’s not unusual to have to wait over an hour on a Friday night. Not everyone can do fine Italian dining every time they go out. Where else can I get my fix of chicken parmigiana, lasagna, and fettuccine alfredo all on one plate for $20?
Sometimes, a good meal that you didn’t have to cook and clean up the kitchen is all you need, and Olive Garden meets that need.
Where Olive Garden doesn’t get nearly enough respect is in their amazing quality control when you order to go. They set the bar for takeout even before COVID was a thing with a very user-friendly website for ordering. Before COVID you could go inside to their To-Go station which had every order in crates. They would verify your identity and payment details while pulling up the receipt. Then for every item on the receipt, they would visually show you the item before placing it in the bag. After everything was checked, they would double-check if you needed any extra sauces, plates, napkins, etc.
It’s the only place I have ever seen that takes that level of care on a to-go order.
Why is this a big deal?
Eating out is expensive whether you actually put your feet under their table or just pick up to-go. No one wants to spend a lot of money and time to get an order that’s wrong. If you’ve ever ordered for a large group of picky eaters, this can be a disaster.
Where’s the bread?
I only eat red sauce not white?
We’re missing one Tiramisu… what!!? Hell no, we’re not sharing!
Never have I had to endure anything like that with a takeout order from Olive Garden.
When the pandemic came they switched to curbside without missing a beat — had foldable tables set up in the parking lot ready to hand off orders.
This level of detail and care is how you run a business. My wife just went the other day and now they include this little inspection tag on the bag.
My engineer brain loves this. It’s not to say that they never have or never will make a mistake, but they give you an immediate mechanism to notify them and let them try and correct the error. This level of accountability has been lost in many businesses today.
So, if their toasted ravioli is heated from frozen, or the shrimp just didn’t come from a boat off the Mediterranean with the shell-on, I’ll give them some slack. Food is special — enjoying it with good friends and family, even more so.
Not everyone can make it out to a restaurant to eat where a meal can be corrected on the spot.
You want everyone to be happy. Give Olive Garden more credit for baking this into their business model.
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