Olive Garden

[Curious]

Opening May 7, 2012!!!!!

[bargain hunter]

do you think they might run a special ?

[a-town]

run a special its not mcdonalds.but we went monday nite is great

[Diner]

They are going to have to get the act together if they want to succeed. Service was poor and food was quite slow.

[omg]

Diner wrote:

They are going to have to get the act together if they want to succeed. Service was poor and food was quite slow.

well they have been open 2 whole days. maybe they should just close down since they can't give you that quality mickey d's service

[Diner]

omg wrote:

<quoted text>
well they have been open 2 whole days. maybe they should just close down since they can't give you that quality mickey d's service

It is ALL about that 1st impression. I mean I am pretty sure the noodles are already boiled and the sauce is already hot but I waited so long I first thought they was having to actually boil the noodles and heat the sauce, but I waited SO long I actually think they was growing the tomatoes for the sauce and growing the wheat for the pasta. Olive Garden is NOT, I repeat NOT "fine dining" as some people think. It is simply full-service casual-dining quick-service. If it is going to take as long as I waited then yeah they should close down.
I find it so funny how people think these restaurants around here are "fine dining". It might be the finest you have ever had but it's NOT fine dining. You wear either a tuxedo or an evening gown to a fine-dining establishment and you don't eat endless salad and breadsticks at fine-dining either.

[Hmmm]

New record - open two days before they are slammed and told to close down! You people are sad!

[a-town]

theres a**holes every where.me an my wife liked it.we had great time we will be going back

[omg]

Diner wrote:

<quoted text>It is ALL about that 1st impression. I mean I am pretty sure the noodles are already boiled and the sauce is already hot but I waited so long I first thought they was having to actually boil the noodles and heat the sauce, but I waited SO long I actually think they was growing the tomatoes for the sauce and growing the wheat for the pasta. Olive Garden is NOT, I repeat NOT "fine dining" as some people think. It is simply full-service casual-dining quick-service. If it is going to take as long as I waited then yeah they should close down.
I find it so funny how people think these restaurants around here are "fine dining". It might be the finest you have ever had but it's NOT fine dining. You wear either a tuxedo or an evening gown to a fine-dining establishment and you don't eat endless salad and breadsticks at fine-dining either.

judge me clueless all you want. i never said olive garden was fine dining. 2 days!! tell me you have never made a mistake and something took longer than expected. you could have walked out. isn't there an all you can scarf bar right next door? now thats fine dining!!

[Robin]

To Diner: first of all, when the entire restaurant is full it may take a while. I personally have been at restaurants and waited an hour. Second of all, the food is not just already made and reheated. It is cooked fresh as it is ordered. The whole concept of going out to eat is not fast food like McDonald's and Burger King, it is sitting down, relaxing, and enjoying your company. The people working there are running around like crazy trying to please people like you and sometimes people are not able to be pleased because they are so critical and always looking for something to criticize. If you want fast service, go to a fast food place. If you want a relaxing quality dinner, then you go to Olive Garden. They need to get in the flow as they just opened, and that takes time. And you don't always wear a tux and dress to a fine dining restaurant! lol. That's if you're going to a ball or prom. Fine dining is in the experience and the quality of the food. You could always go to PAL's. They have a real fast drive thru! There is a door that opens in and back out. You don't like the service someplace you can always get up and go back out. There is no penalty for that. In about a month they will have gotten all the kinks out and everyone will be less nervous and it will run smoother. I take it you never had to learn new things and made mistakes along the way. Yay, you!

[John Doe]

Went there on Friday night. Seated in 20 minutes, food in 20 minutes. Stop generalizing a restaurant for one experience. I'm sure you've never had an under performing day at work.

[Olin Cahill]

In the "Best of TriCities" poll, Troutdale Dinig Room was voted "Favorite Fine Dining". Abingdon's "Tavern" was #3. In the middle, people voted Second Best Fine Dining to RED LOBSTER! It's all in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

[Lindy]

My husband and I went Friday and the service was wonderful and food was good. The wait on the food was no longer than the other Tri City Olive Gardens. I would just be happy that you have choices in Bristol.If you do not like it don't go on topix bashing it just do not go back. If you have ever lived where the "best" and ONLY restaurant in town is Dairy Queen then you might understand what I am saying.

[Ron]

went there this week twice they still have a lot of training to do to come up to Darden standards

[Diner]

I agree. I decided to give it a 2nd chance and it still sucked. Sucked balls.

[Substandard]

Bristol Va Olive Garden is substandard compared to all others I have been to which includes most of them this side of the Mississippi. Very slow service, smaller portions, & poor trained workers. Better get their act together!

[Cat]

Standard olive garden fare, decent service. My complaint is that the Bristol store is TINY! Seems like you're sharing your mealtime with 40 others no matter where you sit. It's an obstacle course getting to and from the table, especially when servers are delivering food. Darden shoud have done a little more research and built a store similar to Johnson city to give diners a pleasant experience instead of us feeling like we're in a cracker box.

[hated it]

We hated the food and service as well. Yes its suppose to be fine dinning but we never got refills and we got to listen to our waitress talk aboit her old job, her boyfriend, where they lived and their plans. We even gave it a secomd chance but thats all they get. Would rather have McDonalds anyday.

Diner wrote:

<quoted text>It is ALL about that 1st impression. I mean I am pretty sure the noodles are already boiled and the sauce is already hot but I waited so long I first thought they was having to actually boil the noodles and heat the sauce, but I waited SO long I actually think they was growing the tomatoes for the sauce and growing the wheat for the pasta. Olive Garden is NOT, I repeat NOT "fine dining" as some people think. It is simply full-service casual-dining quick-service. If it is going to take as long as I waited then yeah they should close down.
I find it so funny how people think these restaurants around here are "fine dining". It might be the finest you have ever had but it's NOT fine dining. You wear either a tuxedo or an evening gown to a fine-dining establishment and you don't eat endless salad and breadsticks at fine-dining either.

[Joe Blow]

hated it wrote:

We hated the food and service as well. Yes its suppose to be fine dinning but we never got refills and we got to listen to our waitress talk aboit her old job, her boyfriend, where they lived and their plans. We even gave it a secomd chance but thats all they get. Would rather have McDonalds anyday.
<quoted text>

Fine Dining? Who on earth would consider Olive Garden or any of the Exit 7 chain type restaurants "fine dining". At best they are all some middle ground between McDonalds et al fast food and fine dining like Troutdale, Rain, House on Main, etc. I would classify them more as full service fast food.

[Diner]

Joe Blow wrote:

<quoted text>
Fine Dining? Who on earth would consider Olive Garden or any of the Exit 7 chain type restaurants "fine dining". At best they are all some middle ground between McDonalds et al fast food and fine dining like Troutdale, Rain, House on Main, etc. I would classify them more as full service fast food.

THANK YOU but you just cant convince these fools from these mountains that fine dining does not consist of waiting in line for over an hour to sit at a table, in a dining room filled with varying classes, to order from a mass printed menu, be served, eh never mind. Like I said, you will never convince them. But I realize the difference.