Since opening their doors in 1982, Olive Garden has quickly become one of the most popular restaurants in the United States. They offer customers pleasing menu options and excellent customer service at an affordable price for all.
This has allowed their parent company, Darden Restaurants, to open multiple locations across the world in order to serve more customers.
Olive Garden has contributed to the majority of Darden Restaurants earnings throughout the years as a result of these multiple locations. Because Olive Garden has prided itself on maintaining its loyal fan base, the restaurant chooses to hire individuals that are happy to join their team and focus on great food and customer service.
If you feel you have what it takes to join this popular restaurant chain, be sure to submit your Olive Garden application today.
Restaurant Careers
Everyone has the ability to access an job employment form by visiting the restaurant’s website. There is a career section that is located on the landing webpage that gives applicants the ability to see what positions are currently open, as well as review the requirements for each position. Applicants are encouraged to apply for more than one position at a time based on their skill level and previous employment history. There are numerous positions for employment at Olive Garden, all of which can be found through the career portal.
You can also access the employment form by downloading and printing the form here.
Minimum Wage for Employment
In order to submit a request for employment with Olive Garden, you must be over the age of 18 and have a valid work visa for the country you are applying for. Applicants under the age of 18 will be rejected without further review or consideration.
Hours of Operation
The majority of Olive Garden locations are open from 11am to 10pm, Sunday through Thursday, and 11am to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Employees are not expected to work a 12 hour shift and are provided with flexibility in regards to their work schedule. During the holidays, the restaurant may be open for extended hours.
Entry Level Positions
Entry level positions at Olive Garden are paid the state minimum wage based on those states laws or country laws if the location is outside of the United States. A team member is one of the starting positions, and their job duties include bar tending, working in the kitchen and waiting on customers.
Full time and part time positions are available, so be sure on your application to mark which one you are interested in. Also, read through the requirements for the position you are applying for in order to make sure you meet those requirements. If for some reason you do not meet the minimum requirements, you may choose to apply for a different position. Olive Garden encourages applicants to check back often for a list of job openings in their area.
Management Positions
Olive Garden also hires for management positions through their career portal. If you meet the requirements for a management position, you are encouraged to submit your Olive Garden application for this position. Management is responsible for leading the staff and keeping them motivated, as well as ensuring the customers are being taken care of and are happy with the service they are receiving during their restaurant visit.
Many members of the management team at Olive Garden have moved up in their position from being an entry level team member. Olive Garden strives to give their employees many chances for developing themselves and provide
all employees with on the job training. Because of this, Olive Garden seeks to promote within. However, this should not discourage you from applying for a managerial role.
Competitive rates and pay packages are provided to managers at Olive Garden. As a part of the pay package, managerial roles can receive such benefits as paid leaves, in addition to health and life insurance. Full time management positions are available and there are rarely any part time managerial positions that are open.
Each restaurant manager is responsible for keeping charge of a full restaurant, and often times a co-manager may also be hired in order to assist in cases of the restaurant being too busy.
Suggestions for Applicants
All job openings can be accessed through Olive Garden’s careers tab, which is located on the company’s website landing page. The following link will also take you to the careers page: http://www.olivegarden.com/Careers/
After an applicant has opened the careers page they will need to pick which job they wish to apply for, being it management or an entry level position. Each job category has its own career portal as well.
When completing an application for a team member you can choose from the following types of positions: bartender, kitchen helper, cashier and waiters providing applicants their choice in positions.
In order to complete your application process, you will be asked to create a careers account. This way, Olive Garden has the ability to contact you if your application is chosen for an interview. Be sure to list your most recent contact information when applying and creating your job application account.
Resumes are a mandatory requirement for applying at Olive Garden. Be sure that the resume you submit is well worded and well put together. In doing so, you will raise your chances for receiving a call back for an interview. Also, be sure all contact information is the most recent and up to date. You may also wish to include a cover letter with your resume.
Additional Suggestions for Applicants
Applicants are encouraged to apply for two to three positions at a time. There is no cut off for how many positions you can apply for. It is advisable to change your resume to meet the position you are applying for each time. You may also wish to include a cover letter for each position with your resume.
Applicants are expected to have some knowledge with Microsoft Office Suite. This is especially true for anyone applying for a management role due to the fact that they will be the ones utilizing Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint daily. Therefore, it would be in your best interest to familiarize yourself with these programs if you have not used them before, or if it has been a while since you have used the programs.
When submitting your resume, be sure that your previous job skills match with those of the position you are applying for. Stick to the basics when completing your resume and leave out anything that is overly detailed. Include your employment history as well and any other relevant information for the position you are applying for.
Direct Competitors
Olive Garden is one of those places that straddles the line between casual and fancy, in a good way. Places like this are ideal for people who enjoy interacting directly with customers. If that sounds like you, consider applying to Walmart as well, where you will have plenty of opportunities to meet new people and assist customers. You could also consider another restaurant like Waffle House to keep with the theme of customer interaction and experience, not to mention tips! If this paragraph is making you hungry, try taking your mind off things by applying to Old Navy as well, where your interactions will make people feel good about themselves and their image. There’s nothing quite like making someone’s day, and the best part is everyone wins!
Company Benefits
Olive Garden’s management team is required to take care of the employees, and at the same time, employees are encouraged to share any concerns they may have. Doing so allows for open lines of communication which provides everyone a pleasant working environment. This leads to everyone being able to thrive and perform their job duties efficiently.
In order to develop their skills, staff members may also be sent to partake in courses that are sponsored by the restaurant. This helps pave the way for advancing to a management position within the company.
Pay packages that are offered to the employees include health insurance and retirement benefits. Paid leaves are another benefit to working at Olive Garden. Most benefits offered by Olive Garden only apply to those in a full time position. Therefore, part time staff is encouraged to move into a full time role to be able to receive these benefits. Part time staff is able to partake in employee discounts.
As long as you have a valid work visa, you will not be discriminated from applying for a position at Olive Garden. Anyone that is unable to provide a valid work visa or does not meet the minimum age requirement will be rejected without further review.
Company Facts
Once you have submitted your employment form it would be wise to research a little history and facts about the restaurant. The reason for this is that many times interviewers will ask applicants what they know about the company. By doing your research on the company beforehand you will be able to answer this question with confidence.
You may also be asked by your interviewer to recall a time when you had to accomplish a goal as a member of a team. Therefore, it would be advisable to list one instance of this in your resume and have a second time in mind to use during the interview process. Be sure to include as many details as possible about these two experiences as well as your specific role in achieving the goal. Examples can include any work projects, school projects or a sports team you may have participated on.
By visiting the Olive Garden webpage you can review the company history in addition to the facts included below:
One important fact to know is that Darden Restaurants is the parent company for Olive Garden. Those applying for a position in management may also be asked what they know about the parent company of Olive Garden.
Even if your interviewer does not ask you what you know about the company, you will still have an idea of the company you are applying for employment with.
Established in Florida in 1968, Darden Restaurants Inc. has been operating multiple steakhouses in addition to casual dining restaurants.
Since Darden launched Olive Garden in 1982 they have been able to successfully operate over 700 locations all over the globe.
The very first Olive Garden was opened in 1982 in Orlando Florida. Due to its success by 1989 there were over 100 restaurants in the United States.
The Olive Garden in Times Square in New York City is one of the most popular restaurants.
Olive Garden is responsible for a large part of Darden’s income and is one of the parent company’s most successful restaurants.
Because Olive Garden is recognized for their salads, this allows the restaurant to target consumers that want to eat healthy. The restaurants slogan is “Good times, great salad, Olive Garden”. Over the years Olive Garden has been able to build a loyal fan base due to their healthy menu options for diners.
For a while there was a rumor that Olive Garden had a university in Tuscany Italy that they sent their staff to. This rumor has no truth behind it, although managers are sent for training to Tuscany but it is not at any type of university.
The restaurant primarily became popular in 2012 when Marilyn Hagerty wrote a column about Olive Garden. Even though this caused Olive Garden to increase in popularity they left menu prices the same in order to continue offering healthy choices at an affordable price.
The current CEO of Olive Garden is Clarence Otis, Jr.
The main dishes of Olive Garden are Italian as well as American with dishes that include such items as chicken, pasta, seafood and salad. However, they have placed a branding focus on their salads which is still a favorite from the majority of their diners.
By choosing to start your career with Olive Garden, you are choosing to apply towards a career with a restaurant that strives to help their employees better themselves with competitive pay, benefits and advancement opportunities. Employees are encouraged to voice their concerns in an effort to create an environment that is focused on team work. Olive Garden also places a focus on offering affordable and healthy dining options for their customers and focuses on offering customer service from members of the wait staff and management.
Submitting your application for employment is the first step to becoming a member of the Olive Garden team.