Olive Garden

5312 N Belt Hwy
St Joseph, MO 64506
(816) 901-9211
Across from the North Shoppes

Visit date: 1/23/09
Meal ordered: Lasagna

Cleanliness of restaurant - 5
Value for food - 4
Food appearance - 4
Taste of food - 4
Staff (overall) - 2
NON-SMOKING RESTAURANT - YEAH!

*Rated on a scale of 1-5

Remarks: Yup, it's an Olive Garden. A NEW restaurant at that. I expected the restaurant to be clean, and the restrooms clean and well-stocked, and I was satisfied with the cleanliness of both. A late afternoon arrival, I didn't expect to wait long for a seat, but was told it would be a 15-20 min wait. I decided instead to take a booth with no wait time in the non-smoking bar area. The hostess did not volunteer the seat and appeared to be slightly agitated at my request to take advantage of the no-wait seat. I waited nearly 8 minutes to be acknowledged by any wait staff, declined a menu in the hopes of speeding along the visit, ordered promptly, and my order was half delivered. I had to request the rest. It was a lengthy wait for breadsticks, a staple item at the Olive Garden restaurants. The kitchen staff dumped our hot plates on the table, with lukewarm food, and hurriedly ran to the next table, where her friend was sitting so that they could catch up on old times. When I left, there were 6 booth seats open and available in the well-guarded bar area, and a long list of families waiting to be seated. Had they known it was open seating, I'm sure most of those patrons would have gladly opted to eat in the bar area.

Overall recommendation:
You just can't beat the soup/salad & breadstick combo that comes with every meal. A great appetizer. I ordered Alfredo dipping sauce to go with the bread sticks... Yummy! The food is obviously frozen or cooked en masse and placed on plates that have been sitting under heat lamps, although it really isn't too bad! Pretty average/above average food, with good presentation. Expect a clean facility, and to spend approx. $15 per person. It is a comfortable environment for families as well. One drawback is the tight dining quarters with 1/2 booths (bench seating on one side, chairs on the other). You may be sitting uncomfortably close to your neighbor, and an "unclosed" booth may make it difficult to reign in a toddler! The restaurant staff can be expected to deliver mediocre service.