How to Make Reservations at Olive Garden

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Olive Garden is a national restaurant chain that offers Italian food for lunch and dinner. Each restaurant features similar Tuscan-inspired decor and a menu offering classic and innovative Italian dishes, including a variety of meat-free options for vegetarian diners. The dress code is casual, and you do not need a reservation. However, if your party meets the right criteria, depending on the specific location, you can make reservations at Olive Garden.

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Step 1

Phone the Olive Garden location you want to visit, or stop by the restaurant in person to make reservations. As of 2010, Olive Garden does not offer an online reservation system.

Step 2

Make a reservation at Olive Garden for any time on weekdays, except dinner on Fridays. As of 2010, Olive Garden prohibits all locations from taking weekend reservations. Due to this company policy, customers visiting the restaurant for dinner on Friday, as well as all day Saturday and Sunday, are seated only on a first-come/first-serve basis.

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Step 3

Make reservations only for large parties. Olive Garden does not allow its restaurants to take reservations for small parties. However, while the policy forbidding weekend reservations is not flexible by location, the amount of people you need to make a reservation at Olive Garden varies by location. For example, the Olive Garden on the Avenue of the Americas in New York City requires at least 10 to 12 guests in your party, while the one on Grand Central Avenue in Parkersburg, West Virginia, accepts reservations for a minimum of eight. Contact the Olive Garden location you plan to visit for further details.

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Step 4

Reserve your party's table at Olive Garden the same day you plan to dine or up to months in advance. Provide the restaurant not only with such basic information as the number of people in your party and the date and time you will be dining, but also whether any members of the group require child booster chairs or a handicapped-accessible table. When the staff knows such details, they will be better able to accommodate your party.

Tip

For birthday parties or other special occasions, Olive Garden permits you to bring your own cake.

Warning

Vegetarians should inquire if cream sauces and soups at Olive Garden contain chicken or beef broth.

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