Does Olive Garden Take Reservations? No But This Works...

Olive Garden is an exquisite national restaurant chain known for offering its famous Italian food for lunch and dinner occasions.

The restaurant chains are all quite similar, offering Tuskan-inspired decor and a menu that offers various Italian dishes that are vegetarian and meat-free.

The dress code is quite casual, and although you do not need a reservation, you can, however, make one when you are arranging a party or require a specific demand or location.

If you are a group of eight or more, you can request a reservation. You can even opt for an online reservation waitlist where the restaurant could know whenever you require their services.

However, you can’t actually make an online reservation for Olive Garden. What you can do with the online service is, add your name to your restaurant’s waitlist.

This can speed up your time for when you actually arrive at the restaurant to book your reservation. We have a complete article on how to make a reservation at Olive Garden, read it if you want to know how.

To make reservations at Olive Garden, all you need to do is phone the specific Olive Garden branch you want to make a reservation in or go there in person and make it.

As of 2021, Olive Garden does not offer an online reservation system. One needs to remember that a reservation and a waitlist at Olive Garden are two different things.

When you make a reservation, it means that your table is ready for the right time that you arrive.

The reservation also means that the table that you reserved will be there for you for a minimum of 15 minutes or above that if you are late. Otherwise, the reservation cancels on itself.

When we talk about a waitlist at Olive Garden, you are still required to wait when you arrive at the restaurant, and you would be given up your spot on the waitlist if you arrive 10 minutes after your timeslot.

At times restaurants such as Olive Garden aren’t as busy, and the customers are not so many. In that case, a waitlist is not needed at all because you would be able to find a seat quickly, and it is not needed because it will not be available to you to add your name.

Sometimes people end up coming late than usual, and the Olive Garden will not be able to hold your spot on the waitlist for more than 10 minutes.

This does not mean that you can’t get a table at all there; it just means that you can’t be added to the first-come, first-serve group of diners. Here’s an article on Olive garden menu, go check it out.

This may also mean that you would have to wait longer than you would have if you had actually arrived on time. Your loss, right?

Being on the waitlist is quite different from having a reservation at Olive Garden. Just because you are on the waitlist doesn’t mean that your table will be ready for you when you arrive. We have an article on Olive Garden menu specials so you can go check out the menu specials.

You may have to wait for a few minutes before you are actually seated. You would need to check in with the host even if you are on the waitlist.

Finally, you will be sent a text message when your table is available for you. At this point, the host will bring you to your table, and you can order your food.

If you do not have to have the Olive Garden app on your phone to make it to the waitlist, if you visit the Olive Garden website, there is a label at the top of the page with the title “join waitlist “through which you can search for your local restaurant.

Another great feature is the option of pre-ordering your food for a to-go order; however, it comes with its perks.

If you want to be seated at the table, you cannot just pre-order your meal before you actually arrive there. Here’s an article on Olive Garden hours, go check it out just so you know when to go.

You can also check out our article on how to order food from Olive Garden online.