How To Get An Olive Garden Reservation

In this article, you will get to learn how to make Olive Garden reservations and the things that are required to make restaurant reservations.

You will also learn any costs that you might incur during the reservation procedure.

Before We Start, lets learn the basics.

What Are Restaurant Reservations?

Customers sometimes want to make reservations for a larger group of people to celebrate a certain event at a specific date and time.

Most restaurants require guests to make arrangements beforehand if they are planning to eat there in larger groups.

That's because eating in large groups requires a big table at the restaurant and allows the restaurant staff to prepare for the event according to the number of people attending.

Reservations at restaurants can be made over the phone, or on the restaurant's official website if the restaurant has one.

There have been a variety of third-party reservation apps and sites that have been launching and allow customers to book a table according to their convenience. You can also make the reservation in person or even discuss it with the management via text.

Many good restaurants put great emphasis on this aspect of running and sustaining the business. The way the restaurant management handles reservation tasks tells a great deal about the experience you can expect of having on the day of the reservation.

How to Make Reservations?

Reservations at a restaurant can be made in a variety of ways. The most common and trusted way of making reservations has been the manual way.

The manual way usually involves the traditional method of skimming through a logbook and calling potential restaurants. Almost all restaurants these days have an official contact number that can be looked up on the internet.

Making a reservation is a very simple process. However, it can be a bit daunting if it's your first time as the host. First of all, you need to decide how you want to make a reservation.

Do you want to call the restaurant directly and discuss the details over the phone or do you want to make a reservation through the restaurant's official website?

Once you have chosen what restaurant you want to book and the medium for making a reservation, you can move to the complex part.

Before you begin planning the event, ask yourself how many people will be dining at the restaurant with you. It's very important to know the exact number of people that will join you on this day.

That is also the first question the restaurant staff will be asking you when you call them to book a table. Moreover, it's usually easier to get a table at most restaurants if you're planning to go in a smaller group.

Smaller groups give you more room to play with when searching for good restaurants. On the other hand, larger groups can be a bit tricky as smaller restaurants might not have all the resources to accommodate all of you.

Moreover, also make sure everyone who has agreed to come will actually be able to show up as this ends up giving a bad impression before the restaurant management who made the extra effort to arrange a table for your party.

It is also better to end up with an empty seat at the table than having an extra person show up last minute and the restaurant staff having to arrange an extra seat.

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Things to Consider When Making Reservations

Reservations should be made earlier in the day because that's the time when the restaurant management is not that busy and it also increases your chances of getting your desired date and time for your party.

Additionally, making a reservation gets harder during the holiday seasons so if you're planning to book a table during the holidays you need to plan a few weeks earlier.

If you're booking a table for one of the busier days of the week, then you might have trouble getting it your way.

Those days usually involve the weekends that are busier for most places. Compared to night-time, mornings tend to be a little less busy and are a great time for celebrating light-hearted events.

We advise you to keep a backup date in mind in case the restaurant is fully booked for the day you want.

Now that you have picked your restaurant and know the number of people who would be attending, the next step is to call the restaurant and ask for a reservation.

The restaurant will ask you about the people who will be potentially attending and the date and time you have in mind.

If it's feasible for the restaurant to go with the date and time of your choice, they will confirm the reservation and tell you the cost of it.

Moreover, you can also request them to make any special arrangements if you want. In case the restaurant is fully booked that day, the restaurant will suggest you another date and time.

It's also advised to call the restaurant a few days to confirm the reservation with them and get updated about what's happening. This way if there are any problems you and the restaurant management can resolve them beforehand.

It's also commendable and preferred if the host shows up early on the day of the reservation. The host must be at the restaurant around 15-20 minutes earlier and the remaining attendees can join after that.

The host needs to confirm the table that was reserved for the party and make sure everything is in check before the other people arrive. In case there is an emergency despite you leaving early, call the restaurant management and let them know you're on your way.

When making a reservation, it's very important to be polite and have patience. Be soft-spoken yet confident when you're talking with a restaurant employee on the phone.

This thing doesn't apply when you're making a reservation through the website or an app but you might still have to talk with someone from the restaurant on the phone. Your interaction with the restaurant staff should be courteous.

It's also preferred to show gratitude to the people at the restaurant when you're leaving the place after eating there.

The host is usually the person elected to make the reservation and manage all the arrangements. It's also the job of the host to ensure everyone attending has a great experience.

Making a reservation helps to make the experience as best as possible. Booking a table before going to the restaurant is also a courteous way of letting the restaurant staff do their best to provide you with the ideal dining experience.

If you're going to a fancy restaurant or even just going to a usually busy place, it is best to make a reservation.

How to Make Olive Garden Reservations Online?

Olive Garden is many people's number one choice for casual dining restaurants serving Italian-American cuisine. The décor of the restaurant also integrates Tuscan-inspired elements to recreate the feeling of dining in Italy.

The dishes offered at the restaurant incorporate classic Italian flavors as well as experimental original dishes. Olive Garden doesn't exclude its vegetarian and vegan guests and has a wide variety of meat-free options.

You can now reserve a table at Olive Garden given that you meet the criteria for booking a table.

Go to this link: JOIN WAITLIST. Once the map on Olive Garden website loads tap on the search bar from your cell phone or click on the search bar and search for the place you want to book a reservation.

olive garden reservations online

Click or tap on the name of the place, for this instance we've clicked on Omaha – Dodge ST.

olive garden reservation

See the waiting list here and book a reservation. Note: If you're visiting Olive Garden website after the available hours, you'd see the notice like on the screenshot.

olive garden menu

You can also view menu online and order online from this very same page.

Or you can decide what Olive Garden location you want to reserve and call the restaurant. You can also go visit the restaurant and make a reservation in person if that's what suits you.

You can make a reservation at Olive Garden at any time on the weekdays excluding dinner on Fridays. Olive Garden doesn't allow any of its locations to take reservations for the weekends.

Keeping this policy in mind, customers who come to the restaurants on any of those days and times are served only based on first come first serve.

You can reserve a table at Olive Garden the same day you plan to eat there or even a couple of weeks in advance for the holiday seasons.

Olive Garden requires you to let them know about the number of people that will be joining you for the party, the date and time, and also if the group has any members with disabilities or someone that needs child booster chairs.

Telling these tiny details to the staff helps them prepare responsibly. You can bring your own cake if you're celebrating a special occasion such as a birthday or an anniversary.

Vegetarians and vegans can request a meat-free menu at Olive Garden.

Olive Garden Reservations OpenTable

Olive Garden does not take any reservations for dinner on Fridays, and the weekends. The restaurant only allows reservations for the week days excluding dinners on Fridays.

In case you walk into the restaurant on any of these days, they will serve you strictly on a first come first serve basis at whatever table is unoccupied and available at the moment.

Olive Garden Reservations for Large Groups

Olive Garden only takes reservations for larger groups. If you're looking to reserve a table for a smaller group, then you will not find any at Olive Garden.

The number of people that need to be attending the party at Olive Garden is subject to change depending on the location.

For instance, reservations can vary from having 10 to 12 people to having a minimum of 8 guests attending the party. You can ask the Olive Garden staff to let you know the criteria for making a reservation when you call them.