Olive Garden - VICTOR ROSSINI - Darden Food Corp This is a very UNHEALTHY and UNSANITARY restaurant Failed numerous Quality Assuarence tests in past year and only passed recent one by tenth of a point Bala Cynwyd Pennsylvania

You mentioned in your complaint that you and some friends are plannig to start a non for profit company going around and making videos of restuarants, well most states this is illegal, and if its not, most companies have company policies that will land you in court if you even try it.

First of all, I am an employee of an Olive Garden restaurant in Mays Landing New Jersey in the same district (Darden) and there is no way that there can be roaches baked in breadsticks when OUR district orders them from the same supplier and they are already made. We just put them in the oven and add butter and garlic salt.

Second of all being that we have the same corporate team it is bull that they don't inspect the restaurant GA is very strict on us and when they are there they watch to make sure we was our hands or use one of the MANY sani wipes containers that are located all over the restaurant EVERY SINGLE TIME WE GO INTO THE KITCHEN if someone doesn't wash their hands after using the restroom or when they are not being monitored then that is on them not on Darden.

It is not fair to hold that against the corporation. Oh, and if someone had salmonella poisoning then your restaurant would probably be closed along with mine because when Chi-Chis had the green onion E. Coli scare the ENTIRE chain of Chi-Chi-'s closed for good, and people would know about it.

All restaurants have little problems like a hair in the food or sometimes even bugs are brought in on produce, I've been a waitress for 7 years in many different restaurants nobody is perfect and sometimes things happen. As far as the management goes the are the best, yeah everyone has their days but honestly Diane Cannon the GM of store 1482 has been on of the greatest managers I have ever had. She is hard on us but she is always fair and always puts the restaurant first and any problem we have had has been solved and it usually doesn't even have to go as far as to corporate but as a Darden employee we can go on the website and send an e-mail directly to corporate which they will respond to us.

Maybe you dislike your restaurant but as far as Darden goes the benefits are good the work environment is the best and the customers get whatever they want. The low prices and high quality of food often hurt our tips due to low checks but we make up for that with our quality of service to make money. My job has had my back in any situation I've encountered over the past few years and we even have what's called Darden dimes where we all put in at least .10 a week out of our pay and Darden will match it if an employee is hurt or has a major problem where they are out of work to help ease the financial burden.

I'm not employee of the month material- far from it, but I can recognize a good restaurant and a good place to work when I see it, and whether I actually enjoy waitressing or not I'm not going to let someone put down a chain that I am happy to say I work at.


Heather

wow- so your resturant almost failed "QA"... big woop. the standards for darden's "QA" is much higher than what average area health inspectors require for a passing "grade".

Darden does not allow "undercover" filming or audio recording of it's businesses. It says so in the handbook and doing so will land you with a law suit in a court of law.

Hair in the food is an occupational occurrance and not something that is exclusive to one restaurant alone as is glass in food, plastic in food... heck, I've seen rocks in the black beans straight from the manufacture fresh out of the can. And food posioning is possible anywhere. The customer could have gotten it from leaving her take out box in the bar during a movie with fish in it and then heating it up when she got home and eating it.

Darden has procedures and policies regarding how, when and to whom you can report standard violations to... and if you feel the need, you can go all the way up to the president with your report. If you had such grievences with your former GM, you should have reported them to the corporate offices via the regional VP.

I worked for olive garden for 3 years and it was one of the best companies I have worked for in my 15 years of being a waitress.

First off, Olive Garden doesn't bake their bread... they get it from an outside vendor... they just heat it up and put butter and garlic sauce on... no way for roaches to "oops get baked in"... Another thing... the tables where the mouse traps go... are they outta the way of customer's feet? I hardly think so.... Also Olive Garden has an outside vendor check as well as the healh board... if the OG fails, it doesn't stay open...

One more thing... Darden pays pest contrl to visit their stores often... they are not franchised out so you can't say only 'some' stores get this 'quality' treatment... they all do. Darden keeps a nice chain of resaurants... so if they fired you because you were late too many times or you actually sucked at your job and they got tired of you, there is no reason to lie to others to make you feel better.

ps... how do you know how many people actually wash their hands... you in the restroom with them... because they are usually one person restrooms... and also talking about washing your hands isn't usually a topic i pick to talk about