Review of Olive Garden

I have celiacs and I am extremely sensitive so I am crazy careful. My brother just graduated and he desperately wanted Olive Garden for his graduation dinner. So of course I wanted to know if I would be able to eat fairly safely—understand that any type of eating out is a risk! I called Olive Garden. The manager told me that they have a designated line chef who handles all allergies and is trained to avoid cross contamination, etc. They also said the servers were knowledgeable and would be able to steer me in the right direction towards the couple of options that were safe. Armed with this, I felt like it would be fairly safe, however, that was not my actual experience. Our server was very knowledgeable and was very on point with it being an “allergy”! I had some salad (no croutons), zuppa, and the gf pasta with plain sauce—which were all designated safe. Later that night I had started to break out in a rash which is my first indication I’ve been glutened. Over the next couple of days it spread and I experienced many symptoms ☹ I know it was Olive Garden because I don’t eat out and we do not have gluten of any kind in my home.

Just want others to know so that they do not have this experience!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average