Olive Garden Culture | Comparably
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Olive Garden Claimed Company
Olive Garden is a chain of over 800 restaurants in the Italian casual dining segment that offers a variety of Italian specialties. read more
EMPLOYEE
PARTICIPANTS
1382
TOTAL
RATINGS
10574
Updated on: January 23, 2026

Olive Garden Company Culture

Olive Garden Culture

This score is derived from employee ratings & reviews
2.9/5
Olive Garden's Overall Culture is rated C-

Top Rated Culture Dimensions

Environment
B+
Professional Development
B-
Office Culture
C+
Executive Team
C-
CEO Rating
C-

Olive Garden CEO

Bottom 30%Bottom 30% of Similar Size Companies
Dan Kiernan Olive Garden's CEO
Dan Kiernan
62 /100
See More

Diversity at Olive Garden

Bottom 25%Bottom 25% of Similar Size Companies
D+

Diverse employees at Olive Garden have rated Environment, Professional Development, and Outlook as the highest categories they have scored

Women at Olive Garden

Bottom 30%Bottom 30% of Similar Size Companies
C-

Women at Olive Garden have rated Environment, Team, and Outlook as the highest categories they have scored

Olive Garden eNPS

Net Promoter Score tracks your employees' overall score to this question: "On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend working at your company to a friend?"
Bottom 25%Bottom 25% of Similar Size Companies

Recommend to a Friend?

-26

Olive Garden employees are -26% more likely to recommend Olive Garden as a great place to work

29%Promoters
16%Passives
55%Detractors

Working at Olive Garden

Working at Olive Garden is rated below average by 1382 employees, across various culture dimensions. Olive Garden employees rate Environment highest among all categories, and think that Meetings and Manager have the most room for improvement, putting Olive Garden’s culture in the Bottom 30% compared to similar sized companies on Comparably and in the Bottom 30% compared to other companies in Orlando, FL. See below in detail how working at Olive Garden was rated by employees.

Overall Company Culture at Olive Garden

C-

Overall Company Culture at Olive Garden is rated C-

Last updated 4 days ago

Bottom
30%

Olive Garden ranks in the Bottom 30% of other companies on Comparably with 10,000+ Employees for Overall Company Culture Score

Overall Company Culture Score by Department

This graph details how each department scores their Overall Company Culture

Results from 1382 Employees

View Results
0
20
40
60
80
100
Product
71
Product71
Sales
67
Sales67
Customer Support
64
Customer Support64
Operations
63
Operations63
Marketing
55
Marketing55
Customer Success
52
Customer Success52
HR
46
HR46

Olive Garden Employee Reviews

Out of 1010 Olive Garden employee reviews, 73% were positive. The remaining 27% were constructive reviews with the goal of helping Olive Garden improve their work culture.

73%
27%
Positive Reviews73%
Constructive Feedback27%

Positive Reviews From Olive Garden Employees

  • What makes you most happy at work?
    when it slows down and i can have a moment to myself while im closing, other than i go home more depressed.
    Posted 9 days ago
  • What makes you most happy at work?
    When I get to serve people
  • What did you like most about the interview process?
    I was hired and started fast
Read More Positive Reviews

Constructive Feedback From Olive Garden Employees

  • What does the leadership team need to get better at?
    Making expectations clear before employees are reprimanded for executing actions that were unknowingly incorrect.
  • What does the leadership team need to get better at?
    Taking action when a problem is brought up and not just laughing in my face. They need to make sure that they take things seriosly so problems like mine wont happen again.
  • What would you improve about your company's interview process?
    They need to be more clear on whats expected
Read More Constructive Reviews

Olive Garden Company Information

Olive Garden Company Overview

Olive Garden is a chain of over 800 restaurants in the Italian casual dining segment that offers a variety of Italian specialties.

Olive Garden Mission, Vision & Values

Olive Garden Mission Statement

At Olive Garden, we want the experience of warmth and caring to extend beyond our restaurant walls and into every community where we live and serve. Our restaurants throughout the US and Canada are committed to giving back to their communities through a variety of local efforts, such as delivering meals in times of need and supporting local non-profits and organizations. Restaurants also participate in various company-wide community relations programs.

Olive Garden Vision Statement

Hospitaliano! Our Never Ending passion for 100% guest delight: We inspire a world with more human connection We take pride in doing it right the first time We welcome everyone as family and friends

Olive Garden Values

  • Integrity And Fairness
  • Respect And Caring
  • Diversity
  • Always Learning Always Teaching
  • Being Of Service
  • Teamwork
  • Excellence
Olive Garden Mission, Vision & Values

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Olive Garden

At Olive Garden, we want the experience of warmth and caring to extend beyond our restaurant walls and into every community where we live and serve. Our restaurants throughout the US and Canada are committed to giving back to their communities through a variety of local efforts, such as delivering meals in times of need and supporting local non-profits and organizations. Restaurants also participate in various company-wide community relations programs.

Sustainability at Olive Garden
HeadquarterOrlando, FL
Canada
Websitewww.olivegarden.com
Founding Date1982
Tel(800) 932-2558
Company StatusPrivate

Olive Garden Competitors

Olive Garden competitors include Domino's Pizza, OSF, Pizza Hut, and Yard House. Olive Garden ranks 3rd in Overall Culture Score on Comparably vs its competitors. See below how Olive Garden compares to its competitors with CEO Rankings, Product & Services, NPS, Pricing, Customer Services, Overall Culture Score, eNPS, Gender and Diversity Scores.

  1. #1
    Domino's Pizza's Logo
    Domino's Pizza
    3.6/5
  2. #2
    OSF's Logo
    OSF
    3.0/5
  3. #3
    Olive Garden's Logo
    Olive Garden
    2.9/5
  4. #4
    Pizza Hut's Logo
    Pizza Hut
    2.9/5
  5. #5
    Yard House's Logo
    Yard House
    2.4/5
Learn More About Olive Garden Competitors
  • Culture Video

Olive Garden Employees

1382 employees at Olive Garden have reviewed Olive Garden across various culture dimensions, providing their opinions on items ranging from executive ratings to the pace at work. The latest review was 4 days ago.

Overall, the 1382 Olive Garden employees give their leadership a grade of C-, or Bottom 30% of similar size companies. This includes specific ratings of their executive team, CEO, and manager.

Employees at Olive Garden are not very pleased with their total compensation at Olive Garden, which includes a combination of pay, stock and equity, and benefits.

Overall, employees at Olive Garden are not very pleased with their team. 1382 Participants grade the quality of their coworkers a C-. Less than half believe the meetings at Olive Garden are effective, and the majority look forward to interacting with their coworkers.

The majority of employees at Olive Garden believe the environment at Olive Garden is positive. Most Participants believe the pace of work at Olive Garden is comfortably fast. About 82% of the employees at Olive Garden work 8 hours or less, while 6% of them have an extremely long day - longer than twelve hours.

Overall, the employees at Olive Garden are not very happy, based on their aggregated ratings of future outlook, customer perception, and their excitement going to work.

A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life
Olive Garden employees generally work 8.0 hrs a day
Work Hours
A Day in the Life
Employees at Olive Garden report the work pace is comfortably fast
Work Pace
A Day in the Life
On a typical day, employees at Olive Garden have 0 meetings
Meetings
A Day in the Life
73% of Olive Garden employees look forward to interacting with their team every day
Coworkers
A Day in the Life
Olive Garden employees most often take 0-10 paid vacation and sick days each year
Perks & Benefits
A Day in the Life
67% of Olive Garden employees report they are happy with their work life balance
Work Life Balance
A Day in the Life
Olive Garden employees typically get valuable feedback on how to improve at work Every Week
Feedback
A Day in the Life
50% of Olive Garden employees call their work environment negative
Environment

Joining Olive Garden - Employee Onboarding

The prevailing opinion from employees about joining Olive Garden is that the company was somewhat prepared on their first day. Olive Garden employees concluded that their overall onboarding experience was positive. 33% said their direct manager was helpful with their acclimation during the first 90 days. First impressions are important, and how prepared a company is on your first day leaves a lasting impression.

Olive Garden Employee Onboarding

Olive Garden KPIs and OKRs

Employees’ understanding of Olive Garden's KPIs and OKRs is essential for its success. Out of 8 Olive Garden employees who’ve answered, “Are your company’s goals clear and are you invested in them?” 4 have said yes.

AnswerPercent
Yes50%
No50%
Are your company's goals clear, and are you invested in them?
AnswerPercent
Yes0%
No100%
Are the KPIs/OKRs for your department clear?
Olive Garden KPIs & OKRs

Olive Garden CEO & Leadership

Olive Garden CEO - Dan Kiernan

Dan Kiernan Olive Garden's CEO
62 /100

Olive Garden’s CEO Dan Kiernan started in this role in 2018. Dan’s approval rate is lower compared to CEOs at similar sized companies, putting Dan in the Bottom 30% of all CEOs of similar-sized companies on Comparably, and in the Bottom 30% compared to CEOs of all other companies in Orlando, FL. Dan Kiernan’s employees rank Olive Garden in the Top 20% for Environment, in the Top 40% for Professional Development, and in the Top 50% for Office Culture. Kiernan is generally unpopular with Olive Garden employees, but ranks especially low with African American/Black employees, and by employees in the HR department and employees in the Customer Success department. However, employees in the Product department have a slightly more favorable view of the CEO. When compared to Olive Garden’s competitors, Dan Kiernan ranks below both OSF CEO AJ Querciagrossa and Domino's Pizza CEO Richard Allison.

Olive Garden Leadership

The Olive Garden Executive Team is rated a “C-” and led by CEO Dan Kiernan, Chief Financial Officer Ethan Sypinski, and Corporate Executive Chef R&D Terrence Tookes

  • Dan Kiernan CEO / President

    Dan Kiernan CEO / President

    Dan Kiernan serves as the CEO / President of Olive Garden.

  • Ethan Sypinski Chief Financial Officer

    Ethan Sypinski serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Olive Garden.

  • Terrence Tookes Corporate Executive Chef R&D

    Terrence Tookes serves as the Corporate Executive Chef R&D of Olive Garden. Terrence started at Olive Garden in December... read more

  • Bryan Clements Executive Vice President

    Bryan Clements serves as the Executive Vice President of Olive Garden. Bryan started at Olive Garden in January of 2018.... read more

  • Bob balobona Senior Vice President

    Bob balobona serves as the Senior Vice President of Olive Garden.

  • Charles Flor Senior Vice President of Operations

    Charles Flor serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations of Olive Garden. Charles started at Olive Garden in... read more

  • Michael Hart Senior Vice President Operations

    Michael Hart serves as the Senior Vice President Operations of Olive Garden.

  • Tim B VP Culinary Operations & Operations Excellence

    Tim B serves as the VP Culinary Operations & Operations Excellence of Olive Garden.

  • Robbie Berta Director Of Operations

    Robbie Berta serves as the Director Of Operations of Olive Garden.

See More Executives

Explore Olive Garden Leadership Team

Olive Garden Salaries

How much does Olive Garden pay?

How much do people at Olive Garden get paid? See the latest salaries by department and job title. The average estimated annual salary, including base and bonus, at Olive Garden is $135,656, or $65 per hour, while the estimated median salary is $133,883, or $64 per hour.

At Olive Garden, the highest paid job is a Director of Sales at $225,715 annually and the lowest is a CS Rep at $46,926 annually. Average Olive Garden salaries by department include: Engineering at $141,758, Finance at $92,679, HR at $124,409, and Operations at $151,866. Half of Olive Garden salaries are above $133,883.

555 employees at Olive Garden rank their Compensation in the Bottom 30% of similar sized companies (based on 1642 ratings) while 529 employees at Olive Garden rank their Perks And Benefits in the Bottom 30% of similar sized companies (based on 534 ratings).

Last updated 9 days ago.

1st Percentile
$74k
$74k1st Percentile
17th Percentile
$102k
$102k17th Percentile
33rd Percentile
$133k
$133k33rd Percentile
50th Percentile
$185k
$185k50th Percentile
67th Percentile
$240k
$240k67th Percentile
83rd Percentile
$269k
$269k83rd Percentile
100th Percentile
$299k
$299k100th Percentile
$135,656*
Average Compensation
$133,883*
Median Compensation

* Estimated salaries Estimated salaries are based on data provided anonymously by employees and/or estimated by other statistical methods.

Olive Garden Salaries by Department

Explore Olive Garden Salaries

Diversity & Inclusion at Olive Garden

Diverse employees at Olive Garden score the company 58/100 across various culture categories, placing Olive Garden in the Bottom 25% of companies on Comparably with 10,000+ Employees for Comparably's diversity score. The Diversity score provides insights into how diverse employees feel and rate their work experience at Olive Garden across various culture dimensions.

Our team members are what make the difference at Darden — they are at the heart of everything we do. We know we’re only as good as our people. That’s why we hire the best and create an inclusive environment where diversity of thought and background are valued, everyone is treated with respect and everyone has opportunities to develop and grow their careers.,,We’re extremely proud of our results-oriented, people culture — one filled with energy, passion, opportunity and fun. We work hard to achieve our goals, and we all win together when we do.

Ranked Culture the Highest

Women 75/100
Tenure - Less Than 1 Year
Men 70/100
Department - Sales
Diverse Employees 75/100
Tenure - Less Than 1 Year

Ranked Culture the Lowest

Women 48/100
Tenure - 1 to 2 Years
Men 48/100
Department - Customer Success
Diverse Employees 43/100
Department - Customer Success
Explore Olive Garden Diversity & Inclusion

Olive Garden Perks & Benefits

Health & Wellness

  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Health Insurance
  • Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

  • PTO / Vacation Policy
  • Paid Holidays
  • Maternity / Paternity Leave

Financial Benefits

  • 401K / Retirement Plan
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Office Perks

  • Work From Home Policy
  • Unique Office Space
Explore Olive Garden Perks and Benefits

Olive Garden PTO

Olive Garden's PTO and Vacation policy typically gives 0-10 days off a year with 60% of employees expected to be work free while out of office. Paid Time Off is Olive Garden's 3rd most important benefit besides Healthcare when ranked by employees, with 33% of employees saying it is the most important benefit. Olive Garden's benefits and PTO Package averages to represent a $1000 -$1500 cash value per month.

AnswerPercent
Flex Time34%
Vacation Policy33%
Office Meals0%
401k Contribution33%
Childcare0%
Other than healthcare, which of the following benefits is most important to you?
AnswerPercent
Yes40%
No60%
Does your boss expect you to work when you're on vacation?
AnswerPercent
$2500+/mo0%
$1500 - $2500/mo0%
$1000 -$1500/mo50%
$500 -$1000/mo0%
Less than $500/mo50%
What do you estimate the cash value of your benefits to be? Healthcare, PTO, etc?
Olive Garden PTO Policy

Olive Garden Careers

Olive Garden Jobs

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Overview of Candidates Interested in Olive Garden on Comparably

Candidates By Department

All Industries
67%
Legal
33%

Candidates By Location

San Antonio
33%
Bakersfield
33%
Charlotte
33%

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Olive Garden

Who is the CEO of Olive Garden?

Olive Garden CEO is Dan Kiernan, their score by employees is 62

What is Olive Garden eNPS?

The eNPS for Olive Garden is -26

What is the salary for Data Analyst in Olive Garden?

Data Analyst average salary in the US is 89k

What are the salaries in the HR in Olive Garden?

The average salaries for HR in Olive Garden is 124k

Who are Olive Garden competitors?

Olive Garden main competitors are Domino's Pizza, OSF, Pizza Hut, Yard House

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