I would like to qualify my review with the following:
-I take my mother out to lunch every Sunday.
-My mother is full-blooded Italian.
-Mamma enjoys going to Olive Garden.
Okay. There you have it. She's not looking for authentic Italian cuisine. She's not looking for Polpette alla Napoletana. She just wants lunch with tomato sauce, pasta, and salad with her famiglia. And she wants a predictable, no-surprises lunch. Period.
So. Here's the deal. If you want to explore the depths of authentic, rustic Italian cuisine down to the consumption of sauteed lamb brains, then Olive Garden is definitely not the place for you. If, however, you wish to keep your Mamma Mia happy in her later years in an atmosphere that encourages conversation and reminiscing about good times, then I would highly recommend that you take your matriarch to Olive Garden.
Yes...we all know that it's not a four-star Batali joint. People who eat at OG are not looking for that. They want what they want. And they get what they want. And they are happy. And that's why we have Olive Garden.
So I am giving this location 4 stars because my mother enjoys going there and the service is great.