The opening of a new restaurant in a community always creates a sense of excitement and provides new employment opportunities. That’s the case with the June 25 opening of Olive Garden at 1010 Allen Drive in Grand Island.
General Manager Roy Ussary said the public’s reaction on the first day was “great.”
“Everyone was very excited and also very happy that we’re finally open to treat them to a great Italian experience,” Ussary said.
According to Olive Garden, the opening of the restaurant created 180 new jobs. The restaurant in Grand Island is the newest of the 750 in the Olive Garden family.
The chain employs more than 88,000 people and has more than $3 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a member of the Darden family of restaurants, the world’s largest full-service restaurant operating company. In 2012, Darden was named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the second year in a row and is the only full-service restaurant company ever to appear on the list.
The 7,441-square-foot restaurant can host up to 246 guests and features a design inspired by traditional farmhouses of Tuscany, Italy. Olive Garden design teams traveled to Italy to work with Italian architects Fabio and Lucia Zingarelli.
The Grand Island Olive Garden has a rustic stone exterior and an interior accented by Italian imports. Ceilings supported by exposed wood beams, stone and wood accents throughout and terra cotta tile highlight the interior.
In addition, the bar top is crafted from lava stone and hand-painted by artisans in Italy with a design created exclusively for Olive Garden. Vibrant imported fabrics decorate windows and dining seats, while hand-painted plates adorn rustic stone and stucco walls.
The restaurant also will feature a number of sustainable design elements, including recycled building materials, enlarged windows to increase natural light, low-water landscaping and energy-efficient equipment.
Ussary said he is honored to lead the team helping to bring Olive Garden to Grand Island.
“In addition to our Italian specialties, including signature items like our homemade soups, garden fresh salad and warm, garlic bread sticks, the menu at the Grand Island Olive Garden will feature limited-time offers like our smoked mozzarella chicken and spaghetti with four cheese meat sauce and meatballs, available now,” Ussary said.
Ussary has been with Olive Garden for five years, most recently as manager of the location at 90 Gateway in Lincoln. Ussary received a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and restaurant administration from Missouri State University in Springfield.
He said the excitement of the new Olive Garden led to a fantastic reception on opening day.
“We expected to be busy, and we weren’t disappointed,” Ussary said.
But despite Olive Garden’s national reputation and Ussary’s experience, he said his staff is a “very essential element to the success of our restaurant.”
“We have a great group of trainers in town for the opening, and they play a big part as well. However, the continued success of our restaurant will lay heavily on their shoulders,” he said. “We as managers play a huge roll in giving our team the leadership and a second-to-none work environment to come to day in and day out.”
Ussary said he is a “firm believer that our guest experience will never exceed our team member experience.”
“That is why I will tell you that they are the most important part in the continued success of this restaurant,” he said.
To emphasize what he said, Ussary quoted Olive Garden founder Bill Darden, saying, “Our greatest competitive advantage is our people.”
“Olive Garden treats everyone as friend and family,” Ussary said. “This, to me, is the biggest reason why there is so much passion leading this company. We value everyone and want to delight everyone with a genuine Italian dining experience and a great working environment.”
Ussary wants the community to know that “we want to be a place not only to celebrate special occasions but to be there for people’s everyday needs.”
“We want to become a staple in the community that gives back,” he said.
Ussary said Olive Garden and Grand Island are a good fit.
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the generosity and kindness that the people of Grand Island and the surrounding areas have shown to my family as we made our journey from southeast Missouri to Grand Island,” he said. “The businesses and people we have interacted with are amazingly kind, and we know this will be a great place to raise a family. Olive Garden is built on this kind of kindness and generosity, and we feel that we will grow together in the years to come.”
Olive Garden is committed to making a difference in the lives of others in the local community, Ussary said. As part of that commitment, he said, the Grand Island Olive Garden will participate in the Darden Harvest program, which has donated more than 50 million pounds of food to local community food banks across the country. For more information, visit www.olivegarden.com.
To recognize Ussary’s role as head of the Olive Garden family in Grand Island and to emphasize the importance the company places on its general managers, Olive Garden honored Ussary by setting his name in stone. Travertine marble imported from Tuscany was chiseled with Ussary’s name and placed prominently by the restaurant’s front door.
“I would like to thank all of the guests that came out on opening day and that continue to come this week and in the future,” he said. “It was a lot of fun getting to know many of you, and I hope that I will get to know many more and see some familiar faces in the future.”
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