Members of the Albany Chamber of Commerce, City Officials and Olive Garden employees held a ribbon cutting ceremony for The new Olive Garden at 9:30 this morning.
Everyone was given a short tour of the restaurant after the ribbon cutting was over.
The Italian theme restaurant sits on the corner of Dawson and West Over. This is a dream come true for some here in Albany.
“I’m employing about 180 people. It’s about bringing jobs to the Albany area and it’s about partnership,” said Manager Kenneth Hall.
The restaurant hours are Sunday through Thursday 11am until 10pm. The store hours on Friday and Sat are 11am -11pm.
Here is a news release from Darden Restaurants, Olive Garden’s parent company-
Olive Garden will open at 2701 Dawson Rd. in Albany, Ga. on Monday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. — creating 180 new jobs. The Olive Garden in Albany is the newest Olive Garden in the family of more than 750 local restaurants committed to providing every guest with a genuine Italian dining experience.
The 7,441 square-foot restaurant can host up to 246 guests and features a design that is inspired by traditional farmhouses found in Tuscany, Italy. Olive Garden design teams traveled to Italy to work with Italian architects Fabio and Lucia Zingarelli and the result is a restaurant design that recreates the warmth and simple beauty of a Tuscan farmhouse.
The Albany Olive Garden has a rustic stone exterior, typical of the buildings in the Italian countryside, and an interior accented by Italian imports designed to make the dining experience here a tribute to the restaurant’s Italian inspiration. 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. These enhancements are part of the Sustainable Restaurant Design initiative launched by Darden Restaurants, Olive Garden’s parent company.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead the Albany restaurant and a great team at Olive Garden,” said Kenneth Hall, newly named general manager. “In addition to our Italian specialties, including signature items like our homemade soups, garden fresh salad and warm, garlic breadsticks, the menu at the Albany Olive Garden will feature limited time offers like our Never Ending Pasta Bowl, which allows guests to order any pasta and sauce combination and receive unlimited refills.”
Hall has been with Olive Garden for a little more than a year, most recently as culinary manager of the Olive Garden located at 1961 Jonesboro Rd. in McDonough. Hall attended Albany State University where his area of concentration was business management.
To recognize Hall’s role as head of the Olive Garden family in Albany and to emphasize the importance the company places on its general managers, Olive Garden honored Hall by setting his name in stone. Travertine marble imported from Tuscany was chiseled with Hall’s name and placed prominently by the restaurant’s front door.
Olive Garden is now accepting applications for employment. To be considered for an interview, please apply online at www.OliveGarden.com/Careers.
Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with more than 750 restaurants, more than 90,000 employees and more than $3.5 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a member of the Darden family of restaurants (NYSE:DRI), the world’s largest full-service restaurant operating company.
In 2012, Darden was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the second year in a row and is the only full-service restaurant company to ever appear on the list. Olive Garden is committed to making a difference in the lives of others in the local community.
As part of this commitment, the Albany 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.
Copyright 2012 WALB. All rights reserved.
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