Olive Garden vs Macaroni Grill

The Olive Garden vs. Macaroni Grill battle for the hearts and wallets of consumers is skewed in favor of the other but not in the overall sense. Each chain has its strengths and weakness from food quality and customer service to the number of locations.  Suffice it to say at this point that each chain can be the best place for your catering needs depending on where you are, what your menu needs are, and when you need them delivered to your venue.

For example, Olive Garden is an 800-strong chain of casual dining restaurants with locations across the United States and abroad while Romano’s Macaroni Grill only has 200 locations worldwide.  If the number of locations is important for event planning purposes, then Olive Garden will likely be your best choice. But keep in mind, too that Macaroni Grill sells its packaged food products under the General Mills Restaurant Favorites brand; the products are based on the Italian-American and Mediterranean-inspired dishes of the chain.

Italian-American Cuisine at the Heart of Each Chain

Italian-American cuisine is influenced by the specific regional heritage that immigrants from Italy and the neighboring area brought into the United States, especially during the 19th century migration.  For example, Northern Italian dishes are characterized by the use of polenta, risotto and white sauce while Southern Italian dishes have their dry pasta, olive oil, and tomato sauce. There are also Sicilian-and Neapolitan-inspired dishes in the general Italian-American cuisine collective.

Both Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill offer Italian-American cuisine from pastas to steaks and salads. Emphasis must be made that each chain obviously has its unique interpretation of each dish but in terms of food quality, it’s a draw overall.

The restaurants in both chains have their hits, such as the freshly made soups and breadsticks for Olive Garden and the Fog Marsala Pork Chop for Macaroni Grill, and misses, too. The trick is in ordering what appears to be delicious, tasting it for texture and flavor, and making your choice to order it again or not.  This way, your event participants or party guests will only have the best from each of the chain’s catering menu.

Both chains take pride in its bread, an Italian tradition where an eatery worth its salt should only have the best bread. Macaroni Grill provides its customers with complimentary bread and olive oil while Olive Garden prides itself on its breadsticks.

Macaroni Grill also has an advantage over Olive Garden – customers can customize their own pasta dishes. Basically, you can make your own pasta dishes by choosing from a selection of pastas, sauces, and toppings.  You can also choose from a wide range of antipasti, penne rustica, flatbreads, salads, entrees like Calabrese steak and chicken Marsala, and Braisers like pork shank with mushrooms and wine.

Like the Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill has a full bar where alcoholic drinks can be ordered. Both chains, nonetheless, have waiter and catering services.

Customer Service Comes First, Too

While both chains emphasize their commitment to excellent customer service, we have to say that Macaroni Grill has the slight edge over Olive Garden.  As soon as you and your group enter a Macaroni Grill restaurant, you will be greeted by a staff member and shown to your table where, if it’s needed, art materials are available for children to play with.  In an Olive Garden location, you may have to wait for a few minutes before being seated, even when it isn’t a full house.

In terms of the décor and ambiance, we have to say that both chains have a warm and welcoming vibe with their bright and gay interiors. The facilities are well-maintained although we like Macaroni Grill because of the Italian words and phrases being broadcasted in the restroom – you will learn basic Italian this way.

In this Olive Garden vs. Macaroni Grill comparison, we have to conclude that it’s a draw! There’s also the matter of personal preferences as you may prefer one over the other, although we think that both are just as good at being themselves, so to speak.