I remember that the salad used to be a lot bigger deal...perhaps they had endless salad like the breadsticks.
And the breadsticks used to be practically addictive - but their taste has changed.
I went there very recently, and like a lot of restaurants, things are sliding. The servers are generally overwhelmed and clueless on some things (my daughter ordered hot tea - got a tea bag but no hot water for example...and the guy was puzzled when we asked for some). And the food quality doesn’t match the price, in my opinion.
Still one of the better places I’ve been to recently, but definitely on the slide.
Olive Garden was in our standard ‘eat out’ rotation. This was Phoenix back in 95/96. They would offer bowls of marinara or alfredo sauce with their breadsticks. When we moved to WA state in 99 there was one close to the house so we tried it. It was not as good, then it got worse. The kitchen that you could see when you walked in was removed and bar seating put in. That pleasant aroma that would wash over you when you entered was gone as well. Don’t need that big kitchen when a row of microwaves do all the cooking. Haven’t been back since, but they don’t miss us, the place is always packed.