The Las Vegas Strip is known for its casino glitz and glamour. But come 2021, the gaming epicenter will offer guests unlimited salad and breadsticks, too.
First announced back in August, our Casino.org coverage on a multimillion-dollar Olive Garden coming to the Strip garnered a stern and passionate response from locals and seasoned Sin City guests alike.
The Italian chain restaurant is going in at 3767 Las Vegas Boulevard S. The eatery will occupy the approximately 12,500-square-foot space above the two-floor Target across the Strip from Park MGM.
Little work has been done at the Olive Garden site amid the pandemic. But that will soon change. Permits have recently been issued. According to Clark County building records, commercial electric, plumbing, and mechanical permits were issued for the location on Dec. 10.
While many Las Vegas visitors come to the Strip to experience a lavish five-star treatment that so many of the casino resorts afford, Olive Garden is betting on a pent-up appetite to travel post-pandemic that will bring more casual guests to town.
No Olive Branch for Olive Garden
Las Vegas has come a long way from the days of bargain shrimp cocktails.
Today, the Strip’s casinos are home to some of the highest-rated restaurants in the country. Vegas has 26 establishments receiving either Four or Five Diamond accreditations from AAA. Four Diamond Italian joints inside Las Vegas Strip casinos include Rivea at MGM Resorts’ Delano and Sinatra at Wynn Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is currently home to six Olive Gardens. The closest to the Strip is the restaurant located just east of the UNLV campus on Flamingo Road. And while the odds are long that a food critic would ever bestow an award on an Olive Garden, readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal have consistently rated Olive Garden as their favorite Italian restaurant in Southern Nevada.
Olive Garden is now bringing its Italian menu and “We’re all family here!” slogan to the Strip. Not everyone is thrilled.
Ridiculous. That’s like going to San Francisco’s Pier 39 and eating at Joe’s Crab Shack or Rain Forest Café. Wake up people,” said one Casino.org reader.
“Dog food is coming to the Las Vegas Strip,” added another.
Garden Prices Vary
Millions of Americans were furloughed at some point this year and were forced to go on unemployment, or saw their employment eliminated. As a result, disposable income will likely be reduced when that travel boom post-pandemic many are predicting occurs.
Las Vegas room rates are discounted steeply in an effort to lure back visitors. When Sin City guests need to fill up their stomachs cheaply, an Olive Garden might just do the trick.
Olive Garden, of course, isn’t the only chain restaurant on the Strip. When the Garden opens across from Park MGM, it will call several chains its neighbors, including Denny’s, Outback, Fat Burger, and Chili’s.
The newest Las Vegas Olive Garden shouldn’t be expected to come with pricing found in more rural areas across the country.
For instance, the Tour of Italy meal at the Olive Garden in New York City’s Times Square runs $26.99, and with tax comes to $29.39. In Prattville, Alabama, the Tour runs $18.79, and with tax comes to $20.58.
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