World’s First Olive Garden Restaurant Is In Orlando Florida - Birthplace On International Drive

[@pauline9242]

Cool history about the Olive Garden. Honorable mention to your Dad 🙏 he would’ve been so proud of you TJ. And happy Mother’s Day to your mom.

[@TampaJay]

Thank you so much appreciate you

[@TampaJay]

Thanks for watching! instagram.com/tampajay

[@Steve_6251]

I too had no idea Olive Garden had anything to do with General Mills. Always love your personal stories, here with your brother (I’d have sung for him if I’d been there!) and your dad loving it there. Funny, to me, it feel like your channel could use the same motto!

[@Elephant2024-wi2li]

Thanks for another awesome video. Love the Olive Garden. Just the breadsticks alone are world famous. Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the moms. Appreciate you all.❤

[@CongressSux1776]

World famous? Seriously?

[@MichelleMartin-ld6zg]

Hi Tampa Jay what you was eating looked nice another great video Tampa Jay 👍 👌 👏 😀 😄 😉 ❤

[@jackc3899]

Amazing video great story about your Dad we are going tonight ❤

[@gilbertgranby9339]

I went to the Clearwater location for Homecoming with some friends. Thanks, for the Adventure; as always a Great Video 😎✌️

[@jenb25]

My family went to WDW in 1982 and ate here at this Olive Garden. It was fantastic and my family loved it, it was not a chain yet. 10 years later they were expanding nationwide and cropped up everywhere and we were so excited it was the restaurant we remembered from Kissimmee.

[@jenb25]

Also the restaurant was really new at the time we went and there was a long wait so my sister and I went to an arcade nearby while we waited for the table. I wonder if it was that one that is nearby. I think it was that location where you showed was now the Brazilian place.

[@joangravel2436]

I love olive garden too thanks for the history on it i enjoyed watching

[@carterpishotta8753]

I worked at the first Olive Garden in 1996 1997 as a bartender. Met the most amazing girl who was a hostess there and we were together for over 10 years. The last time I drove past there in early 2000s it was a split build with two different establishments. Thanks for the memories!!

[@Mark-ur4ds]

Great restaurant great food! Well done as always ➡️

[@GabrielMcKelvey]

Salad and Lasagna, with, of course, their delicious bread sticks. Yes Please! 💯❤️

[@ChinaDollTravels]

I love Olive Garden for their breadsticks and salads 🥗

[@helenhelen7822]

I always get fettuccini Alfredo with chicken. Best restaurant ever!!!!!! Thanks for video

[@michaelkane3326]

I love Olive Garden.Hey Tampa Jay.I used to live in Saint Augustine.I know what you went through,in loosing family member.I lost my Parents 4 yrs ago.Always be by there side,help them with what ever they need.When there close to death,whisper in there ear,thank them for everything,tell them go with God,and see the rest of the family.

[@CraigKing-v3x]

This so awesome and amazing and I like

[@magiccheeseball]

I went to that Olive Garden when it first opened I just now realized it was that year when you showed the video from behind it I remember walking up from that parking lot into the restaurant with my girlfriend and her two friends and I was singing that song Hurts So Good by John Cougar Mellencamp that had just came out and I just looked up the year that song came out it was 1982.

[@exinilda]

Thank you for sharing these places. Sometimes we take them for granted and next thing you know they are gone. As always I enjoyed your video very much! Thanks Jay! Hello to sweet Cris the girl. ❤️🙏

[@ShareaDreamComeTrue]

That is so neat, I never knew that! I have eaten at the current Olive Garden on I-Drive each year when I go to a teacher convention at the Rosen Centre.

[@MiamisburgJay]

Thanks Jay for another fun video and history lesson :) I really enjoy it. Have a great week

[@1SeanBond]

I didn't know that about the Olive garden started in Orlando...Cheers to health,happiness and Continued success! ✌🤝💫

[@gilbertgranby9339]

I keep getting these nostalgic vibes each time you hit on a childhood memory. My formidable years were spent in an area just off Curlew Rd/ SR 586. ✨️✌️

[@pooltable2]

Hey I love Olive Garden too. You can’t go wrong with it.

[@FBT9356]

Met Blaine Sweatt back in 82 the company i worked for one of the original suppliers of all their Italian ingredients . Blaine had a swimming pool and was painted on the bottom with the OG logo

[@Ronaldl2350]

I did not know Olive Garden started in Orlando. Very cool. When you talked about your dad, it reminded me of mine. Like your dad, he liked Olive Garden a lot also. It brought back some great memories of my pops. Thanks for sharing Jay.

[@MattTheLizard]

Jay how awesome is it that you give me nostalgic vibes?

[@jameschamblin7120]

That Olive Garden was the very first OG I've ever eaten at some time in '88. Had the Manicotti, which was also the first time I've ever eaten that. Now I learn that it was the very first Olive Garden. Favorite dish, seafood alfredo.

[@SBTCP]

You’re an outstanding KZbin channel.

[@jaxmaxtravels]

I live 2 minutes from the Palm Harbor/Clearwater location! Good videos buddy!

[@kimberlylyerly2207]

Don't laugh, but I have never been to, or eaten Olive Garden. I am not a pasta eater, tho. Thank you for sharing your memories and your experience. Hugs 🤗 and God bless 🙏

[@magiccityadventures3781]

Dude I was just there 2 days ago destroying a tour of Italy after Epcot. I live in Tampa too 💯💯💪🏼

[@TampaJay]

Haha that’s awesome

[@elizabethsmith38]

I also enjoy your fond memories. Thanks 😊

[@TampaJay]

Thank you 😊

[@MetalGreggNY75]

I ate at a Tilted Kilt Restaurant two times both when visiting San Diego when my brother lived there in 2010-12.

[@edwindrood2816]

Memories are powerful. God bless. I miss my Dad too.

[@sandypetro8907]

OH MY WORD!!! My favorite Italian restaurant ever. I have loved Olive Garden for years. My daughter and granddaughter love it as well. We always go to the one in Greenwood Indiana. I Love the Fettuccine Alfredo its my fav. I order the alfredo on the side as well for my breadsticks. I could litterly lick the bowl clean. 😁 I've never had Alfredo as good as Olive Garden. In my opinion its just the best ever. Its funny that your video posted today. We were just talking abt going to Olive Garden earlier today. 😊Thank You Jay for this video. ❤️

[@TampaJay]

Thank you Sandy

[@timeknowsfilmsproductions978]

I went to that very Olive Garden back in 2006 and 2009 with my father. I loved the food there, as well as the ambiance. I remember me and him going there after visiting Universal Studios. Olive Garden tried up here in Canada, but unfortunately failed. 😢 if I ever do get back to Florida, I’m heading to that Olive Garden. Thanks for this video, it brought up great memories buddy.

[@johndoe-l3p4p]

Olive garden slaps so hard!!❤❤

[@amyandtony]

What a fun video!! Glad I ate before watching.

[@sofritotv6549]

Great video jay as always 💪🏼😎 my dad passed away in 2014 when I was 24 man so I hear you with all that man. Stay strong. Memories last forever. My favorite tattoo I have. But so true man. Now use all he taught you for your future family 💪🏼😎

[@TampaJay]

Thank you, my friend. Appreciate you sorry for your loss too.

[@BlackCat-aka-Jewels]

We love Olive Garden. Date night every week there ❤

[@nordicquad]

The Olive garden by marker 11 was the first one we went to back in 2000 on our Florida honeymoon.We stayed just around the corner in Fantasy World Resort.Last visit to this very same resturant was last summer and we stayed in a Villa in the Storey Lake area.We always had great service at this resturant.

[@kennethroberts4277]

Love the video Jay!

[@joemooski7134]

Me n my family used to go to that original olive garden they had a chef making pasta on the bottom floor. Probably closed sometime in 90s but not sure

[@tankdarla637]

We use to shred I Drive on our bmx bikes in the early to mid 80s

[@joshuaforsythe]

I love Olive Garden too I’ve eaten at that one as well and a lot of other ones

[@MetalGreggNY75]

Tampa Jay, There is a Yard House right down the street from my apartment in Norwalk CT. It has pretty good food & beer. Right next to it is Jacob’s Pickles which is awesome. The last time I ate at Olive Garden was when I was still living in NY. It was in Middletown NY during mid-to-late 90s.

[@johnroot4886]

I love Olive Garden, as much hate as it gets sometimes, I have never had a bad meal there, cool video Jay, hope you have a great weekend and Happy Mothers Day to your mom

[@jknaus23]

Cool vid, did not know that the first OG was in Orlando either, cheers to your dad.

[@Fangore]

Tampa Jay you are truly an official food connoisseur.

[@TampaJay]

I do love me some food

[@craigholstine2154]

Good Morning Tampa Jay..!!

[@bsr6823]

Yeah, I totally go there for just the salad and breadsticks. It’s so freaking good.

[@Shelly-in-Tampa]

I just got a gift card for the OG. My daughter just loves it. So it is kind of for her I guess. Your brother was born on Christmas Eve! That was a present! I love Carrabas and Macaroni Grill. Not too many MG's.

[@trish5556]

Olive Garden is my fav restaurant because I love Italian, and Fazolis is my 2nd fav. I am a creature of habit and always get spaghetti Marinara with salad and breadsticks. When I go alone while on a shopping trip I sit at the bar area (even though I do not drink) because I hate taking up a whole table and I get fast service. My family and I ate at the original OG on IDrive in the 1990's but do not remember when it moved. We moved from the area in 2003. When we lived in Utah my son and I ate at the OG in Layton and were told it was the busiest OG in the country, second only to the one on IDrive. That is also when I learned that the IDrive location was the first ever. We lived in Apopka from 1991 until 2003, so the OG we went to the most was in Altamonte Springs, on 436. By the way, we also liked to go to Macaroni Grille in Altamonte. On your birthday they would sing Happy Birthday to you opera style-it was so cool! There are very few Macaroni Grille restaurants left and the last one I went to on a road trip in Tennessee was not good. OG is always good. Thanks for sharing!

[@NicklovesWWE]

I love Olive Garden

[@janetstanton5604]

In the Darden headquarters building they have test kitchens for all of their restaurants. Various execs get to go there to try out new meals before they’re offered in the restaurant. They also have an awesome employee cafeteria.

[@dpc374]

They used to make a stuffed Chicken Parm that they discontinued decades ago. Stopped going after that. I sure do miss it.

[@Jonsellscoolstuff]

I like these first videos jay keep up the great work. 🎉

[@TampaJay]

Thank you glad you enjoy them!

[@juliogonzales5441]

GREAT VIDEO JAY....NOW I'M HUNGRY

[@user-rovvt3]

alligator-mandala effect. thanks jay the boy, we love your videos.

[@delontereid7584]

I was today years old when I learned the first Olive Garden was in Orlando. The picture kid eating the ice cream in the restaurant looked like you back in the day.

[@cindycharming7993]

We always ate at Olive Garden when visiting Disney until we got one in our area! We always thought of it as a Florida thing!

[@The.Adam.D]

I was like number 813. Tampa Bay for life!

[@craftingzoe]

Hi Jay! I have vague memories of going to the same Olive Garden in Dec 1998 as well. It was early Dec and we were on holiday from the UK!

[@RickyL305]

I did not know the original olive garden restaurant is there. From my understanding many of the olive gardens had closed down over the years. I attended college in Orlando and the forestry academy outside Orlando as well years back but it's good to see not all olive gardens have been closed.

[@pinkelefant4ever]

I like their soup and salad. Didn't know FL is the birthplace!

[@aprillisa5950]

It was also the first Olive Garden I went to when I was in Orlando back in 1988. When they opened up one by me, I made sure I got a summer job there. Still there to this day. This

[@tankdarla637]

Wow, I didnt know this. I have been there a bunch of times. Pretty sure that gift shop belongs to my friends parents , most of them did or do on 192 and I Drive.

[@thecoolestdad]

Jay I don't eat at Olive Garden hardly ever. But when I do, I love it. I need to eat thee more often. But I need to lose some more weight so gotta refrain from it when I can.

[@RobertDickens2002]

First olive garden I've ever ate at was Tallahassee I love the zuppa soup.

[@SBTCP]

Same with my family too my papa’s last meal was Olive Garden before he died. But he’s in a better place. But I’m blessed I’m alive jay.

[@leearmstrong2743]

Mornin Jay!!

[@shellrie1]

I learned that the first red lobster restaurant opened in Lakeland FL.

[@FrankG5874]

The first time I ever went to a Olive Garden was the old location on International Drive in Orlando by Sand Lake Road in 1983 with my folks, sister, aunt, and my cousin and her husband at the time. We got our Olive Garden in Trenton, NJ in 1989 in Lawrence Township at Mercer Mall.

[@LOUISE__97]

I've never been to Olive Garden! I vaguely remember one location in my city when I was a kid, but now I'm not even sure Canada had any 😂 perhaps a figment of my imagination. Have a big ole plate of spaghetti and meat sauce for me next time, Jay ❤

[@MikeRuh01]

I've always like Olive Garden. Got to get the Chicken Alfredo with bread sticks

[@greggregg4852]

shout out to the Olive Garden on East Colonial. I ordered the Tour of Italy one time. when it came out, it looked like crap on a white rooster. I showed the server the picture in the menu and then pointed to what they served. I think the manager had the chef deliver the "redo." you could have taken a new picture of that plate and put it in the menu, it was that nice. good job, TJ!

[@stewburner63]

Oh man .. now I want some Olive Garden ..

[@carol-annemartinalolafrase8473]

Nice I love it but the closed one near me is two hours away I don't do car rides well lol 🤣

[@espo7182]

If you suggest olive garden for anything except the unlimited lunch maybe, to most Italians in the NYC area, it's like committing a crime. Lol. The breadsticks are great though and it's hard to mess up soup and salad, so lunch gets a pass. Plus it's a pretty good deal.

[@bjornemccomb8262]

Andes candies are my fav part of Olive Garden, I specify that’s why I’m there to the waiter/waitress and they always hand out more than a few to me 😎 miss the make your own pizza though 😢

[@MoviemaniaNick]

Fettucini Alfredo is one of my favorite Italian foods to eat.

[@mrljlanier]

God bless your dad bro.

[@shanester1832]

Only been to OG once. They do have an all time great commercial though, the one where the relative is visiting from the 'old country'. Uncle Vinnie came to America, do they take him to experience Texas BBQ, a great burger from that one place, how about some Waffle House Americana? NO! They take him to the Olive Garden and blow his mind with food more Italian than his mind can process. Mama Mia! What a commercial! "I don't want to go back into Italy now to eat that trash."

[@junebug58]

😃the trick to the pasta spoon, is...lift a fork FULL up out of bowl, THEN hold fork onto Spoon a twirl until you have a nest...bada being lol😎

[@sir2022]

this is Bob and you are close to 100k subscribers! love your videos. You and Chris have a great day (I hope I spelled her name right)

[@ErinsTravelsAndBeyond]

The first Olive Garden was at 7653 International Dr, it’s no longer there. There is a couple different restaurants in that location now.

[@TampaJay]

As seen in this video. Thank you.

[@ErinsTravelsAndBeyond]

@@TampaJayyou should go to the one on Irlo Bronson in Kissimmee. I think that’s the next oldest one. 🤗

[@TampaJay]

The one I was at? I thought it might’ve been.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

I always thought the first Olive Garden was in Winter Park for some reason. Never imagined it would be on I Drive!

[@dawnbasham8719]

Great information Jay. . I absolutely loved OG every year at the one in Kokomo IN on the Southside we went for my birthdays until I got stricken with systolic heart failure and got put on the low sodium diet, so sadly I can't even enjoy their salad and breadsticks, so thank you for indulging those for us that cannot have it... 🫶🫶

[@timnivison7847]

I work there, and I can give some insight.

[@jugtug6485]

I ate at the olive garden on international Dr about 5 months ago the one down the street from the original location

[@pennystonecypher5242]

Service can be hit or miss. Food good!

[@Luv2tickt]

I loved OG, but my wife of Sicilian descent refuses to go. "Calling Olive Garden Italian is like calling Taco Bell Mexican." Yah well...they've got killer breadsticks and salad. Not to mention their NY Cheesecake is to die for! The fettuccine alfredo is my mothers favorite. And you're right the pepperoncini's in the salad is frakkin awesome! Ruth's Chris. I was in Dago in '17 for business. Went there. It was $54 for an ok steak...Longhorns is much better. The baked potatoe was $10, which was completely worth it. But what blew my mind, the schrooms. They glaze them in veal squeezings. Oh...so good, but $15. Ad a cocktails and the bill was $100! When I turned my meal voucher in, my boss almost had a stroke!

[@drewchristy]

@TampaJay Olive Garden's sister restaurant Red Lobster was started in Lakeland, FL in 1968. The physical building still exists at 1330 E Memorial Blvd. Darden relocated this restaurant to a former China Coast Grill location on US 98 North in 1996. After the original location closed, the building was used as a restaurant and nightclub for many years. It is now a bait and tackle store. It still looks very similar to how it did when it opened. William (Bill) Darden opened his first restaurant, The Green Frog, in Waycross, Georgia, in 1938 at age 19. He later founded the Red Lobster Inns of America and opened the first Red Lobster restaurant in Lakeland, Florida, in 1968. Darden was sold to General Mills in 1970.

[@paulblack7946]

Hi Jay, have you ever thought of having a Meet and Great in a park somewhere. I would think many people might like to meet you in person.

[@susandemaree5477]

History channel has a show on the history of the OG.

[@markteicher5785]

Olive Garden was my very first serving job in Dayton Ohio 1988

[@joshuaforsythe]

The first time I eaten at the McDonald’s there was 1990 and I moved to that area in 2000 my sister was working at the Perkins there at that time I still work close to there at the Portillo’s on palm parkway

[@Jarvel5]

Ah yes, Olive Garden. Best part is the breadsticks!

[@greggregg4852]

fun fact: the Olive Garden at Fashion Square Mall has both the new building AND the closed original building. I believe that original building is the same blue print as the one on I-drive.

[@davidverdin]

We ate there in 1982… they had a breakfest buffet …we must of ate there 3/4 times