Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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Darden Restaurants, Inc. has 1372 locations, listed below.

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  Darden Restaurants, Inc.

  1000 Darden Center Dr Orlando, FL 32837-4032

• 

  Darden Restaurants, Inc.

  5900 Lake Ellenor Dr Orlando, FL 32809-4618

• 

  Darden Restaurants, Inc.

  12361 Apopka/Vineland Rd Orlando, FL 32819

• 

  Darden Restaurants, Inc.

  825 Lee Rd Orlando, FL 32810

• 

  Darden Restaurants, Inc.

  4010 W Vine St Kissimmee, FL 34741-4631

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/24/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I would like to complain about a misleading charge for tablet usage that I received at the Cheddars Restuarnt on 5450 **************************************************************I ate at this location on Saturday March 23 with my wife and child and the situation I am writing about has to do with the tablet device that is placed on all the tables at the restaurant. As my group was seated at the booth my child sat in front of the tablet and began using it during our time at the restaurant. After we ate and it was time to check out i noticed a $2.99 charge on my bill for "Table Games" and notified the waiter to dispute. The waiter was able to make any changes and involved a manager to help with the resolution.The manager explained that there is an advisory notice on the tablet of the $2.99 charge and that is presented three times before its actually added. My issue with this practice is that I as the parent never saw the screen as my child was seated on the opposite side of the booth. My child being anxious to play the games quickly clicked through the advisory screens to get to the game. Second there needs to be better controls in place to ensure that an authorized adult can review and accept the charges associated with tablet usage. ****** *** was sued by the *** for billing customers for charges incurred by children without parental consent and this situation is no different.*************************************************************************************************************************************************************** I feel this is a serious issue because if this happened to me I am sure that it is happening to many other guests that have children and I am sure that many of the impacted population pay the bill as it is a small charge and they do not review the itemized statement.I would like to either see that Cheddars removes the charges associated with tablet usage, or implement a process to ensure that only an adult can authorize the charge.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2024

  Thank you for dining with us last weekend with your family.  We apologize about the game charge you incurred through our tabletop Ziosk devices. All the features are complimentary with the exception of the game feature. From your note, it's clear the warning messages related to the $2.99 game charge were not clear enough for you and we appreciate you sharing this feedback with us.  We frequently review feedback like yours so we can better understand how to improve the experience.  We never want a charge to take you by surprise and we promise to revisit how we can provide more clarity to the charges associated with activating the device games.  Thanks again for sharing what happened.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/28/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/20/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Greetings,I contacted longhorn steakhouse immediately after noticing that my Parmesan Chicken was severely undercooked. I patiently waited for the manager who did not give me his name. Instead he informed me to text him a picture of the food received and an email to send a gift card. I received no apology over the phone for the inconvenience of the meal being unsatisfactory. I was promised a gift card that would be sent via email, however it is now end of day Tuesday and I have not received it. At this point I am requesting a full refund for the having to follow-up on an issue that should have been resolved same day. Please see the pictures that will show the call place to Longhorn Steakhouse, the text thread between the manager and myself as well as a photo of the undercooked chicken.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2024

  Our Guest Relations will  follow up with the guest within the next 24hrs.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/18/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed a curbside order and when I got home the food was burnt. I order the Parmesan crusted chicken and was charged for extra topping for the chicken, the chicken had no topping. I also ordered the street corn which was supposed to have a crema topping again no topping. To add insult to injury **************** was not done. I called and was placed on a 35 minute hold only to encounter a rather rude employee who kept placing me on hold.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/19/2024

  
  Our Guest Relations will follow up with the guest within the next 24hrs.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/11/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a to-go food order totaling $129.63, with no tip included, on 12/24/23 from the Olive Garden located at ******************************************************. I sent my daughter to pick up the order. When my daughter picked up the order, the employee handed her a box and told her she needed to sign it to confirm that she had picked up the order. My daughter was deceived into adding a $23.33 tip to my order. This practice was deceitful and fraudulent, as my daughter is not authorized or a signer on my checking account. The restaurant did not contact me and ask me to add a tip, and I did not authorize this additional amount when I placed the order.In addition, the ******* sauce was broken and would not re-emulsify. There was so much butter in it that it was inedible. The bread sticks were extremely hard, dry, and smelled of mold. I returned these two bad items to the restaurant and requested a refund for the unauthorized tip and bad food from the manager, *************************. ****** advised me that he processed a refund for $54.82 ($25.00 for the breadsticks, $5.49 for the sauce, and $23.33 for the tip), and I would receive the refund in 710 days. The money was never refunded to my account. In addition, the lasagna was dry, rubbery, and sauce-less. The only items that tasted decent were the salad and fettuccine. And the salad was thrown into a metal pan with plastic wrap barely covering it instead of the nice clear bowl that it is usually placed in at other Olive Garden locations. Everyone tried eating the lasagna, but most of it was messed over and thrown away, so I could not return it.This was my family's Christmas meal, and the entire meal was bad. But I only requested $54.82 for the fraudulent tip and the food that I returned. For some reason, Mentor Olive Garden is refusing to give me the refund, although they know I did not authorize the tip, and they accepted the food back. We clearly did not eat the breadsticks and sauce if I brought them back and they have them!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2024

  We apologize for the delay you experienced in receiving the expected refund. We've asked our Accounting Team to issue you a full refund. Please allow several business days for this to appear on your online statement. We appreciate the opportunity to address your feedback.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/10/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  1-14-2024 We dined in at this location and homeless person was seated right next to us. He was stabbing steak knife over and over, throwing chair at us, he was mentally disturbed most likely on drugs and schizophrenic. I felt my life was in danger. He was being violent and staff did absolutely nothing. I messaged them 2 times. No response at all. I should not go to dinner and fear for my safety. This man was having visual, auditory hallucinations and it is unprofessional for company not to respond to our concerns.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/25/2024

  We apologized for the guest's experience and have followed up with an email and a gift card.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/06/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My family went to this location on Sunday, March 3rd, and we weren't happy with our experience there at all, which is frustrating because we've liked them in the past. First of all, the silverware we got was dirty, all 3 sets! The server luckily was kind enough to replace them and check the new silverware to make sure they were ok. So we know we're starting out not so great...My daughter orders the kids steak meal (she's 8), my wife got chicken tenders and I got steak tips. My daughter loves mushrooms, so she got a side of sauteed mushrooms. While we were eating, she spits something out and it's this dark wad of what looks like dirt or some type of plant material. She said it tasted horrible! (please see the attached pictures that show this wad of dirt/plant material).I brought it to my server's attention, and she was kind enough to relay the message to the kitchen, as we thought it was a clump of dirt. She returned the mushrooms to us and said that the cooks claimed it was a clump of seasoning. I bit into it, and it wasn't seasoning. It definitely tasted earthy, most likely whatever the mushrooms are grown in!My daughter had gotten sick afterwards, but luckily it doesn't seem like anything that requires a doctor visit. But this is absolutely unacceptable. I even wrote a note on my receipt stating that the clump of material they said was seasoning was definitely not!I contacted Longhorn twice about this, and got no response. I got no response from the ******* location at all, only the headquarters that told me they were contacting me.I'm completely disgusted by this experience, and it's heartbreaking because before this incident, Longhorn was my favorite place to eat. I would like a full refund of my meal and an apology. This is unacceptable, and with my daughter getting sick, I now worry that she may have contracted something from this vile clump of whatever. If she gets hurt, there will be a lawsuit.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2024

  The Managing Partner spoke to the guest today and resolved.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 21394076
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did speak with the manager and he told me that they would refund me for my visit along with a gift card to make things right (see attached email screenshot) . I got the gift card but I have not been refunded of my visit yet.

  I'm only asking for what was offered by the manager of the restaurant. I tried contacting customer relations in regards to the refund and I got no response. 

  I want a refund of my order as explained by manager ***************** of the ******* location. Once I receive the refund of my order along with the gift card they offered, I will accept this resolution.

  I included a screenshot of the managers response email to show that I'm also owed a refund of my visit.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2024

  
  We have submitted a request with our credit card team to issue you a refund for $70. Please
  know, that reimbursement can take between three-to-five business days based on
  your individual banks processing times.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/11/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Thank you!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/27/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Sunday 2/25 I placed an online order with Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen. My order was said to be ready at 4:13 and when I arrive I should do curbside check-in. I did the check in at 4:17. I then waited in my car until 4:47 before going into the restaurant. I was told by the hostess, that I could receive my food at the bar. The bartender took my name and then went into the back. I waited until 5:15 and that is when the manager "*******" came from out of the back, at that time the bartender let him know that all of the curbside customers were now at bar. The manager took it upon himself to **** at her " I don't have time for this" then proceeded to walk away. At that moment I asked the bartender if I could cancel my order(my card had not been charged), she said "I'll go speak with the manager". When she returned she let me know that the order would be cancelled. Within the hour my card was still charged. I then called the restaurant and asked to speak with a manager and was told that the managers were extremely busy and I was placed on hold; a manager never picked. On Monday morning 2/26 I called again and asked to speak to a manager, I let the manager know what happened, he apologized and said that he would refund my funds on 2/26. I did not receive the funds but my total charge went from $29.73 to ***** to include the tip. On 2/27 I called and asked to speak to a manager, this time I spoke to a manager by the name of ******* asked if he could place me on hold, when he came back to the phone he asked, "how may I help you" I then let him know that I was on holding; waiting on him. He then became rude as I let him know that I just wanted my funds refunded. I asked him was the refund previously processed as I I had already given the first manager all of my information. If the refund was processed, how could the tip be adjusted. J.R. gave me the number to HR of Darden restaurants *************); they were closed.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2024

  We were concerned to hear about this To Go experience and how things were handled that day.  We are sorry for the frustrating experience and subsequent delay for the refund.  Our accounting team processed the full refund on 2-28-24 and should have already posted your account.  If we can be of further assistance, please reach out anytime.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My family and I went to the Capital Grille to celebrate my cousin's 38th birthday on Saturday February 24, 2024, at 7:15 p.m. We had a party of 6. Upon arrival valet provided us with excellent service. Shortly after things went slowly down hill. We were being taken care of by a ********. She didnt have her last name on the name tag so I am not sure what her last name is. However, I placed an order for a bone in rib eye and received an oddly cut New York strip I believe. I advised the manager (******************) that I am pretty sure I had received the incorrect steak she never addressed my concerns regarding this. My husband ordered lobster mac and cheese that was missing from the order. The manager did take that off the bill. Additionally, my cousin also ordered a 22 oz. bone in rib eye and received a filet mignon. Initially, ******** argued with her and told her that was what she ordered. ****** did take the steak off from her bill and still gave her the correct steak. Mind you this is all while waiting over an hour to receive our food. I spoke to ******** to express my concerns on how long I feel we had waited to get our food. Her response to me was " we are doing the best we can", completely unacceptable when we are required to pay a 20% gratuity. That is pretty standard for this type of place, yet I expect to receive a certain level of service and when this standard isn't met, I do not expect to tip that much. I feel you need to earn your tip. Most places now give you a low quality experiences when the tip is included. I had very high expectations for this place. I will say that the manager tried to make it right by giving us some shots and offering deserts. Still not enough for the amount of money we paid. Our bill was well over $600 so you know how much the gratuity was. When I finally received my bill there were items on the bill that I had not ordered. She did take it off, but it seemed as if it was one thing after another that night. I regret the service.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/10/2024

  We apologize about the way you left feeling while celebrating your cousin's 38th birthday last month, *****************. We would have wanted everything to be perfect in such an important moment and are happy to refund you the $179 you are requesting. May we ask you to please confirm the last four digits of the card of the card used that evening so we can work with our accounting team?

  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/11/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/26/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I dined at Cheddars Scratch Kitchen located at **********************************************************, yesterday evening, February 25th, 2024, at approximately 6:15 pm EST. Unfortunately, my dining experience was marred by several issues.Firstly, the appetizer I ordered, cheese fries, arrived burnt, indicating an oversight in the kitchen as they were overcooked. Furthermore, upon being seated by the host, we were not provided with silverware, and no bread was brought to our table.Of significant concern is the handling of my son's meal, particularly as he is diabetic and we made this known to the server upfront. Despite placing his order alongside the appetizer, his food was egregiously delayed. Tables seated after us received their appetizers and main courses before my son finally received his meal, following my complaint to the manager.In an attempt to address my son's low blood sugar, I approached the bartender to request a garnish of pineapple. However, I was informed that this was not possible as it could not be rung up in the system, which was disappointing and concerning given the circumstances.Even after escalating the issue to the manager, there were further mishaps. When my son's food finally arrived, it was missing an item. Upon querying the server about this, her unprofessional attitude and dismissive response, indicating that we hadn't ordered mashed potatoes, added to the frustration of the evening.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/26/2024

  We're concerned to hear of your family's experience last night for dinner and appreciate you bringing this to our prompt attention.  You've cited several opportunities where we let you down, most especially with your son's meal and we offer our sincere apology.  We've emailed you an eGift card for your family to return.  Additionally, we are following up with our ********* team so this doesn't happen again.  Thanks for letting ** know.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/07/2024

  Complaint is not closed as no one has responded.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/07/2024

  Company responded on 2/26/2024 that an eGift card has been emailed to me. As of 03/07/2024 no eGift Card has been emailed. Please let the company know.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/11/2024

  Company responded on 2/26/2024 that an eGift card has been emailed to me. As of 03/07/2024 no eGift Card has been emailed. Please let the company know.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2024

  Hello again.  We appreciate you alerting the BBB that you did not receive the gift card we tried to send you several weeks ago.  Upon researching this further, it appears the gift card went undeliverable.  We've sent the card again to your address.  If you do not receive it today, please let us know.  We apologize again for you and your son's disappointing experience.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My son purchased a Darden ********* **** Olive Garden Gift Card from ********** in *******, **. as a Christmas gift. For what ever reason, the card was never activated and when I went to use the card it was declined. I contacted Darden regarding this issue and they stated they can't activate the card. I also contacted ***'s Club and their reply was we do not handle complaints regarding 3rd party provided gift cards. That the vendor has to resolve the issue.My problem appears to be that both Darden and ***'s Club want to blame each other for the issue with the Gift Card. My opinion is that Darden needs to stand behind their product and resolve the issue. Since they refuse to do so, I am filing this complaint.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2024

  Thank you for your email.  Please accept our apologies for the difficulty experienced when attempting to use your gift card.  I'd be happy to look into this and get it resolved.
  
  Please reply back with scan or photo of both sides of the gift card.  It's important to make sure the 16 digit gift card number (starts with a 6) near the magnetic strip is visible in the image.  If you have your receipt from ***'s, please include a copy of it. That's will also be very helpful.
  
  I look forward to hearing back from you.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2024

  We were able to locate this consumers original communication to our ********* Services team. We've issued a replacement gift card which he will receive in the mail by next week.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2024

  We were able to locate this consumers original communication to our ********* Services team. We've issued a replacement gift card which he will receive in the mail by next week.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/24/2024

  Olive Garden sent me an email stating they were sending a replace card on the 14th. I have yet to receive it. The 26th will be the 10th business day since the last communication. Do not close the complaint because it is not, as of this date, 02/24/2025 , resolved

   

  Thank you,

  *******************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/26/2024

  Date Sent: 2/24/2024 1:51:38 PM
  

  Olive Garden sent me an email stating they were sending a replace card on the 14th. I have yet to receive it. The 26th will be the 10th business day since the last communication. Do not close the complaint because it is not, as of this date, 02/24/2025 , resolved

   

  Thank you,

  *******************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/26/2024

  We've mailed a replacement gift card and an additional gift card for goodwill.  These were mailed on Feb 20th from our office in *******, **. We've been in touch with the consumer and let them know if the gift cards are not received in a few business days we will cancel them and send replacements. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/28/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************