Olive Garden is now open in Ajax. The Italian chain's newest Ontario restaurant is serving at 130 Kingston Rd. E, in the Durham Centre plaza, according to the chain's official location page.
Hours and how to get a table
The Ajax location opens at 11 a.m. every day, the location page says. Closing time is 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, with a later 11 p.m. close on Fridays and Saturdays.
Diners planning a visit should know the restaurant is running on a first-come, first-served basis for its launch. Reservations are not being accepted, and the company cautions that seating is not guaranteed during busy periods.
Anyone hoping to eat at home will have to pick up the phone. Online ordering is unavailable at the Ajax restaurant for now; guests can call the restaurant directly to place pickup orders, the location page says.
Part of a broader Ontario return
The Ajax opening is part of Olive Garden's return to Ontario under Recipe Unlimited, according to the company's expansion announcements. Earlier openings in the rollout include a location at Vaughan Mills and one in Ottawa's Westboro neighbourhood.
The Durham Centre address puts the restaurant on Kingston Road East, one of Ajax's main commercial stretches, making it the closest Olive Garden for residents who previously had to travel outside Durham Region for the chain's pasta, soups and signature breadsticks.
For now, the message to local diners is simple: arrive early if you want a guaranteed seat, and call ahead if you'd rather pick up. The restaurant's first-come, first-served policy applies until further notice, according to the chain's official location page.
