CHUBBUCK — After a long period of anticipation, Olive Garden officially opened its doors in Chubbuck at 11 a.m. on Monday.
Kevin England, mayor of the City of Chubbuck, said he looks forward to having the restaurant in Chubbuck and said it’s a great addition to the local community restaurant scene.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for our community.”
England said he had the opportunity to visit the Olive Garden and meet with the managers. While he was there, they gave him a tour of the building.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” he said.
England said he also learned more about the employees of Olive Garden and the benefits that come from working with them.
“They get a fair, living wage,” he said. “And generous benefits. They get healthcare and opportunities to move up.”
England said he believes having an Olive Garden in Chubbuck may help to revitalize the Pine Ridge Mall area, which is located right next to the restaurant.
“It certainly will,” he said when asked if the new Olive Garden will help revitalize the area. “There’s no doubt about it.”
England said his favorite dish from Olive Garden would have to be their classic lasagna, but he does like all sorts of things from the restaurant.
“I’ve never had anything at Olive Garden that I didn’t enjoy,” he said.
England said he looks forward to having an Olive Garden in Chubbuck, and he hopes the Pocatello-Chubbuck community enjoys the new addition.
“The area is going to enjoy the restaurant,” he said. “They’ll be a blessing to our community.”
Dan Cravens, a business professor at Idaho State University, said the new restaurant will provide a lot of economic opportunities for the Pocatello-Chubbuck area. He, like Mayor England, believes it will help revitalize the Pine Ridge Mall area.
“I think it’s one of those businesses that has the ability to draw people into that complex,” he said. “I see it as having the potential to enhance the foot traffic in the mall and other businesses.”
Cravens said another benefit of having an Olive Garden is that it will provide more employment opportunities for the area, particularly for younger workers.
“They might be a good option for ISU students and maybe even some high school students,” he said.
Cravens said if Olive Garden buys their supplies from local businesses, they would be a great benefit to local businesses that provide food supplies.
“It’s a small economic benefit,” he said. “But it is there.”
Cravens said his favorite dishes from Olive Garden is their Zuppa Toscana and their chicken parmesan. He said he hopes to dine at the restaurant soon.
“I’ll probably wait a few days,” he said. “But I will absolutely go there.”
Customers are also excited for the opening of the new restaurant. Melissa Johnson and Josh Gabert, two local customers said they felt excited to finally have Olive Garden open.
“It’s great,” Johnson said.
Gabert said he is also excited that the restaurant was able to open. He said he has been waiting for a long time.
“It is pretty amazing,” said Josh. “It’s about time, though.”
Johnson said her favorite part about Olive Garden are the breadsticks, and Gabert said his favorite part was the atmosphere. Both said they believe the restaurant will do well in Pocatello.
“I come from Twin Falls,” said Gabert. “We’ve got an Olive Garden down there. There was a lot of doubts about how long it would last, but it’s really taken off.”
The new restaurant is located at 4105 Yellowstone Avenue in Chubbuck. They are open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays.