Do they actually cook the food at Olive Garden?

If by this question you mean to ask if the food is prepared by the cooks at the time of your order then the answer is mostly yes.

The soups, sauces, appetizers, and many of the meals are prepared by hand and are made fresh daily. They follow strict guidelines to ensure freshness. The soups and sauces are prepared in large batches and then put into gallon bags and quickly cooled to below 40 degrees. They are then reheated as needed in boiling water to over 180 degrees. These procedures keep the food fresh and help prevent food borne illnesses.

The appetizers are prepped to make them efficient and quick for the cooks. For example, the calamari is washed and measured into bags by weight. All the cook has to do is grab the correct portion, flour it, and fry it.

The pasta is precooked in the morning and given an ice bath while it’s still al dente. It is then portioned into bags if it’s a specialty pasta or put into a large container if it’s something like spaghetti or fettuccine. When the dish is ordered, the cook puts the pasta into boiling water for a set time, strains it, and plates it with the measured ladle of sauce. Other entrees are cooked as they come in. A dish with chicken might need the chicken to be grilled or sautéed, which is done as each order comes in on the screen.

Yes, Olive Garden does actually cook your food.