The new Olive Garden near the Auburn Mall is preparing to officially start serving customers on May 22.
Darden Restaurants, the Florida-based parent company of Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse, confirmed the opening date to the Sun Journal.
The Auburn City Council unanimously approved the restaurant’s application for a liquor license last week, one of the last steps left before the restaurant can open, according to the Sun Journal. This will be the fourth Olive Garden in Maine, joining restaurants in Bangor, Augusta and South Portland.
Pawel Binczyk, a lawyer with the firm representing Olive Garden, acknowledged the anticipation around the restaurant’s opening date during a public comment period at Auburn’s City Council meeting last week.
“I know everybody’s been really excited to see this restaurant come to Auburn,” Binczyk said. “There’s a big team working behind the scenes to make everything happen and try to get this restaurant open as soon as possible. Right now, we’re looking at the end of May, but things may move faster.”