Want some of the best Italian-American cuisine? Olive Garden has some of the best in the country. It’s also one of the best places to work and gain experience. I decided to do some research on the popular restaurant chain to find out “does Olive Garden drug test new employees?”
Drug testing can make the difference between getting hired or overlooked for a job. You could be highly qualified but a place might hesitate or refuse to hire you because your drug test came back positive.
There’s a lot of value in knowing whether or not a place drug tests new employees. If it does, you can abstain from drugs or find other ways to try and pass the drug test. Preparation is everything.
Olive Garden Company Facts
Olive Garden is a famous chain of American restaurants that serves Italian-American cuisine. It’s part of Darden Restaurants and its headquarters are in Florida. Olive Garden was founded in 1982 and has been expanding ever since.
There are almost 900 Olive Garden locations in many different parts of the world. The restaurant isn’t just present in America. You’ll find Olive Garden restaurants in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Kuwait, UAE, and El Salvador too.
There are plenty of jobs that you can do at Olive Garden. Through my research, I found that they’re hiring managers, servers, cooks, and more. Regardless of your type of job experience, you can get a job there.
Naturally, it’s harder to get a job as a manager, but it’s still possible. The environment is friendly and people seem to enjoy working there. You could also apply for a job at HQ where you can work in one of the company’s main divisions if you have the training and experience for it.
Olive Garden Drug Test Policy in 2024
Olive Garden has a name to protect and won’t tolerate drug use by its employees. Having one of your drug tests come back as positive could have very serious consequences at Olive Garden. You can expect to be tested for marijuana, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, heroin, opioids, cocaine, amphetamine, PCP, and more.
What to Expect During Olive Garden Hiring Process?
Getting hired at Olive Garden doesn’t take much time at all. You start by filling out an application online through the Olive Garden website. You’ll be able to apply for a job at an Olive Garden near where you live. They usually call people for an interview within a few hours of submitting an online application.
You’ll go through about two interviews. The questions are simple and straightforward. If you pass your interviews, you’ll need to pass a background check. Once that happens, you can start training and then begin working regularly.
Does Olive Garden Drug Test New Employees?
It seems that Olive Garden doesn’t do pre-employment drug testing for most of its employees.
This will come as great news to those who use drugs recreationally. You don’t have to worry about finding ways to pass the drug test to get a job at Olive Garden.
That doesn’t mean you should show up to interviews under the influence. Your interviewers will realize you’re not taking the job seriously and won’t be inclined to hire you.
The bad news is for those who use drugs recreationally but are looking to apply to a managerial position. Olive Garden drug tests managers before hiring them. With higher pay and responsibilities, company is more serious about its drug test policy. If you really want that managerial job, you should abstain from drugs at least two months before your interview.
Does Olive Garden Do Random and Pre-Promotional Drug Test?
Olive Garden has the right to drug test employees randomly or when it sees fit. The company rarely decides to randomly ask its employees for a drug test though. You will be asked for a drug test if you’re involved in an accident at work. The best way to avoid this whole conundrum is by showing up to work sober and without taking any drugs.
It’s not clear whether Olive Garden drug tests employees before promoting them. Perhaps it would be safe to say that they do since they normally drug test those applying for managerial positions. If you’re not sure, the safest thing to do would be to ask your manager or others about this.
What kind of Drug Test Does Olive Garden Use?
Olive Garden uses a urine drug test when a drug test is indicated like for managerial position applicants or those who get into accidents at work. You’ll need to urinate in a sample cup and the company will send it to a lab for analysis. The lab will send the results of the drug test back to Olive Garden so they can determine the best course of action.
Can You Fail Your Drug Test for Using Prescription Drugs?
Thankfully, people can’t fail a drug test if they’re using prescription drugs. Yes, some prescription drugs will show up as positive on a drug test, but that won’t mean that you failed. Companies can’t discriminate against you for taking prescription meds for a medical condition. Just give them your doctor’s contact information so they can confirm with him or her that you are on prescription drugs that can show up positive on a drug test.
You and your doctor shouldn’t disclose what you’re taking or the medication condition you have. That’s confidential information that no company is allowed to know.
How to Pass Urine Drug Test at Olive Garden?
If you face a urine drug test because of your potential promotion at Olive Garden, you have a good chance to pass if you abstain from using marijuana during below described time frames.
- Light users should abstain for at least to 4-5 days from the time of their last use,
- Moderate users – for 10-12 days after their last use, and
- Heavy and extreme users – from 35 to 90 days.
If you don’t use marijuana often (1-2 times a week), you have a good chance to passing your test with detox drinks like Mega Clean or Herbal Clean QCarbo20. Please note that such drinks should be taken on the day of your drug test.
However, if you are a heavy user, such drinks are not effective enough to drop your THC levels below cutoff levels unless you already have abstained from using marijuana for a prolonged period of time.
We have seen that many heavy users significantly increase the odds of passing their tests if they compete at least a 10 day whole body detox program combined with light aerobic exercise, drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy diet.
If you don’t have enough time to complete a whole body detox program, we have seen cases where some heavy users have used synthetic urine as their back up plan when they knew that their urine test would be unsupervised. However, there is always the risk of being caught and facing the dire consequences of such an action.
Summery
Olive Garden is a great place to work and through my research I found that getting hired is not too difficult. Most applicants won’t get drug tested and the hiring process takes less than a week. If you’re applying for a managerial position it’ll be more challenging. However, if you are prepared for your drug test, you should be able to achieve your goal.
Thank you for reading our article “Does Olive Garden Drug Test New Employees?”
We would love to hear about your experiences going through Olive Garden hiring process and drug testing procedure.
We believe others who are applying for jobs at Olive Garden will definitely appreciate and benefit from
it.
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Helpful links:
“How Long Does Weed (THC) Stay in Your Urine? – Important Data You Need to Know!!!”
“Fact or Fiction – You Can Beat a Drug Test with Home Remedies?”
Learn more here:
PMC, Chemistry, Metabolism, and Toxicology of Cannabis: Clinical Implications
American Journal of Clinical Pathology, The Effects of Adulterants and Selected Ingested Compounds on Drugs-of-Abuse Testing in Urine
Jpo.Wrlc.org, The marijuana detection window: Determining the length of time cannabinoids will remain detectable in urine following smoking
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