Joliet's Olive Garden Construction: It's Really Happening?

JOLIET, IL — Last November, Joliet Patch broke the news that the Olive Garden Italian restaurant franchise had selected Joliet for their next restaurant expansion effort. And thousands and thousands of people around Joliet rejoiced on social media.

After all, Joliet residents have been craving the taste of Olive Garden for years and now the day is coming, Joliet will finally have an Olive Garden.

This week, Alessio & Sons Company has begun site preparation and earth-moving activities along Route 30 near Interstate 55. The dirt work is taking place on the large undeveloped piece of property in front of the Costco store.

Last year, Joliet officials told Patch that the future Olive Garden would be built on land along Route 30 in front of the Costco.

At his March 9 State of the City speech attended by 250 people at Harrah's, Mayor Bob O'Dekirk showed a slide in his PowerPoint presentation alerting everyone that the construction for Olive Garden would be happening soon.

"And I want to keep the momentum that we have in Joliet going. I want to keep the city on the upward trajectory that we have been on, and I certainly want to see through these projects that have begun. I want to see them through their completion," O'Dekirk remarked at his speech.