The long awaited Olive Garden restaurant opened Monday in Meridian. It's the latest addition to a string of new retail development along Meridian's South Frontage Road.

General manager Charles Beyer said the grand opening is something most residents have been anticipating.

"It's amazing what the town has done, because it really seems to me from the moment I visited, it seems like the town has been, they put this together," Beyer said. "They've requested this and now here we go; we're giving it to them."

Beyer said, for weeks, hundreds of people have been turned away.

"When we were training last week, they kept coming in. They would exactly blend in with our team coming in the door, expecting to be sat, thinking that we're open," said Beyer. "And we would have to let them know that we're opening today. Today is the day."

And it's not just the food. More restaurants means more revenue being pumped into this area. Also, this means more jobs. Olive Garden employed 160 workers locally. Beyer says this opening is positive for this entire area.

"You know, outside the financial contribution to the city. More along the lines of training and education and encouragement for our team members and our guests is what we're going to bring."

Olive Garden is instituting something different. A dozen umbrellas will be used on rainy days for customers. So when it rains, Olive Garden customers without umbrellas will be escorted to their cars. Beyer said this is a part of customer service.

This week is special. Olive Garden is open for dinner only. Beginning May 19, lunch and dinner will be served. The hours of operation vary from the week day to the weekend, but it's a typical restaurant schedule.