The Olive Garden restaurant in Times Square, New York City.

Olive Garden is an American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in unincorporated Orange County, Florida, near Orlando.^[2] As of 2012, Olive Garden restaurants account for 45% of the sales generated by Darden.^[3] Olive Garden operates more than 750 locations globally.

History[link]

The first Olive Garden was opened by General Mills on December 13, 1982, in Orlando. By 1989, General Mills had opened 145 restaurants, making it one of the fastest-growing units in the company's restaurant holdings. While not a critical success, it was popular, and its per-store sales soon matched sister company Red Lobster. The company eventually became the largest chain of Italian-themed full-service restaurants in the United States.

General Mills spun off its restaurant holdings as Darden Restaurants, a stand-alone company, in 1995. Olive Garden is Darden's most value oriented chain with an average 2009 check per person of $15.00 (USD) versus over $90 (USD) at its sibling Capital Grille.^[4]

Brad Blum, a former president of Olive Garden, said that sales in existing restaurants sharply decreased, with a 12% decline occurring at one point, even though the company was quickly establishing new restaurants.^[5] Sandra Pedicini of the Orlando Sentinel said that "Darden reinvented the Olive Garden in the 1990s, from a floundering chain into an industry star."^[5]

As part of a February 2011 Darden analyst conference, the parent group announced it intended to add more than 200 Olive Garden locations in the following few years.^[6] The announcement came after a previous announcement that the company would be expanding into potential new international markets for the chain, including the Middle East and Asia, due to the maturity of the North American market. The company also announced it would begin licensing franchising partnerships, a new direction for the chain and its parent which had traditionally relied on expansion via company owned locations exclusively.^[7]

Parent company Darden also announced it was going to begin co-locating Olive Garden and sibling chain Red Lobster locations. The new format stores are designed for smaller market locations and will have separate entrances and dining areas but operate a single kitchen and support areas. The dining areas of the new format will be half the standard area found in more traditional Darden chains, but the actual building will be larger than stand alone operations of the chain. Menus will also remain separate, with customers only able to order from the location they are seated in.^[8]

In 2010, Olive Garden generated $3.3 billion in sales. Its' closest competitor, Carrabba's Italian Grill, had generated $650.5 million in sales during the same year. By 2012, sales had decreased at Olive Garden. At the final quarter of 2011, sales at established Olive Garden locations had decreased by 2.5%. Chris Muller, the dean of the hospitality school of Boston University and a former restaurant professor at the University of Florida, said "What does Olive Garden stand for now? I don't know what it stands for."^[5] The Darden president and chief operating officer, said that Olive Garden at that point was "a beloved, but somewhat expected brand."^[5] The company unveiled a three course meal for $12.95 offer in an effort to try to stop the decline.^[9]

Locations[link]

As of 2 February 2011 (2011 -02-02)^[update], the company operates over 730 restaurants globally.^[6] Most Canadian restaurants have been closed except for a few in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; and Langley, British Columbia.^{[citation needed]}

Newer restaurants are styled after a farmhouse in the town of Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany, on the grounds of the Rocca delle Macie winery.^[10] The farmhouse is home to the Riserva di Fizzano restaurant adjoining the company's Culinary Institute of Tuscany which was founded in 1999.^{[10][10][11][12]}

Advertising[link]

The original slogan for Olive Garden was "Good Times, Great Salad, Olive Garden". This was used when their main advertised product was the endless salad course. When soup and breadsticks were added onto this menu item, the saying was changed to "When you're here, you're family."

In March 2012, the chain was part of an Internet sensation when a review by columnist Marilyn Hagerty in the Grand Forks Herald went viral and spurred numerous national media appearances by Hagerty, including a televised visit to Olive Garden in Times Square in New York, N.Y.

Cuisine[link]

Olive Garden serves Italian-American cuisine including pasta dishes, steaks, and salads. The company heavily advertises its bread stick product and centers its lunch menu around it. Additionally, the company advertises that its soups are made fresh in each location daily instead of importing them from a commissary or outside vendor.^[11]

In June 2010, Olive Garden began to import parts of menu formats from its sibling chain, Seasons 52; it began selling smaller desserts portions which it called "dolcini". These new products were modeled after Season-52's "mini-indulgences" product line.^[13]

Tuscan Institute[link]

Although Olive Garden advertises heavily about having a cooking institute in Tuscany, news outlets have reported that, in fact, there is no institute or even school. Olive Garden does send all of its managers to Tuscany each year, but they stay in a rented hotel and spend only a few hours at a local restaurant in its off-season.^{[14][15][16][17]}

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Darden Restaurants, Inc. Website (Parent Company)

References[link]