Olive Garden is an American chain of so-called “democratic restaurants” (casual dining). Included in the restaurant chain Darden Restaurants, Inc. and is one of the key restaurants of this corporation - in 2012, Olive Garden brought Darden Restaurants 45% of the total revenue. The headquarters of the company is located in the city of Orlando (Florida).
| Olive garden | |
|---|---|
| Type of | Private company |
| Base | 1982 year |
| Founders | Bill darden |
| Location |  USA : Orlando (Florida) |
| Industry | Catering |
| Products | Italian cuisine ( pasta , salads , chicken , seafood ) |
| Parent company | Darden restaurants |
| Site | olivegarden.com/home |
Content
History
Olive Garden appeared as a branch of General Mills Corporation. The first restaurant was opened in Orlando on December 13, 1982. By 1989, 145 Olive Garden establishments were opened in the United States, making it the fastest growing branch at General Mills. Olive Garden is the most popular Italian restaurant in the United States.
In 1995, General Mills sold Olive Garden to Darden Restaurants. Prices at Olive Garden are the lowest of all Darden Restaurants chain restaurants - the average check for one person here is about $ 15, while at The Capital Grille (also owned by Darden Restaurants) - about $ 90.
In 2010, Olive Garden’s profit amounted to $ 3.3 billion, which is about five times more than its closest competitor, Carrabba's Italian Grill ($ 650 million). By 2012, sales at Olive Garden were slightly lower.
On July 9, 2014, in the Olive Garden restaurants, the company logo and the interior of the institutions themselves were updated. In addition, there was the possibility of online reservation of places and the ability to buy small portions (lunch portions).
Advertising and Marketing
Previously, the company’s slogan was “Good Times, Great Salad, Olive Garden” (which can be translated as “Good times, Great salad, Olive Garden”). This slogan acted when the emphasis was on an unlimited amount of salad, which customers could take. After soups and breadsticks were also added to the list of “unlimited food”, the slogan was replaced with a new one - “When you're here, you're family” - which literally means “When you are here, you are a family”. An advertising campaign with a new slogan started in early 2013.
In the fall of 2013, the company launched the Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion. During this promotion, customers, paying $ 9.99, could choose any pasta from the menu in unlimited quantities. In total, during the promotion, 13 million plates of pasta were sold.
In 2014, the Never Ending Pasta Pass was added to an existing promotion, when customers could order an unlimited amount of pasta of any kind for $ 99. However, this promotion had limitations in the form of the first 1000 customers who registered online.
Restaurant Chain
As of March 22, 2013, there were 818 Olive Garden restaurants around the world - in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait and Brazil.
Countries by the number of restaurants:
- USA - 807;
- Canada - 6 (until the beginning of the 2000s in Canada there were 15 Olive Garden restaurants, but 9 of them were closed);
- Mexico - 2;
- Peru - 1;
- Kuwait - 1;
- Brazil - 1;
Kitchen
The Olive Garden menu includes several types of Italian-American cuisine, such as pasta dishes, steaks and salads. The company also promotes its breadsticks, building around them its advertising campaign and lunch menu. The emphasis is on the fact that all soups are fresh and prepared exclusively in the company's restaurants on the day of sale, and are not imported from third-party vendors.