History of Olive Garden in Timeline

Olive Garden is a prominent American casual dining chain known for its Italian-American cuisine. It operates as a key division of Darden Restaurants, Inc., based in Orange County, Florida. In 2022, Olive Garden's revenue reached $4.5 billion, contributing significantly to Darden's total revenue of $9.63 billion. This highlights its importance within the Darden Restaurants portfolio and its popularity within the casual dining market.

December 13, 1982: First Olive Garden Opens

On December 13, 1982, the first Olive Garden restaurant was opened in Orlando, Florida by co-founders Blaine Sweatt, Mark Given, Gino DeSantis and Dave Manuchia.

1989: Rapid Expansion of Olive Garden

By 1989, there were 145 Olive Garden restaurants, which made it the fastest-growing unit in the General Mills restaurant division.

1995: Darden Restaurants Spin-Off

In 1995, General Mills spun off its restaurant holdings as Darden Restaurants, named after Red Lobster founder Bill Darden, creating a stand-alone company.

1998: Olive Garden Rebranding

In 1998, Olive Garden removed "The" from its name as part of a rebranding effort that introduced the slogan "When you're here, you're family".

1999: Culinary Institute of Tuscany Founded

In 1999, the Culinary Institute of Tuscany was founded on the grounds of the Rocca delle Macie winery, with newer restaurants styled after a farmhouse in Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany.

2009: Olive Garden's Affordability

In 2009, Olive Garden was Darden's most inexpensive restaurant chain with an average check per person of $15.00 (USD) versus over $90 at its sibling Capital Grille.

June 2010: Introduction of Dolcini

In June 2010, Olive Garden began to import parts of menu formats from its sibling chain, Seasons 52, and began selling smaller dessert portions which it called "dolcini".

2010: Olive Garden Sales

In 2010, Olive Garden generated $3.3 billion in sales.

February 2011: Olive Garden Expansion Plans Announced

During a February 2011 Darden analyst conference, the parent group announced plans to add more than 200 Olive Garden locations in the following years and potential new international markets, including the Middle East and Asia. The company also announced it would begin licensing franchising partnerships, a new direction for the chain.

2011: Sales Decline

At the final quarter of 2011, sales at established Olive Garden locations had decreased by 2.5%.

2011: Olive Garden and Red Lobster Co-location

In 2011, Darden announced the co-location of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants designed for smaller markets with separate entrances and dining areas, but unified kitchen and support areas.

2011: Olive Garden Implements Mandatory Tip-Out Program

In 2011, Olive Garden implemented a mandatory tip-out program which allowed them to cut more of their employees' hourly wages to $2.13 per hour.

October 2012: Olive Garden's Part-Time Staff Conversion Test

In October 2012, Olive Garden became one of the first national restaurant chains to test converting most of its staff to part-time, aiming to limit the cost of paying for health care benefits for full-time employees.

2012: Sales Decrease at Olive Garden

By 2012, sales had decreased at Olive Garden, and the company introduced a three-course meal for $12.95 to try to stop the decline.

2013: Slogan Change

In early 2013 Olive Garden changed its slogan from "When you're here, you're family" to "We're all family here".

2013: Never Ending Pasta Bowl Promotion

In the fall of 2013, Olive Garden started a promotion for the "Never Ending Pasta Bowl", where customers can eat all the pasta they want starting at $9.99.

July 9, 2014: Olive Garden's New Logo and Restaurant Design Launch

On July 9, 2014, Olive Garden launched a new logo and restaurant design. This included the addition of online ordering and smaller lunch portions.

September 2014: Starboard Value Presentation

In September 2014, Starboard Value released a presentation that focused on ways the company was wasting money and failing to satisfy customers. Chief among them was the shortcomings of Olive Garden, which earned considerable media attention.

2014: Red Lobster Sale and Co-location Conversion

In 2014, Darden Restaurants announced intentions to sell Red Lobster, close two Olive Garden and Red Lobster co-locations in Georgia and South Carolina, and convert the remaining four co-locations into standalone Olive Garden restaurants.

2014: Never Ending Pasta Pass Promotion

In 2014, Olive Garden continued the "Never Ending Pasta Bowl" promotion, adding the "Never Ending Pasta Pass", where customers could eat unlimited pasta for seven weeks for $99, limited to the first 1,000 people to purchase online.

August 2019: Darden Responds to False Claims

In August 2019, Darden responded to false claims that Olive Garden was financing Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, stating that the company does not donate to presidential candidates.

2019: Lifetime Pasta Pass

In 2019, Olive Garden added the "Lifetime Pasta Pass" offered to first fifty diners to sign up for the never ending one, where selectees were then offered the chance to sign up for the second one.