Darden Restaurants, based in Orlando, Florida, is currently testing a “Lighter Portion Entrées” menu at 40% of its Olive Garden locations.
The company revealed the trial menus during its quarterly earnings call in September, signaling a potentially transformative new chapter for the beloved Italian chain restaurant. Olive Garden will start providing smaller servings at reduced prices for seven of its current entrées, giving diners an additional choice.
A Darden Restaurants representative informed FOX Business via email that the new menu is “not replacing anything” on the existing menu.
Based on information from Darden Restaurants, the reduced portions feature popular dishes such as Olive Garden’s Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, Cheese Ravioli, Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Fettuccine Alfredo.
The representative confirmed to FOX Business that each of the lighter-portion entrées costs between $12.99 and $13.99, depending on the market.
Rick Cardenas, president and CEO of Darden Restaurants, noted that customer reactions have been “encouraging. ” Patrons rate the chain 15% higher on affordability.
Even with the reduced portions, customers appear to remain satisfied. Cardenas reports that diners were content with the quantity of food they received, despite the smaller servings.
He explained: “These items, available at dinner and all day during the weekend, still offer abundant portions and come with Olive Garden’s never-ending first course of unlimited breadsticks and unlimited soup or salad….
“I have confidence in Olive Garden’s initiatives for the year, as well as their five-year roadmap to sustain long-term growth and success.”
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Darden Restaurants serves as the parent organization for dining establishments such as LongHorn Steakhouse and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.
The group witnessed its stock tumble by approximately 7% after delivering mixed quarterly earnings last month. It has recovered slightly since then.
The corporation had revealed intentions in June to launch additional Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse locations.
Nevertheless, Texas Roadhouse overtook Olive Garden earlier this year as America’s preferred casual dining establishment.
Olive Garden had maintained the title since 2018, but a spike in demand for Texas Roadhouse propelled it to the top spot.
The Italian dining brand enjoys massive appeal throughout the US, operating nearly 900 locations with more than 99,000 staff members.
It stands as a dominant force in the US Italian casual dining market and provides substantial contributions to Darden Restaurants’ total earnings.
Darden’s complete restaurant portfolio spans more than 1900 establishments across its various brands, with Olive Garden representing nearly half of these venues.
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