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Sometimes you just want to sit at a table in a warmly lit room, pick up your three-pronged fork that’s perfectly suited for twirling pasta, and go to town on some carbohydrates. That’s where Olive Garden comes in, with its array of delicious appetizers and its popular chicken scampi (that may or may not be authentically Italian but is nonetheless tasty) — not to mention its welcoming, rustic decor. It would be lovely even if it wasn’t based on any specific region of Italy, but in fact Olive Garden’s decoration is very much inspired by real Italian design — specifically, the kind you’ll find in Tuscan farmhouses.
If you were looking to start a chain of Italian restaurants, you could do a whole lot worse than modeling the decor off of Tuscany for broad appeal. Not only is the region the birthplace of the Renaissance, it boasts gorgeous countryside and a prevailing warm, rustic atmosphere. If you close your eyes and picture an olive garden – a literal olive garden, not the restaurant — there’s a good chance you’re picturing it in Tuscany. That’s why Olive Garden decided to imitate a traditional Tuscan farmhouse, with its sun-dappled masonry, its spacious interiors, and its warm light fixtures, which were made in Italy.
Olive Garden has long tied itself to Tuscany
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As Italy is a country whose culinary traditions vary wildly from region to region, Olive Garden casts a pretty wide net when it comes to its menu — and a few dishes are, in fact, done in the Tuscan manner, after a fashion. There’s the Zuppa Toscana, which is inspired by a similar dish from Tuscany called “minestra de pane” (or “bread soup”) that includes bread, potatoes, and kale (the Olive Garden offering includes Italian sausage, which isn’t necessarily traditional but is welcome all the same). Then there’s the Tuscan garlic chicken, which doesn’t appear to be inspired by anything specific but is still tasty.
Olive Garden’s ties to Tuscany don’t end there — according to Olive Garden, anyway. One commercial from 2002 boasted about the culinary institute the company maintained in Tuscany, even offering lucky customers a sweepstakes that could let them visit. It’s certainly enough to pique the imagination, bringing to mind “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” but the truth is a lot more quotidian: one Olive Garden chef who was sent there said that it was essentially a paid vacation to Tuscany interspersed with the occasional class or photo op. But hey, there’s a reason why Olive Garden continues to delight us, right?
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