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| Type | Wholly owned subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida, USA |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Products | Italian-American cuisine Pasta, Salads |
| Parent | Darden Restaurants |
| Website | olivegarden.com |
Olive Garden is a casual dining American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American food. The first Olive Garden was opened by General Mills on December 13, 1982, in Orlando, Florida. As of 2008[update], there are 657. Except in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Edmonton, Alberta and Langley, British Columbia, the Canadian restaurants are closed. (Some were converted to East Side Mario's restaurants.)
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 U.S.1 Olive Garden is owned by Darden Restaurants, Inc., which was spun off from General Mills in 1995.
The ambiance of Olive Garden restaurants seeks to replicate an old-world Italian style, utilizing foliage in their décor, stucco walls, and background music consisting of Italian themes. Their cuisine, however, differs from authentic Italian cuisine in a number of respects. For example, veal, often served as an entrée in traditional Italian cooking, is largely absent from Olive Garden menus. Also, their appetizers do not include cold-cut antipasto dishes, which are a key feature of a traditional Italian meal. Their culinary identity is better described as Italian-American cuisine.
Newer restaurants are styled after a farmhouse in the town of Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany, on the grounds of the Rocca delle Macie winery. The farmhouse is home to the Riserva di Fizzano restaurant adjoining the Olive Garden Culinary Institute of Tuscany, which is led by executive chef Romana Neri.
See also
References
- ^ "Darden Restaurants". Answers.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
External links
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 17 November 2008, at 05:15.
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