Olive Garden

Olive Garden is a restaurant franchise in the United States that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. Darden Restaurants, Inc., located in Orange County, Florida, owns the company. Olive Garden locations accounted for $3.8 billion of parent Darden's $6.9 billion sales in 2012.

Olive Garden began as a division of General Mills. On December 13, 1982, the first Olive Garden debuted in Orlando. By 1989, there were 145 Olive Garden locations, making it the General Mills restaurant division's fastest-growing segment. Olive Garden locations were consistently successful, and the chain's per-store revenues rapidly surpassed those of former sibling business Red Lobster. The firm grew to become the largest network of full-service Italian restaurants in the United States.

In 1995, General Mills handed off its restaurant business as Darden Restaurants (named after Red Lobster Founder Bill Darden). Darden's most value-oriented business is Olive Garden, with an average 2009 check per person of $15.00 (USD) vs over $90 (USD) at its brother Capital Grille. Former Olive Garden president Brad Blum stated that sales at existing restaurants dropped substantially, with a 12% drop at one time, despite the company's rapid expansion of new locations.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/olivegarden/