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Olive Garden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olive Garden is a casual dining American restaurant chain specializing in Italian food. It bills itself as a traditional family restaurant with Old World-inspired dishes. The first Olive Garden opened on December 13, 1982 in Orlando, Florida, and there are presently 611 locations throughout the United States and Canada.
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The first Olive Garden concept store was opened in Orlando by General Mills in 1982. The chain took off and by 1989 the General Mills had opened over 145 stores, making the chain one of the fastest growing units in the company's restaurant holdings. While the company did not meet critical success it was popular and its per store sales soon grew to match those of sister company Red Lobster. Olive Garden is currently owned by Darden Restaurants, Inc., which was spun off from General Mills in 1995. The company eventually became the largest chain of Italian themed full-service restaurants in the US.[1]
In 1999 the company helped bolster its Italian bona fides opening the Culinary Institute of Tuscany in Tuscany, Italy, a training facility designed to allow its chefs to become fluent in Italian cuisine in an authentic Italian setting. Olive Garden partnered with Sergio and Daniela Zingarelli, proprietors of the restored 11th century village of Riserva di Fizzano in the Tuscany region, to create the cooking school. The Institute is located in Italy's Chianti Classico wine-growing region near the Rocca delle Macie Winery, also owned by the Zingarelli family. The Olive Garden serves the family's Rocca delle Macìe Chianti Classico Riserva in its restaurants.
The curriculum for the Culinary Institute of Tuscany was originally developed in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America. Olive Garden sends chefs and general managers for training at the institute once a year.
Olive Garden menus have a small plate symbol next to the menu items that were inspired by the institute. A small olive branch symbol is located next to the Garden Fare dishes that have been crafted to be low in fat, carbohydrates and sugar.
Olive Garden restaurants are Italian styled, utilizing foliage in their decor, stucco walls, and background music consisting of Italian themes.
Newer restaurants are styled after an actual 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, the Olive Garden's Culinary Institute, Restaurant and Cooking School. It is led by executive chef Romana Neri.
- ^ Darden Restaurants. Answers.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- Official site
- Comprehensive Collection of Olive Garden Recipes
- Olive Garden Menu
- Darden Restaurants homepage
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| Company Executives | William "Bill" Darden (Founder) · Joseph "Joe" R. Lee · Clarence Otis, Jr. (CEO) · Andrew H. "Drew" Madsen (COO) · Valerie K. "Val" Collins (CIO) |
| Related Companies | Darden Restaurants (Parent Company) · Bahama Breeze · The Capital Grille · Olive Garden · Red Lobster · Seasons 52 · LongHorn Steakhouse |
| Websites | Darden · Bahama Breeze · Capital Grille · Olive Garden · Red Lobster · Seasons 52 · LongHorn Steakhouse |
Annual Revenue:  $5,567.10 (In millions of USD) (2007) · Employees: 156,500 (Aug. 2007) · Stock Symbol: NYSE: DRI · Website: Darden.com |
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