Olive Garden was located in Orlando Florida and started On December 13, 1982 by General Mills [what other chains does this company own?] As of 1989 there was 145 restaurants which made it one of the fastest growing restaurants in the company There are 700 Restaurants as of October 28, 2009 Olive Garden is now owned by Darden Restaurants, Inc

Located in very busy areas Always very close to other restaurants Enormous parking lots, again making you feel like it’s the “it” place to be Not a lot going outside as far as plants and trees. Can be found mainly in high traffic areas of the suburbs

There are wine bottles everywhere Beige cream walls are a neutral tone Spackled wall give the feel of something fancy The bar is located in the center when you walk in The bar also has some seating The tables in the rest of the restaurant are very large The space across the tables is very far It isn’t bright but it is also not very dark and lit by candles like some nice restaurants. The menu has titles in Italian

Employees wear a simple black and white uniform There is no distinction between uniforms of servers, hostesses, and bussers Families seem to be large families with 2 or more kids Businesses lunches seem to be maybe 2 or 3 people It is very loud when you walk in people are talking everywhere Other customers don’t really pay much attention to you. Multiple serves and hostess are up front right when you come in. They have a lot of seating for waiting which is rarely completely filled. Employees were very nice more than one would talk to me at a time When asking a waitress questions about a dish on the menu she didn’t speak Italian but her voice changed with more elegance when speaking of wine or fancy dishes

Titles are in Italian Menu colors are simple The wine list is a large portion of the menu They have Italian Specialties Appetizers are rather American not Italian

The social implication of Olive Garden is that it is known to be a upscale family oriented restaurant perfect for hosting birthdays, Holidays, and special occasion dinners when really Olive Garden is a mid priced casual place where people of many different interest and lifestyles come together to feel connected in the upscale family atmosphere even if it’s just a couple of friends in relaxed clothes grabbing a quick lunch.

I’ve found in my research that The Olive Garden’s “Authentic Italian” feel is what sets them apart from other restaurants. Their fancy décor helps create a classy environment, while the simple colors used tone it down to a more casual level. The menu prices range greatly which helps bring customers of all different social levels. The Olive Garden is setting itself apart from other “American Italian” restaurants.