Olive Garden testing small, big plates
Olive Garden testing small plates, family-style dinners
NEW YORK (AP) -- Olive Garden is trying to figure out the way people want to eat by testing two different types of dishes — small plates and family-style dinners.
Darden Restaurants Inc., which has been struggling to win back customers, says it's expanding its test of "Taste of Italy Small Plates" that cost between $4 and $5 at Olive Garden this week. Justin Sikora, a spokesman, says the idea is to cater to the dining habits of Millennials, or people in their 20s and 30s.
To cater to families, Olive Garden also started testing a $30 dinner deal for a party of four on weeknights, which includes two family-style platters.
The tests come as Darden works to revamp the image of Olive Garden to better reflect changing eating habits.
