So, let's start at the beginning; Olive Garden is part of the Darden Restaurant Group (home of the equally famous Red Lobster). They have gone through a MASSIVE rebranding in the last year, going from a more old-school, rustic, tuscany feel to some kind of trendy, contemporary italian bistro. Many people (including myself) have questioned this drastic step in a different direction.
Along with this rebranding has come bimonthly specials: buy-one-take one deals, never-ending pasta bowl, 2 for 25 deal, etc. These money saving opportunities draw the customers in and then try and graft them into lifelong customers!
Now, their newest ploy is a "pasta pass", basically a card that gives you free, unlimited pasta, breadsticks, soup and salad for 7 weeks. This pasta pass costs $100 and Olive Garden sold out of these passes in less than 45 minutes. Was this a publicity stunt? Is it even a good deal? Can someone subsist only on Olive for 7 weeks and not die of a heart attack? I would be lying if I said I was not tempted by this seemingly unbelievable deal... But does it make fiscal sense?
Let's look at the logistics of the thing; I have never been partial to "unlimited" or "all you can eat" deals because I just do not have the stomach capacity to eat to the point where I would save any money. I would probably lose money. But this type of stunt get's Olive Garden noticed, and they obviously have a dedicated enough following that these glutton passes sold out in less than an hour.
I will do some more research on this topic and post more in the coming weeks. In the meantime... If anyone would like to post about questionable marketing techniques you've seen or experienced at restaurants post them here! I am intrigued!
Here is a great article about Olive Garden's rebranding. Give it a read... Click me!
Here is a great article about Olive Garden's rebranding. Give it a read... Click me!
All the best,
C
I too am a fan of the OG! They are working hard to refurbish their brand. Keep track of their progress and report in to us every now and then, Carissa. I wish I could get all my students to blog as passionately about the MSBA program!! hint hint to all of you!
ReplyDeleteCarissa, I love all of the pictures!! Personally, I have never eaten at Olive Garden and probably never will (my mother and grandmother would disown me) because, of course, nothing is as good as their homemade pasta and sauce. However, I am an exception. I think a lot of people, especially those who are younger and tend to eat in very large groups, would fall into this marketing tactic. Other restaurants, like Ruby Tuesday's and Applebee's also have what they call "happy hour" deals, where appetizers and drinks are 1/2 off, and they also had for a limited time unlimited appetizers as well. Lots and lots of food, all for a good deal. I think these deals only make sense if you are eating in large groups, because of the mass quantity. Also, Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant (cough* claims to be cough*) so what do the Italians do best? Eat, but not only that, not eat alone. So regarding their marketing tactic, yes, it is a lot of food, but when eating with a large party and for the "experience" of it, I think they're going down a smart path.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! See you in class!! :)
Rachel
I clearly haven't been to Olive Garden in a while because I had no idea they were going through a rebranding process. Frankly, I don't see why they needed to rebrand themselves because for being an American-Italian restaurant, they hit the nail on the head. I guess I'm okay with them rebranding and long as I keep getting endless breadsticks!
ReplyDeleteCarissa, you have great writing style! This was an interesting read. Like Andriana, I have not been to an Olive Garden in too long, so thank you for the update on their latest re-branding and marketing techniques. I look forward to hearing more, especially since this involves two of my loves, food and Italy / Italian anything (although according to Rachel, this label may be debatable).
ReplyDeleteA++ Thanks for the Huffington post article. Great use of pictures and links within the article. You took the time to stylize the blog, and I liked that.
ReplyDelete