The Olive Garden
A Textual Analysis
By: Adriana Marfisi
Instructor: Ted Gournelos
Introduction
Through a textual analysis of The Olive Garden, this paper argues that through a construction of
an “Itialianicity” associated with family, warmth, and luxury, the restaurant give the impression of an
upscale location, when in fact its pricing and locations actuality place it in a low to mid-scale category.
This suggests that class and ethnicity are used by the corporation not only to reappropriate them as
signifiers of authenticity, but also to distance its restaurants from the negative associations of
“Americanism” or “the lower classes” as social identities.
The history of the Olive Garden
The first Olive Garden was opened on December 13, 1982 in Orlando Florida. At the
time it was owned by General Mills. As of 1989 General Mills had opened 145 Olive Gardens
which made it their fastest growing company. Soon the sales matched the sales of Red Lobster.
Olive Garden became one of the largest chains of “Italian Themed” restaurants in the U.S. The
Olive Garden is now owned by Darden Restaurants, Inc. Darden also owns, Red Lobster,
Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, and Capital Grille, and Seasons 52. Now, as of October
28th, 2009 there are over 700 restaurants. They did also have some restaurants in Canada but
most have been closed. Some of the restaurants were converted to a different “Italian
themed” restaurant. The Olive Garden tries to recreate the old-world of Italian culture. The
newer Olive Garden’s are styled after a farmhouse on the grounds of a winery in the town of
Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany. That is also home to the Culinary Institute of Tuscany. In 1999
Olive Garden partnered with this culinary school to begin to have the restaurants chefs train
there. This is also why Rocca delle Macie (the winery) wines can be found in abundance at all
Olive Gardens.
The Setting
The Olive Gardens I took a look at were, the one in South County located off Lindberg,
The one in Fairview Heights, IL, and the one in the Chesterfield Bottoms in Chesterfield, Mo.
When approaching these websites you won’t encounter many tress, flowers, or outside décor.
The main focus remains the restaurant and the large amount of detail done to the outside of
the building itself which I will later discuss. They have a large sign with their name and logo
located above the entrance that reads, “Italian Restaurant”. This tells you right off the bat that
they are in fact a restaurant focused on Italian cuisine. Most all Olive Gardens are placed
directly next to or across from other leading restaurants but not Italian restaurants. The one in
Illinois is coincidently placed right next to a Red Lobster, which Darden Inc owns. All Olive
Gardens have enormous parking lots. The large parking lots make you feel like it is the “it” place
to be. When the parking lot is packed it looks as if everyone who is anyone is eating at the Olive
Garden. When the parking lot is empty it still looks like you just caught it at a good time
because if the parking lot is that large they must always be busy. The parking lot being so large
you can also know that many large outings occur at the restaurant with lots of people. Most
Olive gardens I found in surveying Google maps are located in more suburban areas. Rarely
downtown cities or rural farm areas. They are placed in high traffic settings amongst many
other businesses. This keeps the restaurant open to the idea of being a casual place to grab a
quick bite when you’re on the go. Being in such busy locations can also make it appear as a
place for the average middle class carrying out their hectic schedule to slow down and relax.
Also, since they are in such busy areas you may see them multiple times a day or just going
through your normal routine. Even if you don’t stop in at that moment you will see it again
tomorrow or in a few days when you’re back in that area.
The Physical Description
When taking a closer look at the physical aspects inside and outside of The Olive Garden
I chose the one located in South County off of Lindberg. The outside of the building has
spackled walls with a beige almost faded orange color. There are two medium sized, not over
bearing, trees on each side of the entrance. The doors are oversized and wood giving it the feel
of an old house that was once luxurious. This is what helps The Olive Gardens hold true to their
authentic Italian feel because it resembles the old houses in Italy. That also differentiates them
with the newer Italian design and concepts making it a more of a place holding true to Italian
Tradition. There are also two smaller lamps on each side of the doors in the way you would
have on your home giving it a family inspired feel. When you walk in the floors are also that
same orange beige color. The bathrooms are located right when you walk in along with a large
waiting area filled with many seats. The bathrooms being so near to entrance make it seem as
though many of people are always waiting to be seated but that they also care about the
convenience for their guest so rather than making them walk all the way through the restaurant
to use the bathroom they can easily go. Also, this creates a sense of suspense of what the
restaurant is like. It entices curiosity because unlike other restaurants you don’t get to walk
past other tables and see entrees or the types of people who are eating there. The walls inside
are also spackled giving it a very fancy feel but again the neutral colors of beige tone it down to
more of a casual experience. Before the door was even fully closed behind me I was greeted by
2 employees. I can’t tell who is a server and who is a hostess because they are both wearing the
same uniform of black pants and a white button up. The uniform looks very professional it isn’t
over the top with fancy it’s rather more like a business outfit. This makes no distinction in class
through out the restaurant. Later once I was seated even the busser had the same uniform. This
also increases convenience for the customers. You don’t have to wait for a server to walk by for
you to ask for something you can ask anyone who works there. This also lets you believe they
all know the same thing and are trained the same way. Really it’s just a bigger convienence for
you to ask somebody and if they don’t know they will quietly ask someone who does making
you never have to worry about your problem. Back to when I walked in the main attraction just
past the large waiting area is the also large bar. A big bar stretching across the entire bar area
with dark wood colors and black counter top. The area of the bar seems to have a fancier feel
with the dark colors but being placed in the middle of the front make it inviting for anyone not
just discrete guests. Also at the bar are many employees chatting and ready to help you. The
bar area does have seating but not really high chairs and small tables like most bars but rather
normal but still a bit smaller to the rest of the restaurants seating making it open for anyone to
sit down and eat their whole meal there not just grab a quick drink while waiting. It is as if this
area is for those who want to be away from the large families dinning and have some a quieter
more private time when in reality there are more than just families eating throughout the rest
of the restaurant. The tables and booths outside of the bar are very large. I was shocked at the
distance between you and who is sitting next to you. This may make it not as inviting for 2
people on a date but it can also loosen up the pressure of small dinners because the large space
causes everyone to talk very loud. With all the chatter happening so loudly it seems like a fun
relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. It isn’t very bright in the restaurant but it is also not lit by
candles like some exclusively fancy restaurants this helps it be inviting to anybody at anytime of
day with a twist of elegance and simplicity when in reality the little kid screaming next to me
and the boring talk from business lunch in on the other side of me was anything but elegant.
There are wine bottles everywhere; there is even a bottle of Chianti on every table, which is
also from the vineyard in Tuscany. There is an enormous wine rack (to say the least) on each
side of the restaurant by the kitchens entrance blocking your view from any commotion going
on behind it with employees. This holds true to the family feel. It’s like you’re at home in your
big fancy house relaxing, if it wasn’t for the loud talking you wouldn’t even know you were at a
restaurant but then again the loud noise just makes it feel like Christmas time at a big family’s
dinner gathering.
Social Interaction
Employees wear a simple black and white uniform with a professional look to it. The
colors create the fanciness needed to bring in big spenders but also the professionalism tied
into the uniform make it a place for business lunches and meetings also. Families seem to be
large families with 2 or more kids while businesses lunches seem to be maybe 2 or 3 people. It
is very loud when you walk in people are talking everywhere. This makes the place seems
jumping. People don’t really pay much attention to you or look at you when you walk by to be
seated; this also makes you feel like everyone is having such a good time because they are too
consumed by their own experience. I’ve never had to wait to be spoken to at any of the Olive
Gardens I went to because of the abundance of employees waiting by the front when you walk
in. This helps it feels inviting and welcoming. The employees’ were very friendly on the verge of
too friendly. It was over whelming having 2 people ask me the same question, but this lets you
know you will be treated well during your dining experience. Once seated my waitress
immediately brought over a bottle of wine n 2 glasses with her. This was before she even took
our drink order. She talked of the wine not speaking Italian but her voice definitely had a slow
smooth classiness to it when she spoke of the flavor and where it originated from. She asked if
we would like to sample. Of course samples are free but I noticed how she didn’t say free
sample of wine because free sample would make the place feel rather cheap to think one
eating there would be so concerned with prices. When I asked her about items on the menu
again she didn’t speak Italian but that same slower elegance to her voice sweetly describe the
flavors and ingredients used to cook the dish. She did use more educated words like, “your
dining experience not your dinner,” or calling an item on the menu a dish of something not just
what the food is called. This also made the place feel fancy nothing near casual at this point.
They also do not leave the parmesan cheese sitting on the table they bring pepper grinders and
cheese graters with your food each time and ask you if you would like any and then dispense it
on your food themselves also making it seem very upper class.
Implications
The social implications of The Olive Garden it is known to be an upscale family
orientated restaurant perfect for hosting birthdays, Holidays, and special occasion dinners
when really The Olive Garden is a mid priced mostly middle class causal place where people of
many different interests and lifestyles come together for many different occasions to feel
connected by that upscale family atmosphere. They use the décor and the menu to create an
Authentic Italian feel along with using the wines from Tuscany to create an envisioned bond
between them and the known culinary institute on the winery when in reality the employees
including cooks are just like me and you with training in Italian styled food.
Conclusion
Through out this paper I have taken my despise of Olive Gardens fabricating the
“Authentic Italianicity” and researched why many perceive them and a house hold name of
delicious and authentic Italian cuisine. In being Italian myself I notice nothing about their dishes
except for the titles being Italian on the menu as authentic Italian but rather Italian American.
I’ve concluded that the Italian inspired dishes are not what make this restaurant such a hit.
What makes this restaurant so widely accepted and appreciated is the socialization they
construct between customers and employees and the way you in vision yourself while seated in
the restaurant because of the great décor and awesome customer service you can connect
yourself with what deemed as the elite part of society.