The Olive Garden
A Textual Analysis
By: Adriana Marfisi
Instructor: Ted Gournelos
Abstract
Through a textual analysis this paper will do an in depth study on the text and images in
The Olive Gardens around St. Louis, Missouri. Examining the physical text and social
interactions of the restaurant will show how the air of “authentic” Italian culture is what sets
them apart from other U.S restaurants. My findings will show that The Olive Garden is creating
a sense of Italianicity and a “reality” of Italian tradition. The Olive Garden environment is filled
with rich signifiers of what America knows to be Italian culture. The restaurant is a place for big
family gatherings. I will compile information on multiple Olive Garden’s and then do a more in
depth case study on the restaurant in located in South County. My findings will prove that the
“Italian” center around Olive Garden, with the media’s showcase of “Italian” culture hold “true”
to what Americans know of Italian tradition.
Introduction
Through a textual analysis of The Olive Garden, this paper argues that through “Itialianicity”
associated with family, warmth, and luxury, the restaurant constructs the image of an upscale
atmosphere, 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, who by 1989 had opened 145 Olive Gardens which made it
their fastest growing brand. Soon the sales matched a leading competitor, Red Lobster. Olive
Garden became one of the largest chains of “Italian Themed” restaurants in the U.S and is now
owned by Darden Restaurants, Inc. Who also owns Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama
Breeze, Capital Grille, and Seasons 52. Of October 28th, 2009 there are over 700 restaurants.
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, also the 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 wines can be found in abundance at all Olive Gardens. This paper argues
however that the “authentic Italian” atmosphere is a mere image used to sell a mass market
brand; in other words, rather than Italian, it’s a construction of what Roland Barthes (1964 )
called “Italianicity.”
The Setting
This paper performs a textual analysis of The Olive Gardens in South County located off
Lindberg, The Olive Garden in Fairview Heights, IL, and the one in the Chesterfield Bottoms.
When approaching the buildings you won’t encounter many trees, flowers, or outside décor.
The main focus remains the restaurant and the large amount of detail done to the outside of
the building itself. 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 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). All Olive Gardens have enormous parking lots, which suggest that the
restaurant is the “it” place to be. When the parking lots are packed, as often as they are, 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. Most Olive gardens I found in surveying Google maps are located in strip
malls in more suburban areas, rarely downtown cities or rural farm areas. They are placed in
high traffic settings amongst many other businesses. Being in such busy locations can also make
it appear as a place for the average middle class carrying out their hectic schedule. Also, since
they are in such high traffic areas you may see restaurants multiple times a day or just going
through a normal routine. Even if they don’t stop in at that moment, its targeted demographic
will see it again tomorrow or in a few days when you’re back in that area.
The Physical Description
I chose the location in South County off of Lindberg to take a closer look at the physical
aspects inside and outside of The Olive Garden. The outside of the building has stone walls with
beige, almost faded orange, color reminiscent of Italian architecture. There are two medium
sized, not over bearing, trees on each side of the entrance. The doors are oversized and made
of wood, giving them the feel of a winery in Tuscany. This is what helps The Olive Gardens hold
true to their “authentic Italian”, feel because they resemble 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” or American views of it. 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 while also resembling design of Italian architecture. 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, unlike in 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 stuccoed,
giving it the “true” Italian feel while also giving it a fancy art deco feel. 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. These
uniforms are made to look like classic Italian servants, the uniform looks very professional it
isn’t over the top, but is rather more like a business outfit. This makes no distinction in class
throughout the restaurant, but does distinguish all employees from the customer. 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. This loudness adds to the “authentic” feel as if it’s recreating memorable scenes
from Italian cinema, like The Godfather. 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, 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 (to say the least) wine rack on
each side of the restaurant by the kitchen 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
The colors create the fanciness needed to bring in big spenders, but also the
professionalism tied into the employee uniform make it suitable for business lunches and
meetings as well. 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, like a stereotypical
Italian family people are talking everywhere. 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 like servants. 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 and 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 rather than
casual. They also do not leave the parmesan cheese sitting on the table they bring pepper
grinders and cheese graters with your food each time, ask you if you would like any, and then
dispense it on your food themselves, this also makes it seem very upper class. This is
emphasizing again the staff as being Italian servants rather than more personal found
commonly in U.S restaurants.
Implications
The social implications to the Olive Garden are formed from the “authentic” Italian
atmosphere. Rather than giving a realistic look into Italian culture it is safer to create a sense of
“reality” over reality itself. America has views shaped by the media on Italian culture. These
perceptions have been embedded in our minds through entertainment. Though our image of
Italian culture isn’t correct it is what we recognize and see as acceptable. It’s safer when
creating hype around a business to play on the “reality” that people know rather than try to
reshape perception gained from years of media exposure. “Authenticity” will distance
consumers from reality with constructing an idea like living in a movie, specifically the Italian
cinema. By being place throughout strip malls Olive Garden’s “exotic” feels masks the
normalness creating an escape from reality. The focus on wine is critical in separating our idea
of Italian culture from our idea of American culture. Wine again plays into the “Italianicity”
constructed through the media.
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.
Work Cited
Roland Barthes. "Rhetoric of the Image." Image, Music, Text. Ed. and trans. Stephen Heath. New
York: Hill and Wang, 1977. 32-51.