Is Olive Garden a Fast Food Chain?

Have you ever wondered and asked questions like” Is Olive Garden a fast food chain?” It’s totally okay to be confused because the restaurant also offers options for fast dining to their customers. Keep reading to see why Olive Garden is not entirely a fast food chain.

Olive Garden’s dining category is that of  casual dining that specializes in Italian-American cuisine. While they offer very good and fast service, you cannot entirely say that they are a fast food chain.

Fast food chains are usually known for their low prices, very quick services, and go-to locations. They also typically have a limited menu and a focus on take-out or drive-thru service.

This is quite different from Olive Garden which has a broader menu and many kinds of dishes that range from pasta, salads, soups, and even desserts.

The restaurant offers you a full dining experience, where you have servers attending to your every need while you wait for the meal you ordered to be served.

Olive Garden uses high-quality ingredients like imported cheeses, and not canned chicken or meats to prepare their dishes, and many of their sauces and dressings are prepared in-house instead of relying on frozen ingredients.

Despite not being considered a fast food chain, Olive Garden still offers some rapid food convenient options for customers who are running behind time.

What Chain is Olive Garden Part of?

Olive Garden is a subsidiary of the Darden restaurants based in Orlando Florida.

Darden Restaurants owns and operates several other restaurant chains, including LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Yard House, and Seasons 52.

The Corporate ownership of Olive Garden is the Darden restaurants and it is one of the biggest full-service restaurant chains in the with over 1,800 restaurants located in different parts of the country.

Bill Darden was one of the major shareholders in General Miles restaurant, they were the former owners of Olive Garden.

What he proposed wasn’t a brand partnership but a full acquisition of the Italian-American restaurant in 1882 and he has successfully expanded its reach in many parts of the country.

What is Considered a Fast Food Chain?

Fast food chains are restaurants or dining enterprises that are focused on mass-produced food stored in frozen, preheated, or precooked ingredients for take-out/take-away.

They tend to place priority on quick cuisine which is more convenient for on-the-go customers who are running behind time.

You might have seen fast-moving counter lineups and different self-serve kiosks, this is because those who patronize these places are not ready for a sit-in dine in.

Think fast-moving counter lineups and self-serve kiosks, often with limited seating, as many guests take their food to go.

Many fast food chain type has earned their success by offering very affordable meals that are made the same way.

However, Olive Garden’s affiliation with fast food is quite different from what you think.

Several well-known franchises and restaurant brands are found in the fast-food industry, including McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell (YUM), and Wendy’s (WEN).

In terms of global restaurant count and overall sales, McDonald’s has topped the fast food sector, followed by Starbucks (SBUX) and Chick-fil-a.7