Olive Garden Sales Buoyed by Off-Premise Business and Higher Average Tickets
Photo Caption: Olive Garden breadsticks
Skift Take
It's hard for us to understand why analysts keep saying casual dining is dead. Applebee's, Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, and now Olive Garden have all reported strong quarterly sales.
Olive Garden remains a model of consistency for Darden Restaurants, as the casual dining chain reported positive same-store sales for the 18th consecutive quarter — that's four and a half years of positive growth — on Thursday.
Higher average check size and off-premise growth boosted comparable restaurant sales by 4.3 percent during the brand's fiscal third quarter, ending Feb. 24. Restaurant guest count also increased marginally after a 1 percent decline last period.
A big component of Olive Garden’s recen
