Olive Garden Vs. Milestones

Olive Garden vs. Milestones

In this paper I will compare my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, to its most direct competition which in this case is Milestones Bar and Grill. These two restaurants are in competition because they target the same market and are located within one block of each other. Each restaurant is owned by one of top restaurant companies in North America. Olive Garden is owned by Darden Restaurants which also owns Red Lobster, Smokey Bones, Bahama Breeze, Longhorn Steakhouse, and Seasons 52. Cara Operations Ltd. is the owner of the Milestones chain as well as Montana’s, Swiss Chalet, Coza, Kelsey’s, and several others. Although there are several other restaurants within the same area as the two I have chosen, I believe that these two share the same target market most directly. The strengths and weaknesses of both of these establishments will be discussed as well as possible improvements Olive Garden could make in order to absorb Milestone’s customer base.

I chose the Olive Garden as my favorite restaurant not only because it is my place of employment, but also I feel that it offers an excellent dining experience for a reasonable price. The Olive Garden is an Italian themed chain restaurant with approximately 250 seats. It utilizes its Italian theme not only in its menu but also in its interior and exterior design. The outside of the Olive Garden restaurant is built to resemble an Italian farmhouse, which definitely stands out in the modern commercial neighbourhood where it is located. The location of the Olive Garden Langley is ideal for a restaurant of its class. Due to its proximity to a large mall complex it benefits from both extensive parking and large amounts of foot traffic throughout the day. The combination of the excellent location, Darden Restaurant’s huge advertising campaigns, and the brand recognition associated with the Olive Garden name ensure that there is a steady flow of guests. However the very high guest volume at the Olive Garden can be a double edged sword as while it keeps the restaurant full for almost its entire business hours; it can unfortunately also cause very lengthy wait times. On an average Friday or Saturday night the wait for a table of 2 to 4 can reach upwards of an hour and a half which often drives guests to choose a competitors establishment simply for a shorter wait.

Once the guest arrives at their table they will be fully immersed in the Italian theme of the Olive Garden. The interior of the restaurant is mainly decorated in white and light wood tones accentuated with photos of stereotypical Italian scenes. Many of the decorations within the restaurant are in some way related to food or wine which establishes an environment that encourages guests to drink wine or one of the many other beverages available from the bar. This environment is very well executed and is undoubtedly conducive to the fact that the Langley restaurant often has the highest monthly wine sales within the 600+ locations of the Olive Garden world wide. The numbers of wines available as well as the considerable range in prices are also a great asset to the menu at the Olive Garden. With over 40 wines ranging from 20 to 150 dollars a bottle, and a full bar offering everything from beer to martinis to frozen daiquiris, alcohol sales are a large factor in increasing the average check. For lunch the average guest spends 15 dollars but that number doubles to 30 dollars per person at dinner due to the significant increase in liquor sales at night. The menu at the Olive Garden has more than 40 entrйe choices as well as a full kids menu which encourages groups of all types including families to enjoy an authentic Italian experience. For those desiring the same famous Olive Garden taste at home take away meals are also available.

Although Milestone’s has a very similar target market to Olive Garden it is a substantially different restaurant. One of the biggest differences is that Milestone’s has no ethnic theme to its dйcor or its menu. When asked, a Milestone’s server described the theme to be “Classic urban fare with globally inspired twists in an elegant but casual setting.” This theme is carried out through the use of dark woods and brass throughout the interior as well as several Asian inspired menu items. The Langley location of Milestone’s has approximately 200 seats including a 50 seat patio and 20 lounge seats situated around the bar. Despite the smaller size Milestone’s maintains an average wait of 20 minutes with maximum waits approaching 45 minutes. This is one significant advantage over Olive