Olive Garden Introduces Lighter Portion Entrées Across the Nation Starting January
Greenwood Capital President Walter Todd and Strategic Wealth Partners CEO Mark Tepper discuss Walmart beating estimates and more on ‘Mornings with Maria.’
Darden Restaurants is set to introduce a new lighter portion entrées menu at all Olive Garden locations starting in January. This announcement was made during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday.
The Italian-American chain will add a new menu section featuring seven existing dishes offered in smaller portions at lower prices. This decision comes after successful tests conducted earlier this year, as noted by CEO Rick Cardenas during the call.
According to Cardenas, “Olive Garden has seen a double-digit increase in affordability perceptions from guests who order from the lighter portions menu, along with an increase in frequency among these guests. This trend is expected to help build traffic over time.”
He added, “Olive Garden plans to complete the rollout systemwide in January.”
OLIVE GARDEN TESTS SMALLER PORTION MENU AT REDUCED PRICES NATIONWIDE WITH ‘ENCOURAGING’ RESULTS
The exterior of an Olive Garden June 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Cardenas emphasized that the rollout of the new menu section is happening “faster than we anticipated.” He explained, “We had originally expected to roll it out over the fiscal year and maybe even into next fiscal year, but it’s doing so well and delivery is doing so well, we just decided to keep going.”
In September, Darden Restaurants confirmed that it was experimenting with smaller portions at 40% of Olive Garden locations.
OLIVE GARDEN LOSES ITS SPOT AS TOP US CASUAL DINING RESTAURANT AFTER 7 YEARS: REPORT
A smartphone shows the logo of Darden Restaurants Inc. Sept. 14, 2025, in Chongqing, China. (Cheng Xin/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The menu section is designed to provide guests with additional options and is “not replacing anything” on the chain’s menu, according to a spokesperson for Darden Restaurants.
The lighter portion entrées will include popular dishes such as Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, Cheese Ravioli, Spaghetti & Meatballs, and Fettuccine Alfredo, as confirmed by Darden Restaurants.
OLIVE GARDEN, LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE PLAN OVER 40 OPENINGS IN COMING YEAR
An order of breadsticks from an Olive Garden location is arranged in Tiskilwa, Ill., Sept. 1, 2015. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The lighter portion entrées will be priced between $12.99 and $13.99, although prices may vary by market, as stated by a spokesperson for Darden Restaurants.
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A spokesperson for Darden Restaurants has not yet responded to FOX Business’ request for further comments.
Greenwood Capital President Walter Todd and Strategic Wealth Partners CEO Mark Tepper discuss Walmart beating estimates and more on ‘Mornings with Maria.’
Darden Restaurants is set to introduce a new lighter portion entrées menu at all Olive Garden locations starting in January. This announcement was made during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday.
The Italian-American chain will add a new menu section featuring seven existing dishes offered in smaller portions at lower prices. This decision comes after successful tests conducted earlier this year, as noted by CEO Rick Cardenas during the call.
According to Cardenas, “Olive Garden has seen a double-digit increase in affordability perceptions from guests who order from the lighter portions menu, along with an increase in frequency among these guests. This trend is expected to help build traffic over time.”
He added, “Olive Garden plans to complete the rollout systemwide in January.”
OLIVE GARDEN TESTS SMALLER PORTION MENU AT REDUCED PRICES NATIONWIDE WITH ‘ENCOURAGING’ RESULTS
The exterior of an Olive Garden June 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Cardenas emphasized that the rollout of the new menu section is happening “faster than we anticipated.” He explained, “We had originally expected to roll it out over the fiscal year and maybe even into next fiscal year, but it’s doing so well and delivery is doing so well, we just decided to keep going.”
In September, Darden Restaurants confirmed that it was experimenting with smaller portions at 40% of Olive Garden locations.
OLIVE GARDEN LOSES ITS SPOT AS TOP US CASUAL DINING RESTAURANT AFTER 7 YEARS: REPORT
A smartphone shows the logo of Darden Restaurants Inc. Sept. 14, 2025, in Chongqing, China. (Cheng Xin/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The menu section is designed to provide guests with additional options and is “not replacing anything” on the chain’s menu, according to a spokesperson for Darden Restaurants.
The lighter portion entrées will include popular dishes such as Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, Cheese Ravioli, Spaghetti & Meatballs, and Fettuccine Alfredo, as confirmed by Darden Restaurants.
OLIVE GARDEN, LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE PLAN OVER 40 OPENINGS IN COMING YEAR
An order of breadsticks from an Olive Garden location is arranged in Tiskilwa, Ill., Sept. 1, 2015. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The lighter portion entrées will be priced between $12.99 and $13.99, although prices may vary by market, as stated by a spokesperson for Darden Restaurants.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
A spokesperson for Darden Restaurants has not yet responded to FOX Business’ request for further comments.
