Olive Garden’s traffic increased last year thanks in part to customers dining earlier in the day.
That’s according to new research from foot traffic analytics firm Placer.ai, which identified a similar trend at two of the casual-dining chain’s sister brands under Darden Restaurants, LongHorn Steakhouse and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.
All told, visits to 905-unit Olive Garden last year increased by more than 4% on average compared to 2022, according to Placer.ai, making the chain one of the few casual-dining brands to achieve positive traffic last year. LongHorn traffic rose 5.5% on average and Cheddar's increased 3%.
Olive Garden visits included a 5.4% jump in the last quarter of 2023, which Placer.ai attributed to the return of the popular Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion from September to mid-November.
Traffic fell 5.5% in January, likely due to bad weather across the country, but jumped back up last month by 3.8% year over year, according to Placer.ai.
The researcher also noted that some of the brand’s traffic gains are coming from customers visiting earlier in the day. Last year, 32.6% of Olive Garden’s visits came from 2-5:59 p.m., up from 31.5% in 2019.
Olive Garden wasn’t alone. At LongHorn, early visits accounted for 30.7% of traffic last year compared to 28.5% in 2019. At Cheddar’s, they rose to 30.5% from 20.9%.
That jives with a broader consumer shift toward eating dinner earlier since the pandemic began. In September, Union Square Hospitality Group Chairman Danny Meyer wondered on X: “When did a 6:00 dinner reservation become the new 8:00, most prized table of the night - and will it last?”
He suggested that remote work is isolating people, making them want to get out and socialize earlier, and that people might want to eat earlier so they can get home and continue working or stream something on TV.
At least one Olive Garden competitor appears to be making an appeal for those early bird consumers. Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Tuesday announced that it is now open for weekday lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Placer.ai suggested that Darden could look to capitalize on the early-dining trend by adding more happy hours or specials to its menu.
Darden, which also owns Ruth’s Chris, Eddie V’s and The Capital Grille, is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings Thursday morning.
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