It’s Fall, which means the holiday season is just around the corner, and with it comes the inevitable meal planning. Who’s in charge of the turkey? Will there be enough chairs and plates for everyone?
More than one person ends up looking for the perfect excuse not to go to the family meal. After all, there’s nothing more unpalatable than a dry turkey, and there’s not enough cranberry sauce in the world to make it swallowable. However, those who decide to skip this family gathering won’t be able to take refuge at Olive Garden with its unlimited breadsticks
The nation’s favorite casual Italian restaurant chain has confirmed that it will be closed, as it is every year, at its 900 locations nationwide. Yes, unfortunately, we won’t have access to pasta or salad on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. This is not due to any financial problems on the part of the company, but simply because they prefer to celebrate the holidays with their families.
Olive Garden, closed due to national holidays
Much to the relief of soup and garlic bread lovers, Olive Garden has always closed on these two days of the year. They want to “allow team members to spend time with their families and friends.” The well-being of their thousands of employees is much more important than the potential profits from two days when, traditionally, most people have eaten at home anyways.
Not only that, but Olive Garden tends to give local managers a lot of power: restaurants were already able to close early on Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve. These flexible schedules depend on each management team, which will adjust to the volume of business on those holidays. If you were planning to order takeout from Olive Garden on one of these days, we recommend that you call ahead to make sure they are open.
The history of Olive Garden
The first Olive Garden restaurant opened its doors in 1982 in Orlando, Florida. The Olive Garden chain is the main driver of a giant, Darden Restaurants (DRI), which also manages other major brands such as LongHorn Steakhouse.
Contrary to what many people think, Olive Garden has recovered significantly over the last decade. Around 2014, the brand was not at its best and experienced a sharp drop in sales. However, it focused on maintaining the essence of the brand: value. Thanks to its focus on unlimited breadsticks, salad, and soup, the Olive Garden chain has achieved steady growth in same-store sales. In fact, Darden Restaurants’ stock has tripled in value over the past decade.
Olive Garden’s closure on Christmas and Thanksgiving is not a sacrifice, but a sign that they are in such a strong position in the market that they can give their employees days off without losing any financial stability.
The growing trend of closing on holidays
Despite the American obsession with productivity and working every day, there is a massive trend in the United States that prioritizes giving workers time off. Companies do the math and realize that the cost of opening and paying premium wages on holidays is not only expensive, but also lowers staff morale. The potential sales on those days are not a potential profit compared to all the negative expenses.
Olive Garden is no exception; restaurant chains such as LongHorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse close as a matter of policy. Chick-fil-A is famous for closing on holidays and every Sunday of the year.
On the other hand, some of the few chains that will be open on these days—albeit with reduced hours—will be Waffle House (which even opens during natural disasters), Denny’s, IHOP, McDonald’s, and Starbucks.
If, for whatever reason, you have a huge craving for Italian-American food on Thanksgiving or Christmas, we recommend that you learn to cook… Because Olive Garden will not be open.