OLIVE Garden fans will be getting a belated gift after the holidays that is sure to be popular.
The restaurant chain will be rolling out a delivery service that was previously only available to 1.5% of customers.
Olive Garden‘s parent company Darden Restaurants will be working with Uber Direct to offer the service at the majority of its restaurants.
Executives confirmed last week that delivery will be rolled out after the holidays.
After a positive performance in the second quarter which came to an end on November 24, Darden hopes to have completed rolling out the service by the end of the third quarter.
The Orlando-based restaurant group posted financial results showing same-store sales gains for most of its brands in the previous quarter.
So far, delivery has only been available from Olive Garden restaurants partaking in the pilot of the service.
Around 100 locations were selected for the Uber Direct pilot in September which has around 1.5% of sales as there has been a lack of promoting the service.
“They are not promoting it yet in order to focus on the technology integration and operational execution,” Dardens CEO Rick Cardenas said during an analyst call, per Nation’s Restaurant News.
“The pilot has gone very well…Olive Garden is on track to begin rolling it out to the rest of the system after the holidays, with potential completion by the end of the third quarter,” the president added.
During the pilot, customers would have to place an Uber Direct order through the restaurant’s website but new elements will soon be introduced, the CEO vowed as the collaboration with Uber brings with it marketing funds.
“The Olive Garden marketing team is working on plans to deploy those dollars and some more with marketing this delivery,” Cardenas said.
He added that so far the service and technology have “worked flawlessly.”
But, guests will not be able to order their Olive Garden favorites through Uber Eats.
Orders must be completed through specifically Olive Garden’s website or mobile app, and then Uber Direct completes them.
Uber Direct allows certain merchants (Olive Garden, in this case) to use its delivery drivers, tech, and network.
Despite the excitement from Dardens, some customers have previously expressed concerns about the negative impacts of the delivery service.
Some diners fear that they will be hit by higher prices as a result of the Uber service.
“Means prices going up,” one wrote in a post on Facebook about the update.
“Partnering doesn’t always mean a better deal or experience for customers,” another echoed.
Their fears come after Olive Garden hiked menu prices earlier this year due to inflation.
Meanwhile, Walmart has made some last-minute changes to its delivery service which will impact Christmas shoppers.
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