Olive Garden Announces Home Delivery, Uber Partnership To Bring Breadsticks to Your Door
After years of resisting third-party delivery services, Olive Garden is set to introduce on-demand delivery through an exclusive partnership with Uber. Starting with a pilot program later this year, customers will soon be able to order Olive Garden directly from its website and app, with Uber Eats drivers handling the deliveries.
Olive Garden will not be available on the Uber Eats app itself, maintaining control over its customer interactions and data.
A two-year partnership will roll out across all 900 company-owned U.S. locations by next year. This move marks a significant shift for Olive Garden, which has long avoided third-party delivery to maintain control over the customer experience.
Darden CEO Rick Cardenas said the decision comes in response to customer demand.
“Guests have been asking us for home delivery options and they continue to show they are willing to pay for the convenience,” Cardenas said in a statement.
He added that the partnership with Uber was a strategic choice due to the company’s ability to integrate with Olive Garden’s system without disrupting operations.
This new service could help Olive Garden recover from recent declines in traffic, particularly among lower-income diners, as it seeks to attract new customers with the convenience of home delivery.
Uber’s commitment to a custom integration with Olive Garden’s systems, along with its ability to deliver efficiently at a national scale, made the partnership a natural fit. Sarfraz Maredia, Uber Eats Vice President of Delivery, expressed confidence that the collaboration will meet growing consumer expectations for seamless on-demand delivery, whether customers are dining in or enjoying Olive Garden at home.
Once the service is live, Olive Garden customers will be able to order their favorite dishes online, and Uber’s couriers will deliver them to their doorstep.
