3 Designs, Plus ‘First Course’ Accessories, for Sale
Move over, skimpy one-buck pool noodles. An Olive Garden promotion has elevated those humble floats with its pasta-on-steroids models. Produced in iconic pasta shapes, Olive Garden’s Floatin’ Fettuccine, Relaxin’ Rigatoni and Takin’ It Easy Tortelloni are the “main courses” available in the restaurant chain’s summertime promotion. The price is $40 and as an appealing add-on, the deal includes a “first course” item of the buyer’s choice – a bucket hat made of fabric printed with a breadstick motif, a Soup-er Summer tote bag, or a floating beverage holder in lettuce green representing Olive Garden’s tossed salads.
The themed pool-fun merchandise from the Italian restaurant chain was announced June 23 and already has made a major media splash, with articles in Parade magazine, USA Today, The U.S. Sun, Britain’s Daily Mail, AllRecipes.com, YouTube and Delish.com… among others. The pool noodles will be sold online at Shop.OliveGarden.com beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time June 30; shipping is free. Olive Garden’s eClub members don’t have to wait quite as long: The brand is now offering limited numbers of the floats and accompanying first-course products to its loyalty program participants.
About the Floats
The U.S. Sun points out the different shapes allow users to relax in different ways. The Floatin’ Fettuccine is flat, which permits a complete, full-body sprawl. The Takin’ It Easy Tortelloni works as a cushy seat, with the user’s legs and/or feet submerged. And the Relaxin’ Rigatoni can fully wrap its occupant.
“Olive Garden has always been known for going big – big portions, big value and never-ending first courses,” Jaime Bunker, Olive Garden’s senior vice president of marketing, said in a news release announcing the pool accessories. “This summer, we’re bringing that same spirit of abundance to the pool. Our pasta-inspired floats are a larger-than-life way to celebrate the dishes our guests love, and just like in our restaurants, every order starts with a first course.”
The Olive Garden promotion overlaps with a couple of additions to Olive Garden’s menu. The new Spicy Three-Meat Sauce is an option on its Create Your Own Pasta menu. Olive Garden characterizes another menu newbie, Bucatini, as a thick spaghetti whose hollow center lets the pasta soak up sauce.
Pool Toys from Other Brands
Of course, this isn’t the first time that a marketing campaign has featured pool toys. In its report on the Olive Garden promotion, AllRecipes.com mentioned the stick-of-butter float that’s a promotional item for the Aldi’s supermarket chain (about $10); in addition, Aldi’s also sells a super-long sub sandwich float (also $10). Then there’s the Dunkin’ iced-coffee pool toy (topped with whipped cream); it’s about $40 on Amazon.com.
The U.S. Sun points out that Cheez-It, Eggo, Pop-Tart and Rice Krispie have pool toys inspired by their snacks. The publication reported that those product-themed items sell for about $20 apiece at stores such as Target and Walmart.
About Olive Garden’s Parent
Olive Garden is owned by Darden Restaurants Inc., which operates approximately 1,900 restaurants that generate more than $10 billion in annual sales. The Olive Garden brand has nearly 900 restaurants, including some owned by franchisees in South and Central American countries, U.S. territories, Canada and the Philippines. Its domestic restaurants are company-owned. Darden also owns Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, a mix of franchises and company-owned restaurants; The Capital Grille, which has international and U.S. airport franchise opportunities; and Yard House, with U.S. franchises only at certain U.S. airports.
