Does Olive Garden Offer Any Group Discounts To Their Customers?

As a beloved Italian-style restaurant known for its generous serving sizes, Olive Garden is a great place to take friends and family for birthdays and other celebrations. As a result, many diners wonder whether they will receive a group discount when they have lots of guests in tow. Ever committed to customer satisfaction, Olive Garden helpfully answers this pressing question on its website. Unfortunately, however, the chain does not offer group discounts of any kind, but it does provide other ways to get the most bang for your buck when dining out.

For instance, becoming a member of the Olive Garden eClub allows you to take advantage of current specials and deals. Through the eClub, you may be able to access coupons that allow you to enjoy your favorite menu items for a reduced price. New members also receive their choice of a free dessert or appetizer after joining. As for Olive Garden's decision not to provide discounts to large groups, it appears the restaurant falls in line with policies at many other chains.

Well known for its expansive menu that includes many different foods and cuisines, The Cheesecake Factory is another beloved establishment that doesn't appear to offer discounts to large groups. According to the restaurant's website, The Cheesecake Factory happily welcomes parties of seven people or more, provided the specific location has enough room at the time requested. Additionally, the restaurant also accepts online reservations from members of its Cheesecake Rewards program. However, there is no mention of a group discount anywhere on the page, which would naturally lead one to believe that no such discount exists within the chain. 

Similarly, the Longhorn Steakhouse website also lacks information regarding group discounts. Like The Cheesecake Factory, Longhorn Steakhouse can accommodate larger parties, but it's recommended that you call the establishment to determine whether there is room for your group at a given time. In this case, the manager can provide information on how busy the restaurant is and whether you can be seated at the time you wish to visit. Just don't expect a discount for bringing a sizable group to the restaurant. In fact, you may even be privy to a heftier bill at the end of your meal. 

While diners may find it disheartening that Olive Garden doesn't offer a group discount, consider that it's quite common for restaurants to charge an automatic gratuity for big groups. While the specifics of auto gratuities can vary from place to place, they're often applicable when parties include six or more guests and typically amount to 18% of the total bill. Auto gratuities are often implemented to offset the challenges of serving large groups, which increases the efforts of the entire staff, sometimes at the expense of other guests. Large groups are particularly challenging for servers, as illustrated by Reddit. 

One major issue involves the guests' failure to seat themselves at their table in a timely manner. As explained by a commenter, "One of my pet peeves is when the hostess leads them down, deposits them at their long booth, and they all decide to stand and chitchat rather than sit and chitchat." Another person adds that larger parties can be a little fussier than smaller groups, stating, "And then they complain that their food is cold, and nobody's been checking up on them, when they've been ignoring the world and chatting for the past hour or so." Based on these insights, it's easy to see why Olive Garden and other establishments don't offer group discounts, as a larger group of diners typically increases the amount of work involved.