Olive Garden Introduces Two New Culinary Tours of Italy

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Olive Garden is introducing two new Culinary Tours of Italy to provide guests with even more variety of unique Italian flavors.

Guests will be able to vote for which dish – the Northern or Southern Tour of Italy – is added to the Olive Garden menu. Each Tour is inspired by Olive Garden’s chefs Flavio Tagliaferro and Paolo Lafata and the regions of Italy where they grew up.

For a limited time, guests can savor the rich flavors featured in the Northern Tour of Italy or spice things up with the bold and bright tastes showcased in the Southern Tour of Italy. The Tours feature a variety of three dishes and start at $15.49.

Northern Tour of Italy:

Asiago Tortelloni with Meat Sauce has rich and decadent meat and cheese flavors
Chicken Lombardy is topped with smoked mozzarella and provolone cheeses, a creamy parmesan sauce and bacon
Fettuccine with Creamy Parmesan Portobello Sauce features savory mushrooms, a classic northern Italian ingredient

Southern Tour of Italy:

Mezzaluna Marinara is filled with cheese and topped with homemade sauce
Spicy Pesto Shrimp is topped with a blend of Calabrian peppers, ripe tomatoes, basil and garlic
Bucatini with Spicy Tomato Bacon Sauce features a smoky flavor with crushed red pepper

For guests who want to enjoy their classic favorite, Olive Garden’s signature Tour of Italy featuring Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico and famous Fettuccine Alfredo will continue to be available on the menu.

“The Classic Tour of Italy is one of our most popular entrees,” said Jay Spenchian, Olive Garden’s executive vice president of marketing. “We are excited to introduce two dishes inspired by the hometown flavors of our executive chefs and give our guests an opportunity to vote for which Tour will be added to the menu.”

Crowdsourcing the Next Entree
Throughout the promotion, guests can vote for their preferred Tour by using #TeamNorth or #TeamSouth on Twitter or Instagram. Guests can also place votes by purchasing a Tour of Italy in restaurant. The Tour with the most votes will be added to the Olive Garden menu. Guests who cast their vote will also be entered for a chance to win a trip to Italy. Follow the votes and learn more about the sweepstakes by visiting ItalianFanFavorite.com.

Signature Classics Just $10
Additionally, guests can enjoy a selection of Olive Garden’s classic dishes for just $10 through Nov. 20, 2014. The offer is valid Monday through Thursday, and each entree is always served with homemade soup or garden fresh salad and fresh baked garlic breadsticks:

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce homemade with pan-seared beef, Italian sausage and seasoned with herbs and spices
Five Cheese Ziti al Forno with an indulgent blend of Italian cheeses, ziti pasta and five-cheese marinara sauce baked golden brown
Eggplant Parmigiana with fresh eggplant hand-breaded and lightly fried, topped with homemade marinara and melted mozzarella cheese and served with spaghetti
Ravioli di Portobello, ravioli filled with flavorful portobello mushrooms, topped with a rich and creamy smoked cheese and sun-dried tomato sauce

About Olive Garden

Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with more than 800 restaurants, more than 96,000 employees and more than $3.6 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants, Inc., (NYSE: DRI), which owns and operates more than 1,500 restaurants that generate over $6.3 billion in annual sales. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., and employing more than 150,000 people, Darden is recognized for a culture that rewards caring for and responding to people. In 2014, Darden was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the fourth year in a row. Olive Garden is committed to making a difference in the lives of others in the local community. As part of this commitment, Olive Garden restaurants have donated nearly 30 million pounds of food to local community food banks across the country. For more information, visit www.olivegarden.com.