Description of Olive Garden
Olive Garden is a restaurant chain that originated in the United States and is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., headquartered in Florida. However, the restaurant has over 900 branches worldwide and accounts for almost half of the total revenue of the parent company. Since its first opening in 1982, the restaurant has grown at a rapid rate becoming one of the fastest units in the General Mills restaurant division. Currently, the company is the largest chain of Italian-themed restaurants in the US.
Description of Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse
Miyabi means elegance or courtliness and as the name suggests, Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse is best known for its aesthetics and eating environment. The restaurant was first established in 1979. The customers have a great experience of enjoying hibachi-style grills and a full sushi bar. The restaurant has gone through many upgrades over time. and like Olive Garden, the company is also growing very fast but it does not have as much market share as Olive Garden does in the United States. However, the restaurant does not operate on the franchise business model and all the branches are completely owned by the company and the investors.
Positioning strategy of Olive Garden
According to Gene Lee, the CEO of Darden company, the company’s strategy is based on meeting the demands of its customers like convenience and quality at an affordable price. Therefore, by providing a spectacular experience to its customers, the company is continuously having an increased market share. Also, the customer service at the restaurant is very attractive that is the value proposition of the company which makes consumers really engaged in the whole process of dining. In sum, the poisoning strategy of the company includes many aspects such as a strong value proposition, off-premise, upgraded facilities, menu innovations, and operational improvements.
Positioning strategy of Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse
The restaurant is better known for the quality of its products and a clean dining environment. The main aspect of the company’s positioning strategy is its food products which are enriched with authentic Japanese delicacies which include crabs, sushi, freshly-caught lobsters and scallops. An element that makes Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse special is that customers can see their food being prepared in front of them which has modern furnishings and Japanese-inspired décor. Furthermore, customers can select 10 different varieties of steaks along with impressive wine and other beverages that are usually available at the full-service bar. This is finally earned it a great reputation of being the largest Japanese-themed restaurant.
Comparison of the Positioning Strategies
By comparing the positioning strategies of both restaurants, it can be assured that they both offer unique products i.e., customers can enjoy Italian-themed products in Olive Garden and Chinese-themed products in Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse and they market their audience accordingly.
