2005 Consumers' Choice in Chains: Italian
Carrabba’s Italian Grill

The dinner-only business model at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, unique among the segment’s top players, separates the chain from competitors on two all-important levels: service and food quality.

“It keeps our people fresh,” says Steve Shlemon, president of the 185-unit chain and first-time platinum winner of R&I’s Consumers’ Choice in Chains Award. “We attract better hourly employees when they can concentrate on working one shift.”

Not only do the limited hours make the job more attractive to prospective staff, they also keep employees focused and energetic, elements of service that resonate with customers. To further improve the dining experience, servers’ stations on the floor are limited to three tables to ensure dedicated attention.

Positive effects of dinner-only service carry to the kitchen, enabling cooks to turn out a menu built around components such as sauces, dressings and soups made in-house daily without the support of local commissaries.

“If we served lunch and dinner, employees would have to arrive at 6 a.m.,” Shlemon says.

While fresh pasta is made to Carrabba’s specifications by a U.S. vendor, dried pasta is imported from Italy. Sicilian family recipes, handed down from the mothers and grandmothers of founders Damian Mandola and Johnny Carrabba, inspire signatures such as Cozze en Bianco (mussels steamed in white wine, basil, lemon butter and anise-flavored liqueur) and Pollo Rosa Maria (grilled chicken breast stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, topped with mushrooms and basil-lemon butter sauce).

Limited-time offerings aren’t a regular part of the menu strategy. Instead, Carrabba’s keeps selections fresh and varied every day with specials chosen by chefs and managing partners from a list of about 100 different items including seasonal vegetables, fish toppings, soups, appetizers and entrées.

Any Way They Like It
Such broad menu options mean maintaining not only quality and consistency but also food safety. On a quarterly basis, an independent company visits the restaurants and scores each on “everything from A to Z about sanitation and cleanliness,” Shlemon says.

On the beverage side, time and money have been invested to improve wine sales and service. About 30 locations are testing new options such as half bottles and quartinos, and the chain is exploring glassware varieties to further enhance the experience.

“Wine will always create a more festive environment in the restaurants, and we need to continue to push that at all levels,” Shlemon says.

Consumers’ Choice in Chains data show that the chain rates high among customers when it comes to atmosphere, with its earth-toned interiors decorated with colorful Italian ceramic pieces, copper pots and black-and-white photos of the Carrabba family. A service philosophy that says “any way they like it, we do it for them” adds to the restaurants’ warmth, Shlemon says.

“A lot of our guests don’t even ask for menus. They just tell us what they want. You see that more in the Italian segment—they want it done the way their mom or grandmother made it for them,” he says.

Gold Winner
The Italian segment’s longtime leader in sales and locations, Orlando-based Olive Garden sustains success with a strategy it calls hospitaliano: passion for 100% guest delight.

The 563-unit chain executes this philosophy by anticipating guests’ needs and personalizing their dining experience, through both its brand promise—“When You’re Here, You’re Family”—and a service program dubbed PACE: pace of meal, attentiveness, caring and excellence.

The experience begins as soon as guests arrive. To ease the waiting times that are common on weekends, wine sampling is offered in lobbies, with hosts who not only serve but also provide guidance on menu pairings. Appetizers also are passed.

“It’s another way for us to welcome guests into our restaurants like they might be welcomed into someone’s home,” says Director of Media Relations Steve Coe.

Crystal Winner
Culinary excellence is a key brand focus at Dallas-based Romano’s Macaroni Grill’s 219 units, where special features and semi-annual menu updates keep diners’ interest piqued year-round.

Fixtures such as Penne Rustica, Pasta Milano and Chicken Scaloppine remain consumer favorites, while recent additions have helped broaden the menu’s range. New offerings include a grilled, center-cut beef tenderloin filet topped with herbed-pepper cheese and served with butternut squash mashed potatoes; and grilled halibut, lightly seasoned and topped with fresh tomato-basil relish, served over pesto-Parmesan risotto.

High-energy display kitchens at the front of the restaurants bring the cooking process front and center for interested diners and enliven an overall atmosphere meant to ignite the senses.