New York —
Olive Garden, which has traditionally seen success from its annual unlimited pasta promotion, recently noticed the opposite trend: Some customers actually wanted less food.
Last quarter, the restaurant chain tested a new menu section at a little less than half of its locations: smaller portions, along with reduced prices, for seven of its dinner entrées. The trial was designed to appeal to cash-conscious customers, who’ve been cutting eating out from their budgets, hurting restaurants’ profits.
It was a success. Customers’ feedback was positive. The chain’s internal affordability metric jumped 15%. And