Olive Garden Promises Smaller, Cheaper Plates

Fret not, Olive Garden lovers: The "endless" breadsticks aren't going away.

An Olive Garden in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)But new management has big changes in store for the casual dining chain, which touts family-style Italian food and has struggled with declining sales.

The chain's president, Dave George, told investors on Tuesday the changes include creating a new logo and toning down its the "Old World Style," the Tuscan-style stonework and wooden archways that have been a signature part of Olive Garden restaurants since 2000.

"You're not going to see stainless steel showing up tomorrow in a Tuscan Farmhouse," George said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

George, who became Olive Garden's president in January, said the look would be "more relevant." Olive Garden is part of the Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants (DRI) chain that includes Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

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The chain also plans to make its menus more varied and affordable. Darden Restaurants CEO Clarence Otis said that the changes are being made to be "more responsive to the financial realities of our guests," according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Among Olive Garden's changes: smaller plates, cheaper items, and lower-calorie meals. New offerings, placed on the menu in October, include a 420-calorie lasagna primavera with chicken, and a lunch calzone and sandwich combo that costs $6.95. Two weeks ago, all new uniforms were issued - a more contemporary black button-down shirt and black slacks, a shift from the wide ties and white shirts.

The overhaul comes after same-restaurant sales fell 1.2 percent in the 2012 fiscal year that ended in May. For Darden, same-restaurant sales are a year-over-year comparison of sale volumes for restaurants open the last 16 months.

"We became overly confident," read a line in George's presentation. "Our historical competitive advantage has narrowed."

"We were slow to react to changing guest needs," another slide said. "The experience takes too long."

RJ Hottovy, a senior restaurant analyst at Morningstar, said Olive Garden isn't alone. The casual dining market has become tougher in recent years, he said.

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"The core casual dining patron finds itself in a much more difficult position than a decade ago -- that's put pressure on traffic trends," Hottovy said.

He said the rise of fast casual restaurants like Chipotle (CMG) and Panera (PNRA) has also encroached on Olive Garden's market.

Dining experience aside, Darden Restaurants said it also was hurt by reports in November that the company planned to cut employee hours to avoid paying for health insurance as mandated for large companies by the Affordable Care Act. The company has since said it would not reduce the hours of full-time workers.

"That's a theme we're seeing across the restaurant industry, not Olive Garden specifically," Hottovy said. "I think that may have been a little bit overblown ... but I think it will be something that ends up pressuring margins for a lot of restaurants next year."

(Read More: Darden Sees Lower Traffic as Consumers Pinched by Economy)

Olive Garden menus are largely the same at its 818 restaurants, although prices vary. At a restaurant outside of Seattle, a grilled chicken Caesar salad costs $11.95. At the same restaurant, a bowl of minestrone soup costs $5.95, and a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce costs $12.95. (Those previously mentioned doughy breadsticks come with every entre and are so popular that they have a Facebook page with 1.5 million "likes.")

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'Endless' Love? Smaller, Cheaper Plates at Olive Garden

Fret not, Olive Garden lovers: The "endless" breadsticks aren't going away.

But new management has big changes in store for the casual dining chain, which touts family-style Italian food and has struggled with declining sales.

The chain's president, Dave George, told investors on Tuesday the changes include creating a new logo and toning down its the "Old World Style," the Tuscan-style stonework and wooden archways that have been a signature part of Olive Garden restaurants since 2000.

"You're not going to see stainless steel showing up tomorrow in a Tuscan Farmhouse," George said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

George, who became Olive Garden's president in January, said the look would be "more relevant." Olive Garden is part of the Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurantschain that includes Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

(Read More: Darden Sees Lower Traffic as Consumers Pinched by Economy)

The chain also plans to make its menus more varied and affordable. Darden Restaurants CEO Clarence Otis said that the changes are being made to be "more responsive to the financial realities of our guests," according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Among Olive Garden's changes: smaller plates, cheaper items, and lower-calorie meals. New offerings, placed on the menu in October, include a 420-calorie lasagna primavera with chicken, and a lunch calzone and sandwich combo that costs $6.95. Two weeks ago, all new uniforms were issued — a more contemporary black button-down shirt and black slacks, a shift from the wide ties and white shirts.

The overhaul comes after same-restaurant sales fell 1.2 percent in the 2012 fiscal year that ended in May. For Darden, same-restaurant sales are a year-over-year comparison of sale volumes for restaurants open the last 16 months.

"We became overly confident," read a line in George's presentation. "Our historical competitive advantage has narrowed."

"We were slow to react to changing guest needs," another slide said. "The experience takes too long."

RJ Hottovy, a senior restaurant analyst at Morningstar, said Olive Garden isn't alone. The casual dining market has become tougher in recent years, he said.

(Read More: Subway 'Wouldn't Exist' If Started Today Due to Regulations — Founder Deluca)

"The core casual dining patron finds itself in a much more difficult position than a decade ago -- that's put pressure on traffic trends," Hottovy said.

He said the rise of fast casual restaurants like Chipotle and Panera has also encroached on Olive Garden's market.

Dining experience aside, Darden Restaurants said it also was hurt by reports in November that the company planned to cut employee hours to avoid paying for health insurance as mandated for large companies by the Affordable Care Act. The company has since said it would not reduce the hours of full-time workers.

"That's a theme we're seeing across the restaurant industry, not Olive Garden specifically," Hottovy said. "I think that may have been a little bit overblown ... but I think it will be something that ends up pressuring margins for a lot of restaurants next year."

Olive Garden menus are largely the same at its 818 restaurants, although prices vary. At a restaurant outside of Seattle, a grilled chicken Caesar salad costs $11.95. At the same restaurant, a bowl of minestrone soup costs $5.95, and a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce costs $12.95. (Those previously mentioned doughy breadsticks come with every entre and are so popular that they have a Facebook page with 1.5 million "likes.")

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Nature's gift to the garden

Want to know the secret to lush plants and fertile soil without forking out money on garden improvers?

The answer is worms, according to The Worm Shed's Kevin Smith, who has been in the worm business for nearly 30 years.

Mr Smith said worm farms were a great way to recycle food, garden and pet waste while creating nutrient-packed fertiliser gardens loved. He said worms could be housed in anything from a foam or plastic box to an old fridge turned on its side or in the many commercial worm farms on the market.

"A worm farm basically means keeping worms in a controlled environment in the shade and with good drainage," he said.

"Some people use sheep poo or cow poo on their garden but worm poo - also called castings - really is the best there is as it is the most natural fertiliser or soil conditioner you can get."

Mr Smith said that while it could take six to eight weeks from setting up a worm farm to reach the castings stage, it was the liquid a properly set up farm produced daily which was the real boon for the garden.

He said liquid castings, which he bottled and sold as Worm Wiz, was basically the leachate or concentrated form of plant nutrients drawn out of the bottom of the worm farm.

"So instead of using Seasol or fish emulsion, you use Worm Wiz in your garden," he said. "It has no smell and we actually soak our seedlings in it for three-to-four days and then plant them out - it really is a good plant tonic."

Stephen Williamson, managing director of Worm Affair, said it was vital to keep worm farms in a cool, shady spot where they were not exposed to the sun.

"That's the difference between worm composting and worm farming - a worm farm is cool and moist and kept in a shady spot, while a compost bin is kept in the sun to get it as hot as you can while keeping it moist and aerated and then it cooks," he said.

Mr Williamson said liquid fertiliser and castings were pH neutral, so they would not burn plants, and as little as a teaspoon of the liquid would have an effect on a plant. He said it was best to add the liquid to a plant after it had been planted and watered in, while castings could be scattered around the base of the plant.

"It's best to dilute it down by at least half and then you can put it on to your pot plants, your rose bushes, your vegetables, whatever you want," he said.

Mr Williamson said the best worms for farms were red worms, tiger worms and Indian blue worms, and that if food was decaying faster than the worms could eat, they were being overfed and the worm farm would start to smell and attract vinegar flies.

TIP: It is better to buy worms by weight rather than number as it is easier to work out how much to feed them.

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Major makeover for Olive Garden

Remember when you were "family" as soon as you walked into an Olive Garden? Remember when the restaurants' exterior and interior were laden with every bit of faux-Italian kitsch under the Tuscan sun? Yeah, that's over.

Welcome to The O.G. In an attempt to turn around the flagging performance of its Olive Garden chain, parent company Darden International (DRI) is tearing down the stone-and-wood archways that have been in place since 2000 and sprucing up the logo.

After installing new Olive Garden President Dave George in January, cutting quarterly expectations for both its Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains and suggesting to The Associated Press that fewer Olive Gardens will open in the next year, a struggling Darden is getting ready to gut its Italian dining cornerstone down to the bottlomless breadsticks. The chain is promising to vary its menu, lower its prices and make it healthier and more "relevant." Unfortunately, it has done all this before with limited effects.

Back in October, Olive Garden introduced 600-calorie menu items and swapped its "When You're Here, Your Family Slogan" for the peppier "Go Olive Garden." The result? Olive Garden sales fell 1.2% for all of 2012. Now the chain is swapping the staff's white shirts and wide ties for the same black button-down shirt and black slacks customers see at just about every other casual-dining chain.

Extracting what remains of Olive Garden's personality may not solve the chain's personality crisis. Since Olive Garden's heyday in the early 2000s, fast-casual chains like Chipotle (CMG) and Panera (PNRA) have been chipping away at its customer base. NPD Group says casual-dining sales in general have been dropping steadily since early 2010 as diners 18 to 47 years old flee in droves. Unsustainable price specials like 2-for-$20 meal deals have eroded casual-dining's value.

While diners are spending 5.5% more at casual-dining chains that offer healthier options, they're spending a lot less at places like Olive Garden overall. Darden has repeatedly placed the blame for woes at Olive Garden and its other chains on Obamacare, payroll taxes and just about everything besides its food and prices. It's just dressing its old problems in some new clothing.

So, farewell fake Tuscan farmhouse and funny waiter ties. The American dining public that's slowly ditching Olive Garden for fast-casual and specialty chains like Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) eagerly awaits the staid, stainless steel specials factory that's coming next.

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Epcot set to bloom for Flower & Garden Festival

2012 Epcot Flower Fest
One of the fan-favorite topiaries, on display for the 2012 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, Friday, March 3, 2012, at the park at Walt Disney World. (JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL)

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival returns for its 20th run on Wednesday. Some elements, including several topiaries and the floating gardens, already are in place at the theme park. There are new twists this year, including 12 marketplaces serving distinctive food and drink plus, for the first time, most of the gardens will be illuminated for night viewing.

We'll have loads of details in next Friday's Calendar section, but in the meantime here are a few of the Flower & Garden attractions in place and a heads-up on future sights.

•When you see the Captain Hook topiary in the United Kingdom pavilion, look up for a new perspective on Peter Pan.

•A garden tied to Disney film "Oz the Great and Powerful," opening March 8, includes a few carnival games, pansies (and colored turf) that form the yellow-brick road, a slew of playground equipment and a shade-providing tent made from a downed hot-air balloon. Nearby: glass poppies.

•It's easy to spot topiaries of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Germany, dancing princesses near France, a troll in Norway, and Lady and the Tramp in Italy. Coming soon: a Sully (touting "Monsters University" movie, which premieres June 21) that's more than 11 feet tall and weighs about 2 tons.

•The front flower bed is installed in the wee hours before the festival begins. Expect a backyard-cookout theme with Mickey Mouse grilling up hot dogs, Donald and Daisy in a badminton match and Goofy perilously balancing a giant cake marking the fest's 20th year.

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Grass-roots efforts in downtown Concord to transform vacant lot to productive garden

CONCORD -- In a literal expression of "grass roots," Oakland Avenue neighbors are pulling up weeds and improving first impressions of Concord. They joined together to transform an unsightly vacant lot facing the Concord BART station into a fresh food garden.

August Wagele and his neighbors started clearing debris and building fences for the Harvest Lot garden last Saturday, but the project officially kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2.

The Harvest Lot mission is to produce healthy food for the hungry in this area, demonstrate sustainability and beautify their neighborhood.

"It is hard work, but it is great being out there in the fresh air," Wagele says. "It will be even better when there is produce to load up and hand out to people who will eat it."

Weeds, vagrants, trash, campfires and even "occupiers" with signs have littered the lot for years. Real estate agent for the investor-owned 50x150-foot lot tried to secure the property while police kept an eye on it, according to Realtor Chad Elkin of Chad Mitchell Associates.

Still, neighbors watched and worried about security.

"I was passing by on my way home last summer when I realized that the whole neighborhood was dragged down by blight and nuisances. I decided to do something about it," Wagele recalls. "I had been thinking about sustainability and the idea for transforming the eyesore property into a productive resource."

Wagele turned that thought into the

nonprofit Harvest Lot and started recruiting neighbors and negotiating for permission to clean up the lot and plant food.

"I think the garden is a good idea because it will improve the neighborhood, and it could improve property values," Elkin says.

When volunteers Sheila Hill and Brent Nelson joined the Harvest Lot garden board of directors and a two-year lease on the property was signed, Wagele's enthusiasm soared. He went to work on a garden plan and Meet Up connection for communicating with volunteers and posting planting schedules.

"Sheila has extensive experience with the garden at Eagle Peak School in Walnut Creek and we have a Master Gardener coming in," he says.

Nelson says he is glad to be a part of the project.

"It's a great concept ... through education and providing free food, we can help educate people on the benefits and importance of making more health-conscious eating decisions."

Volunteers call it an agricultural restoration.

"Cathy Munneke, at the Concord Department of Economic and Community Development, told me about Concord's agricultural history. This undeveloped lot is a remnant of that history," Wagele says.

"If we can make this work, it can become a model for other neighborhoods," he says. "Vacant lots that are part of the neighborhood, it is a way to bond with the community. Neighbors will watch over it and be able to help others in our community."

The group plans to produce a manual to guide others who can use the Harvest Lot as a template for improving a vacant lot in their own neighborhood.

Harvest Lot produce is destined for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County, the Monument Crisis Center, SHARE on Willow Pass Road, and other local food pantries.

"Hopefully, we will create a more healthy community, to benefit the community as a whole," Nelson says.

Wagele believes their project reflects a larger contemporary movement.

"I think our society has drifted so far away from our history that people want to connect with the earth. So many people have their own chickens, are growing their own food."

The growth of the organic food industry and the popularity of farmers markets, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are evidence of the trend, according to Wagele.

Other signs include efforts such as the Mt. Diablo Unified School District's Iron Chef competition emphasizing nutrition and flavor, Vicente Martinez High School's New Leaf program, Sustainable Danville's garden, and the recent Earth Island Institute application to lease Central Contra Costa Sanitary District land for a sustainable farm.

"Then there is the economy," Wagele says. "People may be thinking that life got a little too easy. Technology, fast food, microwave and dehydrated food; what about the link to rising rates of childhood obesity and diabetes?"

Some have already stepped up to help the garden project. A horse owner brought a load of manure for composting, Ashby Lumber donated some of the wood for fences, and Home Depot gave Harvest Lot a 25 percent discount on other materials.

"We will be reaching out to local individuals, businesses and foundations for financial support and we will have a sponsor plaque at the front of the garden recognizing those in the community who help or contribute to the garden," Wagele says.

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Pesticides deserve a closer look - Pocono Record

What we already know about the dangers of pesticides should give us pause about introducing another one.

This week the American Bird Conservancy published a study that found acutely toxic pesticides — not habitat loss — primarily to blame for widespread declines in grassland bird populations. The study looked at data from 1980 to 2003 and examined five other potential causes of the bird declines, from changes in cropped pasture to herbicide use. The study found a link between states with high use of toxic insecticides lethal to birds and states with the greatest number of bird declines, including the Horned Lark in 25 states and the Ring-necked Pheasant in 19 states. Continuing use of pesticides "may drive bird populations to local extinction," study author Dr. Pierre Mineau, a Canadian toxicologist, said.

Meanwhile scientists are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to stop the approval process for yet a new insecticide, Sulfoxaflor, which the EPA has proposed for "conditional registration." Solfoxaflor is proposed for use on soybeans, turf grass, wheat, vegetables and fruit crops.

But the Center for Food Safety, the Pesticide Action Network, American Bird Conservancy and Friends of the Earth are arguing that Sulfoxaflor is "articularly concerning" because it's water soluble, persistent and highly toxic to bees and other pollinators. Honey bee colonies have been in sharp decline over the past decade. Also, the chemical's potential toxicity to humans and other mammals hasn't been explored enough yet, the groups said in a letter to EPA.

Few of us keep bees or count grassland bird populations. But it's important for everyone to recognize that every species plays a role in the natural environment. Shrinking honey bee populations can reduce the availability of certain foods, driving up prices. Their disappearance can also be a sign of a larger, not fully recognized environmental problem. Likewise, losing vast numbers of birds that were once common to whole regions could, ultimately, have significant and not yet known spinoff effects.

The EPA should take a harder look at Sulfoxaflor especially against the backdrop of the new study from Canada. Agronomists should be exploring new ways of managing insect pests, especially in food crops, without the collateral damage of poisoning birds and other creatures.

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