Olive Garden proprietor defend strict gown code that bans diners from carrying hats inside their sister restaurant Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Owners of Olive Garden are laying down the law for patrons of its sister restaurant, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, with a new dress code that bans hats.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House made it clear on its website that the dress code is ‘BUSINESS CASUAL’ and that ‘PROPER ATTIRE’ is required to dine at the upscale steak house.

Darden Restaurants, which owns the steakhouse chain, asks all guests to remove hats or be asked to dine in the bar or lounge.

Ruth’s Chris also listed all banished forms of attire in its restaurants: ‘Gym wear, pool attire, tank tops, clothing with offensive graphics or language, revealing clothing or exposed undergarments.’

Interestingly, The Capital Grille, which is also under the Darden umbrella and arguably offers even finer dining than Ruth’s Chris, does not bar customers from wearing hats under its dress code.

However, the grille lists many similar restrictions when dining at their establishments: ‘athletic shorts, uncovered sports bras, other bra-style tops, excessively revealing clothing, exposed undergarments, clothing with offensive language or imagery, and clothing emitting offensive odors.’

In addition to noting that the restaurant is ‘a fine dining restaurant with an elegant atmosphere,’ the policy states that all men’s shirts must have sleeves.

Darden Restaurants operates more than 2,100 restaurants and employs 200,000 members of staff, serving more than 440 million customers annually.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House announced to customers a strict dress code policy while attending in it’s dining rooms  

All patrons are asked to remove hats or be asked to dine in the bar or lounge. Additionally, the steakhouse banned guests wearing attire such as, gym wear, pool attire, tank tops, clothing with offensive graphics or language, revealing clothing or exposed undergarments

Major restaurant brands such as Longhorn Steakhouse, Seasons 52, and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood are also owned by the company.

Olive Garden, Darden’s largest brand in its portfolio with over 900 locations, rolled out a ‘Lighter Portions’ menu at all US locations.

The menu addition will feature lighter servings of seven existing dishes at a fraction of the cost.

Entrees involved in the menu change include Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, Cheese Ravioli, Fettuccine Alfredo, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Lasagna Classico.

Darden Restaurants began testing the menu at 40 percent of locations in September.

CEO Rick Cardenas reported that the pilot restaurants saw a significant increase in diners’ perceptions of affordability after ordering lighter meals. And those guests often came back for more.

Darden Restaurants owns several large scale brands including the Capital Grille, Longhorn Steakhouse, and its largest chain Olive Garden with over 900 locations

Darden CEO Rick Cardenas recently announced that the Italian restaurants will now be serving a ‘Lighter Portions’ menu featuring smaller servings of seven existing dishes at a fraction of the cost.

‘Olive Garden has seen a double-digit increase in affordability perceptions from guests who order from the lighter portions menu and an increase in frequency among these guests, which should help build traffic over time,’ he said in the meeting, per Fox Digital.

The lighter meals cost between $12.99 and $13.99, varying per location. Full-sized portions can run guests up to $25, depending on the market.