Pasta dishes will feautre 20% more noodles. | Photo courtesy of Maggiano’s Little Italy
Maggiano’s Little Italy is betting that bigger portions will help bring customers back to the brand.
The polished-casual Italian chain on Wednesday said it is boosting the sizes of pasta dishes like chicken fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti and meatballs. They’ll now have 20% more pasta and larger helpings of chicken, meatballs and shrimp, without a corresponding increase in price.
The chain is also expanding its four-course Family Style menu with 15 additional dishes, including Baked Ziti and Eggplant Parmesan.
The changes are part of a “back to Maggiano’s” campaign designed to revive slumping sales and traffic at the chain, where same-store sales have declined for three straight quarters.
Executives for parent company Brinker International have said the strategy will entail a back-to-basics approach that focuses on what regular customers care about most, such as food quality, abundance and value.
This replaces a short-lived effort to reposition the brand as more upscale, with additions like Wagyu beef, theatrical cocktails and white tablecloths.
It will borrow heavily from a playbook that has worked extraordinarily well for Brinker-owned Chili’s, which has become one of the hottest brands in the industry thanks to improved operations, food and marketing.
Two of the main architects of Chili’s turnaround, Brinker CEO Kevin Hochman and CMO George Felix, are now getting more involved at Maggiano’s. In August, Hochman stepped in to lead the chain on an interim basis, and Felix was recently promoted to oversee marketing at both Maggiano’s and Chili’s.
But the Italian chain presents a different sort of challenge than its bar-and-grill sister brand. With less than 50 units, Maggiano’s does not have the scale that enabled Chili’s to drive traffic with television ads. It is also more upscale than Chili’s and focuses on the Italian segment, which has struggled in recent years relative to the rest of full-service dining.
Hochman, however, believes the two brands are more similar than it might appear.
“The more I’ve gotten into the [Maggiano’s] business the last couple of months, the more I see it has very, very similar challenges to Chili’s,” he said during an earnings call in August. “I think we were treating it a little bit differently, and I don’t think it needs to be treated that much differently.”
For instance, both chains are looking to offer customers more value. Chili’s scored a hit with its $10.99 3 for Me combos, and now Maggiano’s is going with larger portions and a wider selection for the same price.
As part of that, it is putting a spotlight on its Family Style meals, which are designed for parties of four or more. The meals start at $44 per person ($14 for diners under 12) and come with two salads, two appetizers, four entrees and three desserts, with bottomless portions.
The addition of 15 more dishes to this menu will significantly expand the selection.
“The new family-style spread is exactly how Nonna would do it—serving up plate after plate until you couldn’t possibly eat another bite, then sending you home with leftovers anyway,” Hochman said in a statement.
The focus on abundance comes as many restaurant chains are promoting smaller portions for customers who are on a budget, dieting or both. Maggiano’s competitors such as Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory have reported strong demand for new, downsized options recently.
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