An Olive Garden restaurant is shown in Hialeah, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. Servers at Olive Garden, Red Lobster and other eateries are suing the restaurants' parent company, claiming they were cheated out of overtime pay and not allowed to clock-in until customers arrived. The federal lawsuit against Darden Restaurants seeks back pay and other compensation, plus interest and attorney's fees. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) (AP)
Either Olive Garden really loves parents or really hates kids, because on Feb. 7 the casual Italian dining chain will be dishing out free baby-sitting for any parents who dine at one of its participating locations across the country.
In an interesting promotional pairing, the chain, owned by Orlando-based Darden Restaurants, has teamed up with My Gym, a chain of children's activity centers.
Before dining at Olive Garden, parents can drop off their kids at any one of 145 participating My Gym locations and return with their Olive Garden receipt to have their baby-sitting tab covered.
The one-night only special, called Parents’ Night Out, will run from 6 to 9 p.m. but could vary by location, and will promote the chain’s two-for $25 dinner menu. Although, a spokeswoman told the Orlando Sentinel that diners are welcome to try out other menu items also.
"With busy family schedules and everyone always on the go, it's challenging for parents to find time for a date night out," Jay Spenchian, executive vice president of marketing for Olive Garden said in a release.
My Gym requires a cash deposit, on the off-chance leaving your children there is not enough of a deposit, which will be refunded when customers show their Olive Garden receipts. Space will be limited to approximately 30 children per participating location, and reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. So try to get there early.
Olive Garden is also using social media for the promotion, inviting parents to share their nights online using the hashtag #OGParentsNightOut.
Click here for more information and to find the nearest participating Olive Garden restaurant. And click here for participating My Gym locations.
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