Olive Garden CEO says 'thank you to Taylor Swift' after the singer name dropped the chain on her new album, 'Evermore'

• Gene Lee, the CEO of Olive Garden's parent company Darden Restaurants, thanked Taylor Swift for mentioning the chain on her recent album "Evermore." 
• "When Taylor Swift drops our name in a song, our brand becomes very, very relevant," Lee said during a call with investors on Friday. 
• Swift said she decided to include an Olive Garden reference because it is Este Haim's favorite restaurant chain. 
• Olive Garden and Swift also share a birthday, according to the chain's social media account. 
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The CEO of Olive Garden's parent company took the opportunity to say thank you to Taylor Swift after the singer mentioned the chain on her new album, "Evermore."

Gene Lee, the CEO of Darden Restaurants, thanked Swift on the company's quarterly earnings call on Friday. 

"Just think about what happened last week when Taylor Swift dropped the song with Olive Garden in it, and how we were able to capture that socially and create buzz around that," Lee said. "When Taylor Swift drops our name in a song, our brand becomes very, very relevant." 

"Thank you to Taylor Swift for dropping Olive Garden in her song," Lee added. 

Swift mentioned Olive Garden in the song "No Body, No Crime," a song with the band HAIM, singing "Este wasn't there Tuesday night at Olive Garden." After "Evermore" dropped last week, HAIM posted a video of the group listening to the song while eating Olive Garden. 

Fans quickly homed in on the Olive Garden reference. 

—ivy✨ (@midnightivy13) December 15, 2020

—Isla (@discozits) December 11, 2020

 

Olive Garden was quick to respond on social media. 

"Our dream of being the fifth HAIM sister has come true," the brand tweeted.

—Olive Garden (@olivegarden) December 18, 2020

—Olive Garden (@olivegarden) December 16, 2020

—Olive Garden (@olivegarden) December 12, 2020

"Our team was working around the clock to capitalize on that activity. ... They did a fantastic job, to be able to make that relevant," Lee said of Olive Garden's response to "No Body, No Crime" on Friday. 

Swift told Entertainment Weekly that she decided to include Olive Garden in the song after asking Este Haim about her favorite chain restaurant. Fortunately for Olive Garden, Haim picked the casual dining chain. 

There is another reason why Swift and Olive Garden are a match made in heaven. According to the chain's social media account, it was founded on December 13 - meaning Olive Garden shares a birthday with Taylor Swift.