Orlando, Florida, Nov. 15, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Orlando Magic announced today a first-of-its kind sports partnership with Olive Garden featuring several innovative elements bringing food, families and sports together. Through the agreement, Olive Garden becomes the official family dining option of the Orlando Magic. Highlights of the partnership include in-game promotions, youth basketball integration and Magic Kids Club activation.  

“The Orlando Magic is proud to partner with Olive Garden in a very unique partnership,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. “With the Magic and Olive Garden both focused on connecting our community and enhancing experiences, this forges the perfect union between our two organizations. We look forward to creating some innovative elements within the partnership.” With the partnership, Olive Garden will be celebrating Magic families and kids as the presenting partner of the Magic Kids Club, giving the youngest Orlando Magic fans exclusive event invites, a ticket to a Magic home game and other delicious offers. For more information and how to join the Magic Kids Club presented by Olive Garden, parents can visit www.orlandomagic.com/kidsclub.

Additionally, the Orlando community can enjoy these other unique offers for Magic fans:

•  Complimentary appetizer or dessert for each youth participating in any Magic camps and/or clinics

•  Free kid’s dessert for youth 12 and younger wearing Magic gear in participating Olive Garden locations 

•  Coupon for a free kid’s meal as well as family-friendly activities during one of eight Olive Garden Magic Family Day games throughout the season for every fan in attendance

•  Buy One, Get One Free Lunch Duo for every fan at each home game when the Magic scores three or more slam dunks 

“We’re proud to support our hometown team and help create winning memories for Magic fans and their families,” said Jennifer Arguello, executive vice president of marketing for Olive Garden. “With this new partnership, we’re excited to delight our guests both in our restaurants and in the arena.” 

About Olive Garden                                                                                  

At Olive Garden, we know that life is better together and everyone is happiest when they’re with family. As the leader in the Italian dining segment, Olive Garden has more than 800 restaurants and employs more than 96,000 team members. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants. At Darden, our people equal our success, and we are proud to employ more than 175,000 team members in nearly 1,700 restaurants. Olive Garden is committed to making a difference in the lives of others in the local community. As part of this commitment, Olive Garden restaurants have donated more than 38 million pounds of food to local community food banks across the country. For more information, visit www.olivegarden.com. Connect with us on Facebook.com/OliveGarden, Twitter.com/OliveGarden and Instagram.com/OliveGarden.

ABOUT THE ORLANDO MAGIC

Orlando's NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic's mission is to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way. The Magic have seen great success in a relatively short history, winning five division championships (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010) with seven 50-plus win seasons and capturing the Eastern Conference title in 1995 and 2009. Off the court, on an annual basis, the Orlando Magic gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise and grants. Orlando Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 100,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 7,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) which serves at-risk youth, has distributed more than $22 million to local nonprofit community organizations over the last 27 years. The Magic’s other entities include the team’s newly acquired NBA G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, which begins play in the 2017-18 season in nearby Lakeland, Fla.; the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, which serves as the affiliate to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and the Toronto Marlies of the AHL; and will compete in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K esports league in 2018. Ticket highlights for the Magic's 2017-18 season in the award-winning Amway Center, honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal's 2012 Sports Facility of the Year, include: 2,500 seats priced $20 or less, 8,000 seats priced $40 or less and 9,000 seats priced $50 or under. For ticket information log on to www.orlandomagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/02bdea3c-3e22-4746-829f-001f677f43ec

Trish Wingerson
Orlando Magic
407.916.2635
twingerson@orlandomagic.com

Jessica Dinon
Olive Garden
407.245.4336
jdinon@olivegarden.com