12 Secrets To Know About Olive Garden Restaurants

Business is good at the family friendly Italian-American chain called Olive Garden. The key to Olive Garden's continued success is its ability to bring people back to its doors again and again. The menu has a lot to do with that, from low-cost, take-home entrées and lighter menus for customers watching their waistlines, to seasonal treats such as Zuppa Toscana with kale.

Add into the mix Olive Garden's long-standing commitment to supporting the communities in and around its restaurants (in 2025, the company is expected to beat the eight million meals donated the previous year), and they'll even help you pop the question, so it's easy to see why it's earned a place in many diners' hearts. If you've never set foot in an Olive Garden, or if there's one coming to a location near you and you want the inside skinny before you grab a table: Here are secrets to know about Olive Garden restaurants.

Every business needs at least one unique selling point and at Olive Garden, it's the never-ending breadsticks. The instant diners are seated, they are presented with a small basket of them: Warm from the oven, sprinkled with garlic salt, and liberally doused in a blend of oil and margarine, they are beloved by millions, despite getting a roasting on social media.

The carb-heavy appetizer dates back to the first days of the restaurant, when overwhelmed staff needed something to keep diners happy while their meals were being cooked. An endless supply of breadsticks (soon followed by salads and soups) was the answer, and has been a fixture ever since, in spite of the best efforts of bean counters to ditch it. However, in 2021 a viral social media video threatened to pull the rug out from under Olive Garden's much-loved breadstick, after it revealed they weren't freshly baked in-house, but rather warmed in the oven for a few minutes.

Many people were outraged but, for some online users, it was hardly news, and claimed Olive Garden hasn't made its own breadsticks for over 25 years. The restaurant chain's reputation was restored after its response to a 2024 mystery surrounding letters that had appeared on a diner's breadsticks. A TikTok video asking why they were there prompted the company to send the poster a $100 gift card in classy lieu of an apology.

Many restaurant businesses were stunned by the success of Olive Garden's endless entrées. If they thought they couldn't top it, they were left holding the company's beer in 1995 when the annual, never-ending pasta pass made its debut. In 2025, it ran from August 25 to November 16 and cost $13.99 for a choice of four pastas and six toppings (extras cost $4.99 each). The passes are snapped up in seconds, but be warned: They are not for anyone with a weak appetite.

While the never-ending pasta pass is limited to nine weeks, Olive Garden also issues 50 lifetime pasta passes costing $500. Launched in 2019, they were so popular that a black market for them emerged online, with some holders offering to sell them for thousands of dollars. In 2024, one eager Redditor said they were willing to pay a "large sum of money" to anyone who would sell them an Olive Garden lifetime pasta pass. Would they pay for this ice cream, too?

While Olive Garden customers can't get enough of the pasta promotion, it's fair to say the wait staff aren't always big fans. Social media has shed light on the pressure on employees during the hectic pasta pass period. One commenter wrote, "I suggest finding a different role in the restaurant until pb season is over."

There are lots of restaurants in the United States who will happily let diners take home their leftovers, but Olive Garden occasionally takes that concept to the next level. In 2025, after a five-year gap, it reintroduced its "Buy One, Take One" offer, which allowed customers to order an extra, frozen entrée they could eat later. Alongside their usual $14.99 starter, they could choose from three meals: spaghetti with meat sauce, five-cheese ziti al forno, and fettuccine Alfredo.

Word spread across social media though the roll-out of the limited-time offer, which ran from March 24 to May 4, wasn't perhaps as smooth as Olive Garden would have liked. Some diners complained of poor quality food and small portions, while others were annoyed they couldn't take home their preferred dish, though they can make good use of the packaging.

Elsewhere, people discussed how the "Buy One, Take One" promotion could end up costing customers more than the regular menu. Other posters, claiming to be current or former servers, welcomed the return of the offer with gritted teeth, noting the roll-out had been a "nightmare" behind the scenes. One commenter said, "It was the worst special when I worked there."

Some short-term promotions from Olive Garden are worth sitting down and working out whether they will, in fact, save you money. But when it comes to the unlimited entrées, those soups, and garden-fresh salads really do offer great value for money. What began as a way to keep lots of hungry diners in their seats while the kitchen staff cooked their meals, turned out to become not only emblematic of the business, but proof that providing good value was just as important as serving up good food. When it comes to getting plenty of bang for your buck, a bottomless bowl of soup, combined with limitless breadsticks and salad starting at $12.99, is hard to beat.

As well as being freshly made in-house every day, there are four flavors to choose from — and diners can try them all in a single sitting. Someone who tasted all four said the minestrone needed a grind of salt to really come alive as a soup, while the Zuppa Toscana needed to be a little creamier, though appreciated the fact it was gluten free.

Food waste is a global problem, with around 2.5 billion tons thrown away every year, according to RTS. The United States is the biggest culprit, tossing 120 billion pounds annually, which accounts for around 40% of the entire national food supply. Since 2003, Olive Garden has been trying to make a dent in that massive figure with its Harvest program.

Olive Garden's Harvest program donates any food that has been prepared but not served to customers, and gives it to local food banks or shelters, as well as charitable organizations like The Salvation Army. The company isn't giving away scraps, either. The lion's share of donated food is soups, sauces, meat and fish, and vegetables. To mark Veterans' Day in 2025, Olive Garden created a special menu, with one meal offered free to veterans.

According to parent company Darden's 2025 impact report, over 146 million pounds of food has been handed out via the Harvest initiative since its 2003 launch. As well as helping feed hungry people across the country, the program has also stopped perfectly edible food from being dumped in landfill, cutting down the restaurant chain's environmental impact.

Being spontaneous can be amazing. Deciding on the spur of the moment to take a mini break or call a friend we haven't spoken to in a minute can be delightful and lead to all kinds of adventures. Suddenly swinging by the local Olive Garden for a bite to eat? Not so much. Those unlimited entrées were created for a darn good reason: The place can be packed at peak times.

When people are hungry or hangry, being part of a crowd that's in the same state is no fun — especially for servers. So it pays to do your homework and find out the right time to eat at your Olive Garden. Of course, opening hours vary depending on where you live, but it's a pretty safe bet that weekends will be wall-to-wall customers, all clamoring for their breadsticks, soup, and salads.

That can be traumatic enough for adults but way worse for children. However, one mom discovered a neat loophole: Turn up 10 minutes before the restaurant opens. Thanks to some great service, she and her son celebrated the latter's birthday in style. Another trick is to find out what particular locations' busiest hours are, and if you can't ask staff directly, social media can help. According to this thread, many places are rushed between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and again in early evening, while others are steadily busy throughout the day.

When people head to a fancy fine dining restaurant, they expect to eat whatever's on the menu – after all, they're probably paying a small fortune for it. But at the more affordable end of the restaurant experience, where the dishes on offer probably don't change very often, sometimes it's nice to be able to mix it up a little. At Olive Garden, you can customize your meal to your heart's content.

Peter Petrella, who claimed to have worked at the restaurant for three months, posted a social media video in 2024 that went viral and left Olive Garden diners shook. He revealed that the restaurant's much-loved Tour of Italy — chicken Parmigiana, classic lasagne, and fettuccine Alfredo, all served on the same plate — was one of the meals that could be given a personalized twist. Petrella warned some swaps might cost more but it would only be around $1.

He also dropped in that all the salads at Olive Garden are hand tossed by servers, and if customers wanted anything in particular putting in or taking out, all they had to do was let their waiter know and it would be done. The same applies to the rest of the Olive Garden menu, according to current employees, who claim the options for diners to mix things up are "almost limitless."

For decades, people with celiac disease were all-but excluded from restaurants, until gluten-free products began appearing after World War II. At first they were priced as more of a luxury item than a necessity, but by the 21st century, celiac sufferers could choose from a wide range of affordable foods, including in restaurants.

Olive Garden, like many others, tries to appeal to as many customers as possible, including those who may be sensitive to gluten. The food chain offers plenty of comforting pasta dishes but because it doesn't comply fully with FDA regulations (which include limiting gluten content to less than 20 parts per million) it's wise to regard the restaurant's menu as being "gluten friendly" rather than completely free of it.

That means only a handful of dishes on the gluten-sensitive menu, but they do include the delicious Zuppa Toscana, as well as herb-grilled salmon and the marinara sauce side. These items may be safe for people with celiac to eat, but it's also worth bearing in mind the likelihood of cross-contamination is quite high. Diners have warned on social media that gluten-free pasta is cooked in the same water as the regular kind, while others have found gluten pasta in their food. On the plus side, Olive Garden doesn't charge extra for diners who request gluten-free pasta.

Wait staff and servers may be over secret menus, and considering customers expected them to know every internet trend as they break, it's understandable. But diners still have a real soft spot for them, and at Olive Garden, they are definitely still a thing. It's about more than simply swapping a few sauces around to suit personal preference — those in the know can turn their Olive Garden experience into something unique.

Once again, the massive menu available at Olive Garden works in our favor. Fans of the legendary Alfredo sauce might want to take notes, because you can boost the flavor factor by asking for an extra side of cheese. Want to crank it even higher? Ask for a blend of Parmesan and Asiago and send your tastebuds to heaven.

Social media fans have swapped suggestions such as asking for the cheese ravioli but with the creamy mushroom sauce, ordering the chicken Parmigiana without marinara or pasta, or getting a plate of tortellini and steak tips. It's worth testing the waters the next time you visit, and finding out how far you can push the secret menu envelope. If they have the ingredients, the servers might even rustle up some discontinued menu faves.

It's no secret that American restaurant portions are on the generous side, and it's one reason adults are increasingly ordering children's meals in restaurants. It's not the only one, however. Simpler meal options and lower cost are also factors that influence what diners pick from a menu. At Olive Garden, that saving can be considerable — if you can take advantage of it.

Customers ordering from the kid's menu can get one main dish, one side, and a drink, as well as unlimited breadsticks for $6.99. Make your main choice a fettucine Alfredo and you save $11 off the adult price. Add a $6 take-home option for $10 less than the grown-up version. In total, the kids' version costs less than $13 compared to the regular up to $40 price. For some people, the children's menu provides enough food for two meals, making it even more of a bargain.

Before we all grab the car keys and head out to our nearest Olive Garden, there is a catch: Adults dining in person can't order from the children's menu for themselves. Happily, no such rules apply for take-out or curbside pick-up orders, and staff are unlikely to ask who a meal is for when they're putting an order together.

Ask someone what their favorite Olive Garden freebie is, and the majority will probably say "the breadsticks" in the same, dreamy tone. But it's not the only giveaway the restaurant chain provides. Every diner aged 21 and over is offered three free samples of different wines (in states where that's not allowed, each glass costs around $0.25). After potentially opening up your tastebuds to something new, if you don't want to drink Olive Garden's wine, but you still fancy a tipple, you can bring your own wine to the restaurant and ask the server to open it.

It's common practice in many eateries, but if you've never done it before, it's worth knowing a couple of things in advance. First, it's wise to contact your local Olive Garden and confirm you can bring your own wine, as it's not permitted in some states or jurisdictions. As one Redditor warned, "It makes it impossible to monitor intake and cut you off as necessary."

Second, there may be a small charge for opening the bottle, known as "corkage." Prices may vary, but it can be around $7. Given Olive Garden sells a wide variety of wines and aims to cater to every palate, it might be cheaper to try out one of theirs and leave yours at home. If all else fails and you don't like it, here's the right way to send it back.

There have been a lot of changes at Olive Garden over the years, from the company logo to the menu (cite). But for a long time, it was fondly known for its cosy slogan "When You're Here, You're Family." That ended in 2012, when the company tried to shake up its image, adopting "Go Olive Garden," instead. The following year, comedian and "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon asked the company if his show could have the slogan. He was astounded when Olive Garden said yes.

In a 2013 episode, Olive Garden president Dave George and Fallon signed a contract on live T.V. that made "When You're Here, You're Family," the show's official slogan. Fallon celebrated by handing out special T-shirts and $100 Olive Garden gift certificates to the delighted audience. But that wasn't the end of the story.

Six years later, "Late Night" cameras followed singer-songwriter (and Olive Garden super fan) Post Malone as he took host Jimmy Fallon for his first-ever visit to an Olive Garden restaurant. The pair chowed down on the signature free breadsticks, enjoyed their free wine samples, and dug into the salad, as well as chicken Parms, before celebrating Malone's "birthday." Then, Fallon explained how he took ownership of the Olive Garden slogan, before handing it over to a stunned but delighted Malone, who still appears to have it to this day.