Olive Garden, a place of endless breadsticks and opportunity.
The chain has long been a favorite for pasta-craving family in America, and for good reason. The food is delicious, the soup, salad and breadsticks are unlimited and it won’t break the bank to enjoy a night out at the restaurant.
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But what really goes on inside the walls of the stone-clad walls, where Frank Sinatra plays through the speakers and occasionally, guests with a Pasta Pass enjoy free spaghetti and five-cheese ziti for weeks on end? While the chefs are busy cooking up the eatery’s new breadstick pizza bowl, take a look at some of their best-kept secrets and fun facts as told by an Olive Garden representative to Popsugar.
From the restaurant’s surprising most popular dish to the stellar employee discount for its pasta-loving workers, keep reading for the eight most interesting facts about Olive Garden — including its surprising connection to Red Lobster!
First restaurant:
General Mills, the company most recognized for its cereal and cinnamon roll creations, launched The Olive Garden in 1982 with a single location in Orlando, Florida. Within seven years, the chain had close to 150 restaurants and a following of breadstick fanatics.
In 1995, General Mills created Darden Restaurants, Inc., which now owns the restaurant chain, as well as Longhorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House and Seasons 52, among others.
With 846 locations, Darden touts Olive Garden as the “largest chain of Italian-themed restaurants” in America.
Until 2014, Darden also owned Red Lobster, a restaurant known for its endless seafood promotions — a model that parallels Olive Garden’s endless soup, salad and breadsticks draw. In 2011, Darden considered joining both restaurants into one location to expand profits and cut expenses, and launched six combination Olive Garden-Red Lobster restaurants to test the idea.
Unlike other combination diners, both restaurants shared one building and kitchen, but had separate entrances, dining rooms and menus, meaning you couldn’t pair your lobster with unlimited Italian breadsticks. When Darden sold Red Lobster, all combination locations were either closed or renovated to become standalone Olive Garden eateries.
Staff training includes trips to Italy:
Commercials spots for the family-style Italian restaurant boasted that it trains its chefs and upper management at a Tuscan cooking school, but it isn’t as intense as the company suggests.
“Every year, more than 200 managers and team members travel to Olive Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany,” a company representative told Popsugar. “This trip is designed to immerse team members in the Italian culture while learning about the cuisine and interacting with Olive Garden’s overseas partners, the wineries and pasta makers we consider to be a part of Olive Garden’s extended family.”
In 2011, a Reddit poster outlined their own experience at the supposed cooking school, but said participants spent more time sightseeing and exploring Tuscany than learning how to cook authentic Italian food in grand kitchens.
“The only time we saw the ‘chef’ was when she made a Bolognese sauce while taking pictures with each of us to send to our local newspapers,” the former manager wrote. The poster added that the “institute” was more of a Tuscan restaurant and bed-and-breakfast than a cooking school.
Soups are made fresh:
The Olive Garden rep revealed that while the staff may not be fully-immersed Tuscany chefs, the Italian-style soups offered at the restaurant are made fresh every day.
“All of Olive Garden’s signature soups — Pasta e Fagioli, Chicken & Gnocchi, Zuppa Toscana, and Minestrone — are made by hand and from scratch every morning using fresh, whole ingredients such as kale, peppers, and squash,” the employee said.
Most popular menu item:
Chicken Parmigiana is often touted as a staple dish at Olive Garden, while indecisive Italian cuisine lovers rave about the restaurant’s entree sampler, the Tour of Italy. But apparently, the most popular dish at the eatery is a protein-packed fettuccine option.
“Chicken Alfredo is Olive Garden’s most popular menu item,” the representative said. “Out of all the noodle options, Olive Garden guests prefer fettuccine noodles. As far as pasta toppings go, Olive Garden guests love the grilled chicken.”
And for a diet-friendly option, the employee suggested Shrimp Scampi as another bestselling dish at the restaurant: “It is so flavorful, many guests are surprised to learn the entire entrée is just 500 calories!”
You can turn many dishes gluten-free:
While gluten-free eaters may fear the restaurant’s pasta-laden dishes and opt for salad to be safe, the representative assures that its employees can suggest plenty of options to fit diners’ dietary restrictions.
“Olive Garden servers will work with guests on any dietary needs. Servers will happily work with guests to address any food allergies or dietary restrictions,” the employee said. “In many instances, they can suggest simple swaps — such as subbing in gluten-free rotini or ordering the Chicken Parmigiana grilled instead of fried — so guests can still enjoy their favorite dishes while meeting their individual needs.”
For gluten-free guests, the restaurant also offers Penne Rigate Pomodoro or Penne Regate with Marinara, chicken or mixed grill platter with meat, broccoli and grilled vegetables, as well as the steak Toscano and the herb-grilled salmon entrees.
A big-time employee discount:
While employees stay busy slinging unlimited soup, salad, breadsticks and drinks to their customers, they may be the restaurant’s real winners.
According to the representative, Olive Garden offers its team members $1 unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks before, during and after their shifts. They can also enjoy 50% off other pasta meals and entrees.
Aside from a major way to keep its employees happy and full-bellied, a former Olive Garden employee at the Times Square location, one of the franchise’s busiest, said some intense stuff goes on in the restaurants, leaving workers with a need for comfort snacks.
The employee, who spilled his best OG secrets on a first date, which was later transcribed on Twitter, admitted that customers can do some crazy things in the name of breadsticks, including stay all day to eat for one low price.
“[It never happened] on my shifts,” he admitted. “But if someone wanted to, Olive Garden would not let us remove them. They are ‘family’ and would be allowed to eat.” In case you were wondering…
Large party deliveries:
Know someone getting married? Olive Garden is prepared to cater their reception!
“Olive Garden offers delivery for large parties, weddings, and other events,” the representative said. “Olive Garden loves to celebrate with brides around their big day and even created a DIY breadstick bouquet.”
Aside from catering large groups, customers can create their own breadstick bouquet for any occasion thanks to a printable wrapper by wedding site The Knot and a quick to-go order. For any Olive Garden fanatic, a half-dozen garlic sprinkled breadsticks will beat a dozen roses any day.
The Andes mints are made special:
When the meal is over, Olive Garden customers are gifted with a final surprise of Andes chocolate candies, which are kept chilled in a refrigerator for a refreshing after-dinner treat.
But a closer look reveals that the restaurant’s candies aren’t the Andes mints you could buy at the store.
Normally, Andes sells its Crème de Menthe variety in stores, which sandwiches a layer of mint between two layers of chocolate. At Olive Garden, the chocolate candy features only two layers: one chocolate and one mint.
“They are custom-made for us, featuring a different shape and wrapper,” a restaurant representative told The Daily Meal. “The recipe is the same.”
