The Unspoken Limits Of Olive Garden's Unlimited Breadsticks

At Olive Garden, the unlimited breadsticks are probably even more famous than the food itself — and for a very good reason. Although it's had plenty of opportunities to clamp down on its free breadstick policy over the years, Olive Garden is still sticking fast to its guns today. As long as you order an entrée from the menu, fresh breadsticks are guaranteed with no questions asked. It's no exaggeration to say that this restaurant chain owes a big part of its success to these simple, but tasty appetizers.

But as the saying goes, if it's too good to be true, it probably is. Well, that applies to Olive Garden's unlimited breadsticks offer too. Many people have rightly wondered if Olive Garden truly means it when it promises endless breadsticks and many have pushed the deal to the limits to see how far it could go stretch. Surprise, surprise, there does seem to be some unspoken rules of the deal that you have to follow, or workers might cut your breadstick supply short!

Today, when you sit down at your table and peruse the menu (or think about what to pick from their secret menu,) you'll get a basket with one breadstick per person. If you want more, just ask, and you'll get another round of refill (again, one breadstick per person at the table.)

However, while this offer is meant to be a gesture of generosity, it's not without caveats. Workers might not mention it as you walk in, but if they catch someone sneaking breadsticks into their bags to take home, they won't provide them with free refills anymore. This rule is in place to emphasize that the free breadsticks are meant to enhance your dining experience, not for a free takeaway.

Aside from this, it appears that Olive Garden is pretty serious when it says the flow of breadsticks is endless. If there's a real limit stated in their policy handbook, nobody has discovered it yet. The only other time someone will be denied a refill is if the restaurant simply runs out of breadsticks at the moment, but you'll be sure to get more as soon as another batch is ready. Other than that, the only limit is how many breadsticks you can munch on from the moment you sit down until you finish your pasta and pay your bill.

Olive Garden's unlimited breadstick offer has had its share of ups and downs over the years. Initially, it was introduced as a way for Olive Garden to both attract more customers and highlight the "generous Italian spirit" that underpins its brand. It worked like a charm! But as Olive Garden became a household name, investors began to question the wisdom of keeping this tradition alive.

In 2014, a hedge fund called Starboard Value, which had a stake in Olive Garden, pointed out a bunch of problems related to this policy. Back then, servers tended to be a bit too generous with the breadsticks, which led to a lot of wasted food when everyone at the table couldn't finish them all. And since an entire basket's brought out, a lot of the breadsticks sat around untouched after being served and eventually, got cold and tasted terrible. It was a lose-lose situation: the restaurant lost money, and customers got sad, squishy breadsticks.

That's how the big basket of breadsticks we used to have got cut back to just one breadstick per person. While it's objectively a downgrade, this is a great compromise. Patrons still get the all-you-can-eat breadstick experience, but it's far more sustainable and practical this time around!