The Strategy To Get Your Money's Worth With Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta

Olive Garden has a special place in the hearts and stomachs of casual American-Italian food lovers everywhere. There's the cult-favorite salad, the dangerously easy-to-down (and almost-unlimited) breadsticks, and of course, hearty, family-friendly pasta and more at approachable prices. Offered at select times only, the beloved never-ending pasta promo is one more reason Olive Garden fans flock to their neighborhood Italian chain.

The bottomless pasta deal starts around $13.99 and increases with the addition of optional proteins, plus tax and tip. Just how good of a deal this is depends largely on how many refills you have room for, and to a lesser degree, the pasta dish you choose. For example, a standard menu entree of fettuccine alfredo costs around $16.29 before tax and tips, and a standard order of spaghetti with marinara runs around $13.49. If your waistband allows you to toss back two, three, or even more refills from the never-ending pasta menu (more power to you!) the deal becomes better as you eat more. But even if your eyes are bigger than your stomach and you tap out after your initial serving, plus just one refill, you're scoring more food for less than you'd pay for any regular entree, making this an inherently good deal for diners.

There's serious strategy involved with the never-ending promo, with devotees taking to TikTok and Reddit to share their best hacks. First, know you'll be offered the usual unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, as is customary at Olive Garden. The pros forewarn — you'd be wise to avoid a heavy starter like the creamy chicken gnocchi soup or four too many breadsticks, both rookie mistakes that can fill you up too soon.

Then, build your meal. The never-ending promo doesn't apply to the entire Olive Garden menu, so you'll be choosing from four pasta options – fettuccine, spaghetti, angel hair, or rigatoni — and five potential sauces — alfredo, marinara, meat sauce, creamy mushroom, or five cheese marinara. If you're feeling it, you can add proteins like meatballs or chicken for an additional $4.99. Your initial plate will be a full, dinner-sized serving with each subsequent refill about half that size. 

To maximize the number of pasta creations you sample, regulars recommend requesting half portions from the jump so that even your initial order is a lighter serving size. This increases your chances of being able to sample more of the whopping 80 possible combinations before you hit a wall (gluten-free pasta and a vegan sauce are offered making this a deal for all diners). No matter the size of your plate, you'll pay the same, but if trying a variety of dishes without stuffing yourself is your goal, smaller portions are wise.

Due to the limited-time-only nature of this deal, you'll have to jump on it when it goes live — don't expect to be able to sit down and order this option year-round at restaurants. In the past, Olive Garden allowed diners to purchase various tiers of passes to access the promo, including a lifetime pass (yes, really!) to the never-ending pasta which, unsurprisingly, went like hotcakes. Keep an eye out so you don't miss the next time the promo runs. In the past, Olive Garden's website has hosted an official countdown timer alerting diners when the never-ending pasta promo would launch again. Fans note this deal is typically offered each year in the fall. 

Olive Garden knows the hype is real around this deal, with throngs of fans eagerly discussing and awaiting the next promo on social media. Despite how profitable or not the actual orders may be for the chain, they likely lean on the deal to boost publicity and get diners in the door. In recent years, the price of the never-ending promo increased from a prior rate of $10.99, but even so, pasta passes typically sell out quicker than you can say "that's amore."

When taking advantage of the deal, don't forget your good manners. You might be making out like a bandit and scoring big, but don't forget to avoid dining etiquette snafus and always tip your server well.