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17 Secrets Olive Garden Doesn't Want You to Know

Here's everything you've wanted to know about your favorite breadstick-serving restaurant.

Olive Garden, lively, family-friendly chain featuring Italian standards such as pastas & salads, with a full bar. marekuliasz/Shutterstock

The chain was founded in Orlando, Florida

Although Italian food and culture inspired Olive Garden, the actual restaurant was founded in Orlando, Florida in 1982. General Mills, the company that owns brands such as Pillsbury and Betty Crocker, launched the chain. Later, the company also started Darden Restaurants, Inc. which owns LongHorn Steakhouse and Yard House, among others restaurants. These are the secrets your restaurant server isn't telling you.

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Close-up of human hands cooking in a kitchen. Friends having fun while preparing fresh salad. Vegetarian, healthy meal and friendship concept Andrei_R/Shutterstock

The Tuscan cooking school isn't what it seems

Yes, Olive Garden does send a select few chefs to Tuscany. But they don't attend an actual school as some sites report. According to eater.com , the experience is more relaxed than a real cooking school.

Fresh sesame bread rolls in a box at the city market Lerner Vadim/Shutterstock

They almost limited their breadsticks

In 2014, one Olive Garden investor presented how much money the chain loses on unlimited breadsticks. Thus, they proposed limiting the cult-favorite.

several baguettes wheat bread in wicker basket guppyss/Shutterstock

There is, however, a rule of thumb for how many breadsticks come in your basket

Olive Garden does have a policy on breadsticks. Typically, a server is supposed to bring one stick per person plus one extra for the first basket. After that, the rule of thumb is one breadstick per person. Here are the sneaky menu tricks that influence your order .

african american waitress taking order on notepad Joshua Resnick/Shutterstock

You won't get away with only trying to eat the free breadsticks

Try as you may, servers have a system to deal with people trying to scam the restaurant. Servers are not allowed to drop the second basket of breadsticks until someone orders. Other reports claim servers aren't even supposed to bring one basket until customers actually order.

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You can get tons of freebies by downloading their rewards app

The Olive Garden App is worth downloading for people who frequent the restaurant. One perk includes free appetizers with entrees. Plus, if you sign up for Olive Garden rewards, you could get a free birthday dessert or breadstick dipping sauce.

leisure, food and people concept - group of happy international friends eating at restaurant table Syda Productions/Shutterstock

The best time to eat is weekdays from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Between lunch and dinner, you'll get the best bang for your buck at Olive Garden. Their Dinner Duo deal is an $8.99 entree plus never-ending salad and breadsticks.

putting pasta farfalle in boiling water. spoon. Pavel Shalnev/Shutterstock

They don't salt pasta water

Olive Garden, an Italian-inspired restaurant, doesn't salt their pasta water. The restaurant overlooks this fundamental pasta-cooking rule because of salts impact on pots. According to the Wall Street Journal , putting salt in boiling water could compromise the warranties on the pots.

Chocolate and raspberry cake with cranberries, dessert in restaurant Celiafoto/Shutterstock

Some of the food is frozen

The soups are made in-house daily—but all the desserts are frozen. The pasta, however, is made to order. The restaurant only uses microwaves for heating dipping sauces and warming desserts. Otherwise, everything is pan fried, deep fried, or grilled.

close up of woman finger with menu choosing dishes at restaurant frantic00/Shutterstock

You can seriously customize your meals

Olive Garden has a huge menu, but you can easily finagle the menu to create your own dish if you can't find what you want to eat. For example, it is still possible to order discontinued items like Chicken Fettuccine Florentine—if the restaurant has the right ingredients on site. Other swaps, such as changing ravioli fillings, are little-known hacks that could make your order even better.

food and drink wine Izoompic/Shutterstock

You can bring your own wine

Bring your own wine and pay a fee at some Olive Garden locations. This "corkage fee" is usually about $7. Beware, only some locations allow outside bottles. You could also sample up to three wines for free before buying one of their bottles.

Strawberry italian soda on wood table with black polka dot tablecloth. Pavinee Chareonpanich/Shutterstock

They serve Italian soda, even though it's not on the menu

Secret menu items don't get much better than Italian soda. Although Olive Garden took this off their menu, you could still order one with the flavors from the Olive Garden lattes for about $4. These are the secret menu items you need to order at your favorite restaurants .

Wine glasses in a row and corks on wooden table against grey background Africa Studio/Shutterstock

They offer a free wine tasting

Olive Garden is very proud of its award-winning wine program. They have over 25 different wines that range from "light and sweet to dry and full-bodied." Guests over the age of 21 are encouraged to sample a complimentary one-ounce portion of any of their wines to see if they like it.

Originally Published: July 30, 2019

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