Olive Garden is an American-Italian casual dining restaurant offering pasta, pizza, salads, soups, and main dishes, available for breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and dinner.
The first Olive Garden restaurant was opened on December 13, 1982, by Bill Darden, and it started as a restaurant unit of General Mills. Over 7 years, Olive Garden grew to have 145 branches in the US, making it the fastest-growing unit of the company. By 1995, Olive Garden became an independent company under the name Darden Restaurants, Inc. With a headquarters in Orange County, Florida, Olive Garden is known to be the largest Italian-themed full-service chain restaurant in the US.
What is Olive Garden Known For?
Olive Garden is known for its offerings of unlimited salad and breadsticks. The restaurant's unlimited salad, which consists of crunchy lettuce, tomatoes, olives, onions, pepperoncini, and Italian dressing served in a giant bowl, is offered complimentary and unlimited with every meal. The salad's Italian dressing is a favorite among patrons, which is made with Italian spices, oil, and vinegar. Customers can also request a server to hand-crank parmesan cheese over the salad.
The restaurant's unlimited and free breadsticks are another popular item and have become the very symbol of Olive Garden. It also comes with every meal, often served before the main dish is presented on the table. One serving of breadsticks includes 6 pieces, which often serves as an appetizer. The breadsticks are always served fresh and warm, with the restaurant baking a fresh batch every 15 minutes to ensure its freshness. It is known for its buttery, garlicky, and crispy texture while soft and warm on the inside.
Another popular bonus or promo from the restaurant is their unlimited pasta offerings, where customers can order bottomless pasta for a full day, or their famous Never-Ending Pasta Pass, which gives customers bottomless pasta every time they visit the restaurant for a period of 2 months. These promos are only limited to a certain period and may not be available in all branches.
Olive Garden's commitment to serving unlimited salad, breadsticks, and pasta is said to come from the famous culture of "Italian hospitality," as well as from their slogan, "When you're here, you're family."
Olive Garden offers a wide variety of dishes. They offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a unique happy hour menu offered between 11, am to 3 pm, featuring drinks and side dishes. Gluten-free, catering, a kid's menu, and a vegan menu are also available.
The restaurant markets itself as offering authentic Italian dishes but many of the items on its menu have been Americanized.
For breakfast, some of the items on the menu include Cheese Raviolo (most popular), Lasagna Classico, Chicken Parmigiana, Chicken Piccata, and Warm Apple Crostata.
For lunch, which is the most loved food menu in Olive Garden, customers can choose between the Pasta menu, Seafood menu, as well as Chicken and steak menu.
The restaurant's 5 best dishes are known to be the Tour of Italy, Zeppoli, Chicken Marsala, Eggplant Parmigiana, and the Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara. The most recommended dish by servers is the Tour of Italy, which is considered to be the best value dish in the restaurant. Tour of Italy consists of a serving of fetuccine Alfredo, lasagna classico, and chicken parmigiana. And of course, complimentary and bottomless house salad and breadsticks.
Does Olive Garden Have Desserts?
Yes, Olive Garden has a rich dessert menu consisting of Tiramisu (the most popular), Warm Italian Doughnuts, Black Tie Mousse Cake, Sicilian Cheesecake, Chocolate Brownie Lasagna, and Sicilian Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping.
Olive Garden's Tiramisu is its most popular dessert, which is a classic Italian dessert consisting of a chocolatey, creamy, sponge cake with a little hint of caffeine.
What Can You Drink in Olive Garden?
Olive Garden offers a large variety of drinks, from coffee to wine, to cocktails. Their coffee menu includes classics such as cappuccinos, lattes, and macchiatos. They also offer herbal and fruit teas, fountain drinks, fruit juices, smoothies, freshly brewed iced tea, and lemonade.
For happy hour, the restaurant offers wine, Porta Vita Rosato, and for their wine menu, they have Pinot Girgo Cavit, Pink Moscato, Rose Head to Head, and Sauvignon Blanc Starborough. Cocktails are also served, with the Watermelon Margarita its most popular drink.
Olive Garden has a designated kids' menu, which are dishes made for kids ages 12 years old and below. The menu consists of pasta with different sauces kids can choose from, as well as a kid's serving of macaroni and cheese, and a sundae for dessert.
Yes, you can order Olive Garden's menu online. The restaurant developed its very own app called, ToGo, where customers can order from the vast menu, pay the amount, and either have the food delivered to their doorstep or for curbside pickup.
When registering on the app, ToGo will look for the nearest Olive Garden branch near you. Once you've chosen the restaurant location, simply browse through the menu, choose your order, pay the total amount, and choose whether you want delivery or curbside pickup. You can also order through GrubHub, and Uber Eats, which the restaurant has partnered with.
Where Can You Find an Olive Garden Restaurant?
There are over 900 branches of Olive Garden worldwide. These branches are found mainly in the US, with other branches found in Guam, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Spain, UAE, Kuwait, Panama, France, Italy, Aruba, and the Philippines. As of September 2022, there are 876 branches of Olive Garden in the US.
What are the Opening Hours of Olive Garden?
Olive Garden's opening hours in the US are from 11 am to 11 pm, with their breakfast menu served only until 10 pm. However, opening hours may differ depending on its location in other countries.