These Olive Garden Secret Facts Might Surprise – But Not In The Way You Think

Some people think of Olive Garden as just another “fake Italian” chain restaurant that feeds on customers’ appetites for refined carbs and sugars. But to other people, Olive Garden is so much more than unlimited salad, soup, and breadsticks.

And while casual fast dining seems to be on the decline, Olive Garden made itself a staple for prom dinners, first dates, and family celebrations. The chain is here to stay.

So you might as well get caught up on the Olive Garden secrets facts. Chances are you’ll be headed there soon anyway.

1. Each bread basket is filled with a specific number of breadsticks. 

Olive Garden is forcing diners to split that last breadstick. 

Olive Garden does have a policy on how many breadsticks come in each basket. Servers are asked to bring one stick per person plus one extra stick in your first basket, according to one Redditor who used to work there. The second basket, however, should only contain enough breadsticks so that each person gets only one. Since when does “unlimited” mean “but kind of limited”?

2. Very few chefs actually attend Olive Garden’s “Culinary Institute” in Tuscany. 

The lucky ones who did make it, however, went on to open their own restaurants. 

Olive Garden often boasts about its prestigious Culinary Institute of Tuscany. But skeptics (myself included) are wondering if it’s actually a thing or just an advertising gimmick to lure in customers. According to CNN, the institute is real, but it’s not exactly what viewers imagined.

Instead, the institute (which is located within the Riserva di Fizzano, a bed-and-breakfast) invites 100 of the best-performing Olive Garden chefs and managers to spend 11 weeks with executive chef Romana Neri. In its off-season, the Riserva di Fizzano’s restaurant serves traditional Tuscan fare to the public.

That sounds pretty legit.

But Reddit user Fidelia079 (a former Olive Garden employee) claims the Culinary Institute is nothing but a glorified sightseeing tour. “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,” Fidelia079 writes. “They paid for everything from meals, sightseeing, flight, everything except souvenirs. But in return, they sent pre-written articles to our local newspaper with fake quotes from me and a group photo.”

3. The food is mostly frozen. 

But, soups and pasta are made in-house. 

Frozen desserts, so what? That’s not so bad. At least Olive Garden chefs are cooking the important stuff as it’s ordered. I do wonder if the ravioli is made in-house, though. I know ravioli is technically a pasta, but it’s filled. So are Olive Garden chefs making their own ravioli shells?

“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,” a representative for Olive Garden told Popsugar.

4. The microwave is reserved for heating dipping sauces and desserts. 

Everything else is either pan-fried, deep-fried, or grilled.

Thankfully, Olive Garden has a strict policy when it comes to reheating or microwaving entrees. According to Reddit user SellinThings, the microwave is for heating dipping sauces and warming desserts – that’s it! Pro tip: If you’re reheating Olive Garden leftovers at home, try wrapping the breadsticks in a damp paper towel.

5. You can ask for frozen mints. 

They’re superior in taste. 

If you’ve ever been to Olive Garden, then you know that each table receives a few chocolate mints with their check. Apparently, there are boxes and boxes of these things stacked in the freezer and you can request frozen mints before the meal is over, making for a doubly-refreshing treat.

6. You can purchase Olive Garden salad dressing by the bottle. 

But it’s full of salt and sugar. 

Olive Garden’s salad dressing is almost suspiciously delicious — probably because it’s loaded with salt, fat, and sugar. One serving (2 tbsp.) of OG salad dressing contains 520 mg of sodium. That’s the equivalent to one-half of a Big Mac (1,007 mg). There is a “light” version, but it’s filled with salt, too –440 milligrams, to be exact.

7. The breadsticks come from a bakery in Chicago. 

It’s called Turano Baking Company. 

According to Darden Restaurants, Inc., Turano Baking Co. supplies all of the Olive Garden restaurants in the Midwest region with breadsticks. If you’re interested in making your own Olive Garden breadsticks at home, you can purchase a bag of Turano Baking Soft Gourmet Breadsticks online. Season with garlic salt, top with butter, and bake.

8. The “house specialty wine” isn’t that bad. 

In 2018, Olive Garden launched its very own brand of house rosé. 

According to Darden Digest, Olive Garden’s house rosé is called Head to Head Rosé and was created by Giulia and Andrea Zingarelli of the Rocca delle Macíe winery in Tuscany.

“Rosé is trending now,” says Robyn Albert, director of beverage strategy at Olive Garden.

“We wanted to launch our new wine in summer because rosés are refreshing in hot weather. And bringing in Giulia, a female millennial herself, made for a perfect partnership to develop the new wine.”

9. Salad and breadsticks are for paying customers only. 

Those delicious, salt-covered breadsticks aren’t exactly free. 

Sorry, but servers won’t bring you breadsticks just because you’re sitting at one of their tables. You apparently have to order something (an entree or an appetizer) beforehand. Only then will you receive your “free” salad and breadsticks.

I mean, that makes sense.

Who are we to expect Olive Garden employees to allow us the enjoyment of gorging on bread without ordering an actual meal?

10. When Olive Garden says it’s gluten-free, it’s truly gluten-free. 

Olive Garden doesn’t kid around when it comes to celiac allergies.  

No restaurant should take gluten allergies lightly. While some waiters at other restaurants may roll their eyes whenever a customer asks for a gluten-free dish, Olive Garden servers take it to heart. And they should! A person with celiac disease can experience stomach pain, vomiting, bloating, chronic diarrhea, among other symptoms if they accidentally ingest gluten.

11. The kitchen staff is highly-trained and disciplined. 

If you’re not a “real” chef, don’t bother applying to Olive Garden. 

Thankfully, Olive Garden knows what it’s doing when it comes to cooking. According to Reddit user SellinThings, the food is checked each and every hour between the lunch and dinner shift. Temperatures are also recorded and ingredients are tasted individually without the possibility of cross-contamination. This is because each sauce and cheese is sampled with fresh gloves and spoons.

12. Olive Garden has a strict three-table maximum for servers. 

If you see open tables while you’re waiting to be seated, that’s why. 

If you’ve ever waited tables, this rule definitely makes sense. According to Reddit user SellinThings, waiters are only allowed to have three tables at a time. I used to work at an IHOP, and let me tell you, the breakfast shift is NO JOKE.

So Olive Garden is actually doing its customers a solid on this one.

After all, no one wants a server who’s overwhelmed. That’s a recipe for (unintentional) poor service and a potentially terrible experience.

13. If you’re looking for a bargain, get the Unlimited Soup and Salad Combo. 

You can choose from any of the four soups and switch from bowl-to-bowl. 

Customers can enjoy unlimited freshly-baked breadsticks, garden fresh salad, and homemade soup (choose from Zuppa Toscana, Pasta E Fagioli, Minestrone, and Chicken Gnocchi) for just $6.99. If you’re there during dinnertime, and you have the never-ending pasta pass, you can enjoy endless combinations of pasta, toppings, and sauces. (Plus, unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks!)

14. Olive Garden never, ever reuses uneaten breadsticks. 

Hopefully, all restaurants follow this rule.

I can’t say I haven’t wondered whether or not my chips/breadsticks were at someone else’s table before mine. (You have to wonder, right?) Thankfully, Reddit user SellinThings has confirmed that the restaurant definitely doesn’t reuse their breadsticks. Bonus: If you work there, you can eat as many breadsticks as you’d like, all day, every day.

15. Olive Garden started in Florida. 

The very first Olive Garden was opened in 1982 in Orlando, Florida. 

Olive Garden began as a unit of General Mills, Inc. The very first restaurant was opened in 1982 in Orlando, Florida. Customers were so impressed, the restaurant expanded. And by 1989, there were more than 145 Olive Gardens in the nation.

Fun fact:

Did you know Red Lobster and Olive Garden are owned by the same company?