Mary Scrantin
Are you a fan of Olive Gardens cooking? Are you obsessed over the menu’s Shrimp Scampi? Or is it the toasted ravioli? We’ll understand if your favorite item is Zuppa Toscana, damn that soup sure stands out.
People have so much love for Olive Garden’s menus and by the look of things, we’re about to love it even More. We have some fun facts about Olive Garden that’ll intensify your love for them. Get ready to book that table as we spill these incredible facts about OG!
Breaking The First Step Of Pasta 101
At OG, they keep breaking the number one rule of making pasta. They do not salt their pasta water. They skip this process because they want their pot to last longer.
However, this became a very big issue in 2014 after being called out for prioritizing their pots over their customers. But it seems that their customers don’t mind because they keep trooping in for a taste of OG pasta.
Olive Garden First Broke Out In 1982 in Orlando, FL
Having its big break in 1982, with 145 locations seven years later. Olive Garden quickly surpassed its sister restaurant Red Lobster. Today, Olive Garden has about 915 Olive Garden restaurants in 52 territories and 745 cities in the United States.
Texas is the state and territory with the most number of Olive Garden locations having 108 restaurants. That’s roughly about 12% of all Olive Garden restaurants in the US. That’s why OG remains the best in the game.
Olive Garden Has Changed Its Logo Five Times
Well, the OG logo going through five changes is quite understandable. They’ve been around for several years. It’s only normal that they rebrand and change their logos as the world is evolving.
The first logo was casual, nothing over the top. It was just a cursive font you’d find on an 80s greeting card. A typical 80s font!
A New Soup For A New Day
All Olive Gardens soups are freshly made each morning. All the signature soups like Pasta e Fagiolo, Chicken and Gnocchi, Minestrone, and the fan’s favorite Zuppa Toscana are all freshly made.
An employee told Popsugar that these soups are all made by hand and from scratch every morning using ingredients like Kale, Pepper, and Squash. For a sold-out restaurant, this is a hundred percent expected.
Olive Garden Has A Never-Ending Pasta Pass And It’s So Popular
There’s this thing they do at OG, where you can get a card that grants you unlimited plates of Italian noodles for like two months.
Listen, these pasta passes are so insanely popular and are highly coveted. Of course, people would do anything to have this powerful card. And once they get it? They get to resell for as much as $900. That’s just mindblowing.
They Listen And Give The Best Dating Advice
Don’t be surprised to know that Olive Garden is your love life’s biggest cheerleader. They want nothing but for your love life to flourish. I mean a happy customer will keep coming back.
They started this Twitter (X) hashtag #AskAlfredo where people can share their romantic issues and also get to ask the pasta-fueled Dear Abbey love questions.
The Bread Sticks Makes The Perfect Pizza
After Logan Guleff, MasterChef Junior, a 13-year-old won the season of the show, brought up the best ideas that have now become one of the restaurant’s bestsellers.
The favorite buttery garlic bread was reimagined into a crostini. They are used for meatballs and also serve as crusts for Olive Gardens pepperoni pizza.
They Have Old Italian Street Snacks On Their Menu
Everyone knows the fan favorite Piadina. the Olive Garden loves to refer to it as a richer and cheesier quesadilla. It’s not something OG made entirely out of thin air.
The piadina which is also known as Piada is a century-old Italian snack. This yummy snack will take you down memory lane with its flaky crust, savory stuffings, and lots of cheese. They aren’t one of the best Italian restaurants for no reason.
The Restaurant’s Most Popular Menu Item Will Shock You
The most popular menu item has to be Chicken Alfredo. Let’s all act like we’re surprised. Another best-selling dish at OG is the Shrimp Scampi. Despite having so much flavor it’s shocking to believe that its entire entree is just 500 calories!
And out of all the noodle options, the guests at OG prefer the Fettuccine noodles. Talking about pasta toppings, the grilled chicken takes the crown.
You Can Get Olive Garden To Cater For Your Party
Trust Olive Garden to be interested in everything that makes you happy. And of course, the OG team offers delivery for large weddings, birthday parties, and family dinners. And yes! Be rest assured that your package comes with breadsticks.
As long as you order up to a certain amount of food, your package will include lasagna, chicken Parmigiana, and chicken masala combos. Available to those in the US and Canada.
You Can Easily Buy Olive Garden’s Signature Italian Dressing
Good News! You can now easily purchase the insanely popular Olive Garden soup, salad, and breadstick lunch package. Have you ever had to come down to the restaurant to get yourself a bowl? All that has changed and you can easily get one at a store near you.
Or to save you all that stress, you can make the infamous Italian dressing with the recipe available online. Just do your thing and have a blast!
OG Is Your Go-To Spot For New Year’s Eve
The Olive Garden at the Times Square location is the bomb. Although the price tag to reserve a table is quite hefty, worry not! You get to celebrate New Year’s Eve with thousands of other people.
You get a bottomless buffet and a three-bar serving free drinks all night. Oh, you also get to dance to the DJ’s tunes from 8 pm to 1 am. A perfect way to enter the new year.
You Get A Free Gift On Your Big Day
There’s nothing more beautiful than celebrating your birthday, just trust the OG team to make you feel special on this day.
You get to enjoy lots of freebies ranging from a mozzarella stick to complimentary brownie sundaes. Just reserve a table and let your server know it’s your day then you’ll get your “Happy Birthday Song”.
They Can Provide Gluten-Free Pasta Upon Request
The OG team’s joy is to make sure you enjoy your meal. Their servers are ready to work on any dietary restrictions.
They are more than happy to ask about any allergy concerns. You can order gluten-free noodles that are imported from Italy and are made with corn and rice flour.
Employees Enjoy Amazing Discounts
As an employee of OG, you get to enjoy some benefits. Such as an advantage of the $1 unlimited soups, salads, and breadsticks.
You also get to order food before, during, and after your shift at a whopping 50 percent discount. A whole 50% off.
The Restaurant Is Kid Friendly
At OG Italian Restaurant, they went as far as designing a coloring app for kids. When other kids are stuck with crayons and drawing pencils, the kids at OH have leveled up with a 3D game for kids.
The kids can keep themselves busy with this game while waiting for their food.
The Olive Garden Is Getting Better At The Pot-Pie Game
Olive Garden knows how to make everything taste better. This time, they have given the chicken pot pie an Italian-American twist. The Italiano Nonna’s Kitchen Sink lets you savor the entire taste in one bite.
The dish is loaded with lots of cheese, ziti, Italian sausage, mini meatballs, and meat sauce. Also, the Italian Chicken Broccoli has a blend of cavatappi pasta, alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, broccoli, and Italian cheese all tied up in a savory pie crust.
You Can Get A Discount On Gift Card Purchases
Although you have to spend a certain amount of money to get this deal. Spend between $500 and $900 to get a 5% discount.
Go for $1000 or more and you’ll get yourself a 10% discount. How amazing!
Olive Garden Has A Cooking School In Italy
The Olive Garden Culinary Institute Of Tuscany is real. After so many people doubted the authenticity of the school’s existence, CNN took it upon themselves to find out if it was true or not.
Well, the OG school has been in existence since 1999 and has held authentic Italian cooking classes for 100s of the world’s best chefs every year.
These Olive Garden Facts Make Them More Of A Fan Fav!
Imagine how often people go to buy stuff at Olive Garden even without knowing these life-changing facts. Now with all this information out there, their customers are sure to remain loyal and thrilled.
The secrets about the freshly made homemade soups, the employee discount, the all-year-round free passes, the culinary school in Italy, and many more are about to make them an even bigger fan fave!
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