11 Secrets Olive Garden Servers Aren’t Allowed to Share, Former Employees Say

Ever wonder what really goes down behind those kitchen doors while you’re munching on endless breadsticks? Olive Garden has perfected the art of family-style Italian American dining since opening in 1982. The chain serves hundreds of millions of breadsticks every year and has built a loyal following. Yet former servers and employees have stories that might change how you see your next visit. Here are the insider secrets that rarely make it to your table.

The Breadsticks Aren’t Really Unlimited Until You Order

Servers aren’t technically allowed to bring out breadsticks until an order has been placed, though some locations let you have the first basket before ordering. If workers catch someone sneaking breadsticks into their bags to take home, they won’t provide free refills anymore, as the free breadsticks are meant to enhance your dining experience, not for a free takeaway. You must order an entrée and be dining in to get free breadsticks, meaning ordering only appetizers or items from the kids’ menu won’t grant you the free unlimited bread. This policy exists because too many people tried gaming the system, showing up just for carbs without actually buying a meal.

There’s a Strict Formula for Breadstick Distribution

If there are four people in your party, your server is typically expected to give each person at the table one breadstick, with the only exception being your first complimentary breadstick basket. Your first basket actually contains five breadsticks instead of four because that extra breadstick isn’t a mistake, it’s a complimentary procedure to make you feel more welcome and encourage you to spend more money. According to investors, breadsticks began to deteriorate in quality after sitting on the table for just seven minutes. This tighter control came after a hedge fund criticized the chain in 2014 for wasteful breadstick practices.

The Famous Italian Training in Tuscany Was Basically a Vacation

Olive Garden claimed it sends employees to a prestigious cooking school in Tuscany, Italy, to master Italian cuisine, though former server Dana Anquoe who worked at the chain until 2015 says the Culinary Institute of Tuscany wasn’t exactly a boot camp for breadstick artisans. A former manager shared it was more like a hotel during the off-season with a restaurant on site where they would use the restaurant as a classroom for maybe an hour and talk about spices or fresh produce before going site seeing all day, so it wasn’t a cooking school at all but rather a vacation for chefs to get a small taste of Italy. Current server Marshall Owens says he’s never heard of that happening. The whole thing sounds more like a corporate retreat with wine than actual culinary training.

There Are No Real Chefs in the Kitchen

The kitchen is staffed with line cooks who do all the food handling and cooking, and while cooks and chefs are two different things, line cooks do some basic cooking but they aren’t crafting recipes or whipping up pasta from scratch. This makes sense when you realize most items come prepared or frozen. A former employee confirmed that the food is mostly frozen and all of the desserts are frozen, while the meats are frozen which shouldn’t be a surprise since you can’t expect fresh meats every day. Still, The signature soups are made by hand and from scratch every morning using fresh, whole ingredients such as kale, peppers, and squash. So at least something’s being made fresh daily.

Unlimited Soup and Salad Customers Are Servers’ Least Favorite

Servers find it annoying because customers have low tabs and servers run constantly for them while customers just give tips based on their tab, with the unlimited soup and salad combo costing around eight dollars at lunch, meaning a ten percent tip would be eighty cents even though servers are constantly refilling and doing more work. The amount of refilling is reportedly exhausting, not to mention the bill for these meals usually runs so low that servers aren’t tipped sufficiently after running back and forth to replenish countless bowls. One employee from Memphis noted they averaged seven miles inside the Olive Garden every shift. Imagine walking that distance just to earn pennies in tips because someone wanted endless salad.

Your Salad Is Customized Based on Party Size

The number of olives, tomatoes, and other ingredients on your salad is directly impacted by the amount of people at your table. All salads are hand-tossed, meaning if one wants to customize their salad, they can simply ask their server and ingredients will be added or omitted upon request. Olive Garden’s system also dictates the weight of each salad depending on the party size, as well as the number of breadsticks patrons receive. So if you’re hoping for a mountain of black olives, bring more friends. Otherwise you’re getting the bare minimum based on corporate formulas.

They Don’t Salt the Pasta Water

Olive Garden doesn’t add salt to the boiling water because some former employees claim the pasta water isn’t heavily salted to protect equipment, though sauces add plenty of flavor, though considering the sauces and other goodies tossed with pasta you probably can’t tell the difference. Any Italian grandmother would be horrified by this shortcut. It’s basically a culinary crime dressed up as a business decision.

The Never Ending Pasta Bowl Barely Makes Money

In past promotions, the starting price for Never Ending Pasta Bowl has been just over thirteen dollars, with preference being strong and refill rates reaching a record high. Olive Garden has likely done the math regarding how many patrons will actually eat significantly more than thirteen dollars of pasta, with some eating a lot but on average it works out in their favor because the chain purchases so much pasta they likely have a very strong relationship with pasta suppliers. Olive Garden is one of the biggest Italian restaurant chains with nearly five billion dollars in annual revenue and slim profit margins around two to three percent. The deal exists to get people in the door who then order drinks, appetizers, and desserts where the real money gets made.

Most Servers Will Sneak You Free To-Go Breadsticks

According to current employee Enrique Macias, most servers will sneak you free breadsticks to go if you ask nicely, as they routinely did this and it was an easy way to make people happy. Servers aren’t allowed to package up a basket of breadsticks even with the unlimited deal, but there is a way to get some to go. The trick is being polite and asking at the right moment. Servers have some wiggle room with policies, especially when it comes to keeping customers happy. Just don’t be the person stuffing breadsticks into your purse during the meal.

The Restaurant Uses Colored Bandages to Prevent Contamination

Workers weren’t even allowed to wear a beige or light-skinned color bandage for fear it would fall off and into food since they made their own salads and soups and some desserts, so they had bright red bandages that employees had to wear at work to ensure it would be seen. Multiple employees confirmed it was the cleanest kitchen of any restaurant they’d ever seen and they were honestly shocked. This kind of attention to detail is actually reassuring. At least you know if something falls into your food, it’ll be impossible to miss a bright red bandage floating in your Alfredo sauce.

You Can Split Checks to Use Multiple Coupons

Olive Garden’s system only allows one coupon per bill, but there’s a simple workaround by splitting the check, as the system only lets servers apply one coupon per transaction, so if multiple diners have rewards or coupons they should ask for separate checks, and some servers will be nice and do it automatically though it’s better to ask up front. This is one of those menu hacks that servers wish more people knew about. It requires a bit of extra math on everyone’s part. Still, when it means doubling your discounts or getting everyone’s rewards applied, it’s absolutely worth the minor inconvenience.