Olive Garden’s practices might surprise you beyond its famously endless breadsticks and pasta bowls. At the heart of this Italian-themed eatery lies a series of questionable business habits that impact both the kitchen and the dining room. For instance, the kitchen sometimes skips adding salt to pasta water, aiming to save on costs, but this doesn’t stop them from serving sodium-heavy dishes overall.
Surprisingly, many menu favorites owe their consistency to pre-prepped pasta and careful microwave management. Breadsticks, often seen as a highlight, hide their own secrets, balancing nostalgia and mass production techniques. Even the celebrated salad and cheese offerings aren’t as fresh and authentic as they might seem, revealing a gap between perception and reality.
Olive Garden’s approach to ingredients raises eyebrows further, with hidden allergens and inconsistent handling of gluten. Concerns extend to how they manage these factors, along with secretive practices that might leave some diners questioning their meal’s true quality. These revelations paint a complex picture of a restaurant chain where the allure of endless meals comes with unexpected angles.
