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The popular bottomless meal deal returned in October 2022 after a three-year, pandemic-prompted hiatus. Though more expensive than ever before—the price shot up by $3 to start at $13.99—the limited-time promotion nevertheless boosted traffic and sales at America's largest Italian-themed chain during a tricky time for many restaurants. Its success helped push Olive Garden to over $4.
Abundant? Absolutely. For the uninitiated, the deal gives you unlimited refills of a select number of menu options. These include four pastas, five sauces, and for an additional $4.99 fee, three types of meat. You can mix and match any combination from that same list for as long as your appetite holds up. Moreover, you also get as many servings of the restaurant's famously endless soup, salad, and breadsticks, as you want, as well.
Since I ordered this one first, it arrived in a standard-looking, shallow serving bowl, measuring about 10 inches in diameter . Using a kitchen scale, I weighed the bowl both before and after eating. Based on these measurements, we're talking about roughly 20 ounces of food in an initial serving with meat .: A hefty but not entirely intimidating portion of pasta and protein to start.
While it claims to serve"Italian food," Olive Garden is an American restaurant, plain and simple. And arguably no dish better representsin general like the ubiquitous spaghetti and meatballs. So, of course, I had to see how America's biggest Italian-inspired chain presents this American-invented mainstay with the usual marinara as my chosen sauce. I ordered this one as my first order upon my second visit.Another plentiful heap, this one almost entirely red.