Olive Garden is launching a new menu offering, and for a limited time, guests will be able to score a Never Ending Pasta Bowl.
The deal goes live on Monday, August 25, when the Never Ending Pasta Bowl returns at the same price of $13.99.
Why It Matters
As restaurants face higher costs and consumers reel in spending, brands that are able to keep prices low or offer seasonal deals and new menu items for guests may benefit financially.
What To Know
Olive Garden is offering the same price of $13.99 for its Never Ending Pasta Bowl. The price hasn’t changed since 2022, the Italian restaurant chain said in a new release.
The deal goes live on Monday and includes unlimited pasta, plus endless soup or salad and breadsticks for the same price the fourth year in a row.
However, there is one update to the deal this year. Guests will be able to choose the Spicy Three-Meat Sauce for their pasta, which features a blend of chili flakes, cherry peppers, red bell pepper, pepperoni, red wine, garlic and herbs and homemade meat sauce.
The Never Ending Pasta Bowl will be available until November 16, allowing diners to mix and match up to 96 possible flavor combinations.
This includes:
- Pastas: Fettuccine, Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Rigatoni
- Homemade Sauces: Spicy Three-Meat Sauce, Alfredo, Meat Sauce, Five Cheese Marinara, Traditional Marinara, Creamy Mushroom
- Endless toppings (add for $4.99): Crispy Chicken Fritta, Meatballs, Italian Sausage
Olive Garden’s eClub members gained early access to the deal on Monday, August 18.
What People Are Saying
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “Whenever you see the phrase ‘never ending’ attached to a food item, it signals a calculated bet by the restaurant—with plenty of fine print attached. The real play isn’t just the pasta; it’s to get people in the door. Once customers are seated, restaurants aim to upsell drinks, appetizers, or desserts, which boost margins far more than the headline offer.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “Over the last few months, there have been a flurry of offers from restaurants trying to get customers to walk back through their doors after a few quarters declining foot traffic and sales. The issue, as with most consumer-based decisions, are inflationary pressures that have pushed dining prices higher over the last few years, and the result has largely been customers favoring dining at home to save money over going out. A never-ending pasta deal is yet another attempt to get customers’ attention in the hopes they’ll come back and start spending money with Olive Garden.”
What Happens Next
As the restaurant industry continues to struggle with higher costs and shrinking margins, Thompson said the Never Ending Pasta Bowl deal is likely to get customers into the door, where they are likely to purchase other items as well.
“Consumers, too, are feeling squeezed by inflation,” Thompson said. “A ‘never ending’ pasta dish feels like a bargain, but making it a limited-time offer taps into scarcity, creating urgency and driving short-term traffic.”
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