The eternal dilemma of Olive Garden‘s Never Ending Pasta Bowl special is that your stomach can only take so much before you get a chance to eat all of the pasta offerings. But there is a workaround according to one former Olive garden server.
In a video posted on July 23, TikToker @authorofmanymuses tells her viewers that every first portion in the promotion for the bowl is a full-sized portion of pasta and sauce and each subsequent serving comes in a small bowl containing a “refill” sized portion.
@authorofmanymuses #stitch with @Taco reacts #neverendingpastabowl #olivegarden #restauranthacks ♬ original sound – AOMM
But, customers are not required to start with a large portion, she says.
”You can order a refill size for your first portion,” she tells viewers. “That way you don’t fill up as fast.”
“You can maybe even get a chance to try the two or three or four different varieties before you fill up,” she continues.
In the video, which now has over 62,000 views , @authorofmanymuses says that “as somebody who worked there for seven years,” she remembers a button on the point-of-service system that allows servers to substitute the refill size as the first portion.
She also goes on to suggest that customers start with a red sauce such as the Traditional Marinara or Traditional Meat sauce rather than the creamier Alfredo sauce to avoid filling up too fast. The Daily Dot has reached out to @authorofmanymuses via TikTok for further comment.
Although some viewers commented with their thanks for the hack some were incredulous about eating multiple bowls of pasta in one sitting to begin with.
“Bruh how y’all eating multiple bowls of pasta,” one commenter wrote. “I’m a 6 foot 215-pound man… that’s insane people eat that much.”
Olive Garden is not currently offering the Never Ending Pasta Bowl but the promotion has returned to the stores many times in the 25 years since it was first offered. The Bowls were brought back for a limited time in October of last year so a new promo may very well be back before the year is over.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Olive Garden via email for further statement.
@authorofmanymuses is apparently shocked to find out that the deal is not at Olive Garden as a regular menu item anymore. In response to a comment saying as much she responds, “HOLD UP WHAT NOW. *looks it up and IS SHOOK.* HOW DID I MISS THIS?! TWO YEARS AGO?!”