I went to Olive Garden, and found huge bowls of pasta and endless breadsticks are more appealing than ever in the age of constant shortages

Mary MeisenzahlOct 3, 2021, 19:13 IST

Patrons enter an Olive Garden Restaurant.Steve Helber/AP Photo

Olive Garden same-store sales are up over 2019 levels.
Casual dining is having a resurgence, benefitting chains like Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse.
On a recent visit, I found a Rochester, New York location to be as comforting and delicious as ever.

Olive Garden and casual chain dining are having a resurgence right now as customers return.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I visited a location in Rochester, New York for the first time in years to see why the chain is having such a moment.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

A huge banner outside advertising open positions showed that Olive Garden is dealing with the same tight labor market as the rest of the restaurant industry.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: Insider

A sign on the door advertised to-go options, which became key to restaurants' survival in 2020 and now make up 27% of sales, parent company Darden said in a September earnings call.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

A sign on the door advertised to-go options, which became key to restaurants' survival in 2020 and now make up 27% of sales, parent company Darden said in a September earnings call.

Inside, Olive Garden looked exactly as a remembered it, in what the chain calls a "Tuscan Farmhouse" style.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The instantly recognizable style consists of stone facades, wood details, columns, and archways.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Ceiling beams and doorways throughout the restaurant make it feel more intimate and cozy, breaking up the large building into smaller, quieter spaces.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I've never been to Italy, so I can't say the design reminds me of any particular region, but it instantly feels like Olive Garden when I walk inside.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

A huge part of the middle of the restaurant is taken up by the bar, which was mostly empty when I visited, while seating areas were more full.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The bar area seemed to be serving as a makeshift bussing station.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Wine plays a huge part in the restaurant's decor, with a wall decorated with bottles.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Walls are also decorated throughout with prints of Italian scenes.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Taking the theme extremely literally, tables are divided by faux olive trees.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We walked past all the Olive Garden-core stone facades and walls of wine to get to a table in the back of the restaurant. Even though it was fairly busy for a weeknight, we were seated right away.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We walked past all the Olive Garden-core stone facades and walls of wine to get to a table in the back of the restaurant. Even though it was fairly busy for a weeknight, we were seated right away.

Olive Garden's menus got smaller in the last year, like at many other chains to reduce complexity and make preparation faster.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Darden CEO Gene Lee called it a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to cut menus across the board.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: FSR

Despite cuts, all the classics you'd expect from Olive Garden were still there: chicken parm, fettuccine alfredo, unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, and create your own pasta.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Despite cuts, all the classics you'd expect from Olive Garden were still there: chicken parm, fettuccine alfredo, unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, and create your own pasta.

Almost immediately after sitting down, the waitress brought over the real star: breadsticks.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

They're greasy, warm, and soft on the inside - just as good as I remembered them, and immediately made the visit worthwhile.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

They only came in baskets of three at a time, but that didn't stop us. We polished off the first basket quickly, maybe embarrassingly so.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

For an appetizer, we decided to lean into the breadsticks with the $4.99 unlimited dipping sauces.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We started out with a classic marinara, which was a great complement to the breadsticks.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I wanted to test out the drink menu, too, so I ordered a berry sangria.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I thought it was delicious and fairly large for the $6.50 price tag.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

My fiance ordered a glass of wine, which was inexpensive and "fine" in his review.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Drinks were served from this station near our table, which had a few dozen bottles of wine and a wine fridge.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Both entrees came with the option of a soup or salad. My fiance went with the house salad, which came in this gigantic serving bowl.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Olive Garden servers will also grate cheese on just about anything you order, which we took full advantage of.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I opted for the chicken gnocchi soup, with extra cheese.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The soup was so creamy and satisfying that I almost regretted not choosing the unlimited soup and salad for my entree.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

While we ate our soups and salads, the breadsticks kept coming.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We chose the alfredo dipping sauce for the next round.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

By this point, we were both starting to slow down after several rounds of breadsticks, plus heavy sauces and soup.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We powered through, though, because our entrees came out a few minutes later.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I ordered the create your own pasta with rigatoni, five-cheese marinara, and topped with meatballs.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Of course, I topped it with more grated cheese.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Once I started eating it, I was glad I got the pasta. It was hearty and familiar, perfect for a cool, rainy fall day.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

My fiance went for the peak Olive Garden experience with the Tour of Italy, which includes chicken parmesan, fettuccine Alfredo, and lasagna.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

A plate full of cheesy carbs, it was exactly what you expect when you walk into Olive Garden.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Predictably, we soon had to give up our aspirations of finishing this huge meal.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It's nearly impossible to pace yourself with breadsticks and save room for your meal, but why would you need to? You can always bring it home with you.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The large servings, particularly the Tour of Italy, don't even seem intended to be eaten in one sitting.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Our waitress brought us to-go boxes to pack up our food, including the remaining breadsticks.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

They reheated great for lunch the next day.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

When it was time to pay, the server directed us to the small tablet on the table which had an itemized bill and the option to split the check, call over the server, or order more food.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

When it was time to pay, the server directed us to the small tablet on the table which had an itemized bill and the option to split the check, call over the server, or order more food.

The entire meal came out to $59 before tip.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Business has picked for Olive Garden after a slow down earlier in the pandemic.

Irene Jiang / Business Insider

Same-store sales are up over 37% at Olive Garden, Darden reported in its most recent earnings call, and monthly visits have been hovering around 2019 levels and even surpassing them, Placer.ai found.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: Placer.ai

Same-store sales are up over 37% at Olive Garden, Darden reported in its most recent earnings call, and monthly visits have been hovering around 2019 levels and even surpassing them, Placer.ai found.

Just a few years ago, full-service chains like Olive Garden were on the decline, with criticisms from investors and customers alike.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: Insider

Now, with a pared down one-page menu and a focus on the things that made it popular - huge, reasonably priced servings of pasta and breadsticks - Olive Garden feels relevant again.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Now, with a pared down one-page menu and a focus on the things that made it popular - huge, reasonably priced servings of pasta and breadsticks - Olive Garden feels relevant again.

Though there are shortages of foods, materials, and just about everything else right now, you'd never know it inside Olive Garden, where you'll see mountains of pasta and endless breadsticks. It feels indulgent and comforting, ideal for this moment.

Olive Garden sales are up. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

Though there are shortages of foods, materials, and just about everything else right now, you'd never know it inside Olive Garden, where you'll see mountains of pasta and endless breadsticks. It feels indulgent and comforting, ideal for this moment.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

TGI Fridays says its burgers taste better if you eat them upside down. I put this to the test.

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I went to Olive Garden, and found huge bowls of pasta and endless breadsticks are more appealing than ever in the age of constant shortages

Olive Garden and casual chain dining are having a resurgence right now as customers return.

I visited a location in Rochester, New York for the first time in years to see why the chain is having such a moment.

A huge banner outside advertising open positions showed that Olive Garden is dealing with the same tight labor market as the rest of the restaurant industry.

A sign on the door advertised to-go options, which became key to restaurants' survival in 2020 and now make up 27% of sales, parent company Darden said in a September earnings call.

Inside, Olive Garden looked exactly as a remembered it, in what the chain calls a "Tuscan Farmhouse" style.

The instantly recognizable style consists of stone facades, wood details, columns, and archways.

Ceiling beams and doorways throughout the restaurant make it feel more intimate and cozy, breaking up the large building into smaller, quieter spaces.

I've never been to Italy, so I can't say the design reminds me of any particular region, but it instantly feels like Olive Garden when I walk inside.

A huge part of the middle of the restaurant is taken up by the bar, which was mostly empty when I visited, while seating areas were more full.

The bar area seemed to be serving as a makeshift bussing station.

Wine plays a huge part in the restaurant's decor, with a wall decorated with bottles.

Walls are also decorated throughout with prints of Italian scenes.

Taking the theme extremely literally, tables are divided by faux olive trees.

We walked past all the Olive Garden-core stone facades and walls of wine to get to a table in the back of the restaurant. Even though it was fairly busy for a weeknight, we were seated right away.

Olive Garden's menus got smaller in the last year, like at many other chains to reduce complexity and make preparation faster.

Darden CEO Gene Lee called it a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to cut menus across the board.

Despite cuts, all the classics you'd expect from Olive Garden were still there: chicken parm, fettuccine alfredo, unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, and create your own pasta.

Almost immediately after sitting down, the waitress brought over the real star: breadsticks.

They're greasy, warm, and soft on the inside - just as good as I remembered them, and immediately made the visit worthwhile.

They only came in baskets of three at a time, but that didn't stop us. We polished off the first basket quickly, maybe embarrassingly so.

For an appetizer, we decided to lean into the breadsticks with the $4.99 unlimited dipping sauces.

We started out with a classic marinara, which was a great complement to the breadsticks.

I wanted to test out the drink menu, too, so I ordered a berry sangria.

I thought it was delicious and fairly large for the $6.50 price tag.

My fiance ordered a glass of wine, which was inexpensive and "fine" in his review.

Drinks were served from this station near our table, which had a few dozen bottles of wine and a wine fridge.

Both entrees came with the option of a soup or salad. My fiance went with the house salad, which came in this gigantic serving bowl.

Olive Garden servers will also grate cheese on just about anything you order, which we took full advantage of.

I opted for the chicken gnocchi soup, with extra cheese.

The soup was so creamy and satisfying that I almost regretted not choosing the unlimited soup and salad for my entree.

While we ate our soups and salads, the breadsticks kept coming.

We chose the alfredo dipping sauce for the next round.

By this point, we were both starting to slow down after several rounds of breadsticks, plus heavy sauces and soup.

We powered through, though, because our entrees came out a few minutes later.

I ordered the create your own pasta with rigatoni, five-cheese marinara, and topped with meatballs.

Of course, I topped it with more grated cheese.

Once I started eating it, I was glad I got the pasta. It was hearty and familiar, perfect for a cool, rainy fall day.

My fiance went for the peak Olive Garden experience with the Tour of Italy, which includes chicken parmesan, fettuccine Alfredo, and lasagna.

A plate full of cheesy carbs, it was exactly what you expect when you walk into Olive Garden.

Predictably, we soon had to give up our aspirations of finishing this huge meal.

It's nearly impossible to pace yourself with breadsticks and save room for your meal, but why would you need to? You can always bring it home with you.

The large servings, particularly the Tour of Italy, don't even seem intended to be eaten in one sitting.

Our waitress brought us to-go boxes to pack up our food, including the remaining breadsticks.

They reheated great for lunch the next day.

When it was time to pay, the server directed us to the small tablet on the table which had an itemized bill and the option to split the check, call over the server, or order more food.

The entire meal came out to $59 before tip.

Business has picked for Olive Garden after a slow down earlier in the pandemic.

Same-store sales are up over 37% at Olive Garden, Darden reported in its most recent earnings call, and monthly visits have been hovering around 2019 levels and even surpassing them, Placer.ai found.

Just a few years ago, full-service chains like Olive Garden were on the decline, with criticisms from investors and customers alike.

Now, with a pared down one-page menu and a focus on the things that made it popular - huge, reasonably priced servings of pasta and breadsticks - Olive Garden feels relevant again.

Though there are shortages of foods, materials, and just about everything else right now, you'd never know it inside Olive Garden, where you'll see mountains of pasta and endless breadsticks. It feels indulgent and comforting, ideal for this moment.