Olive Garden Brings Back an 'Absurdly Good Deal'

Olive Garden is dusting off a fan favorite, and this time it's stretching the offering to 13 weeks. Per Quartz, the chain says its Never-Ending Pasta Pass will return for the first time since 2019, with 10,000 passes set to go on sale on Thursday at 2pm ET for $100 via PastaPass.com. Pass holders will get unlimited build-your-own pasta meals, plus soup or salad and breadsticks, from Aug. 24 through Nov. 22, as well as early access to the broader Never-Ending Pasta Bowl promo, which opens nationwide Aug. 31 starting at $14.99. Those who don't have the Pasta Pass can also snag that early Aug. 24 start date by joining Olive Garden's email club.

This year's menu offers 120 combinations and introduces spicy alfredo sauce and a dish called Crispy Shrimp Fritta. The last time the pass was offered, 24,000 sold out in what Axios described as "milliseconds." "Even years later, guests still ask us about Never-Ending Pasta Pass, which speaks to the lasting enthusiasm and connection our fans have for it," says Jaime Bunker, the chain's senior VP of marketing, per a release. Delish calls the pass an "absurdly good deal," while Forbes mulls whether the perk will help customers get over their inflation fatigue and bring them back out to dine.