The Staggering Number Of Breadsticks Olive Garden Goes Through Weekly

It's no secret that people love Olive Garden's iconic breadsticks. Soft, warm, and topped with buttery garlic flavor, they'll keep coming as long as you ask for more. So, it doesn't come as a shock that the Italian food chain goes through a lot of them — but the number itself is staggering. The company told Food Republic that it serves more than 900 million of them each year, which amounts to around 17.3 million every week.

Olive Garden's signature unlimited breadsticks policy has existed at the casual dining restaurant since the beginning. The very first day the original location opened in Orlando, Florida, in 1982 was extremely busy, and the kitchen had a hard time keeping up. When the second day was just as hectic, the manager decided to give customers free breadsticks while they waited for their orders.

Interestingly, Olive Garden's signature generosity hasn't always gone unchallenged. Investor Starboard Value, a hedge fund that took control of parent company Darden Restaurants in 2014, complained that same year about the expense, contending that servers were giving patrons too many. While the firm didn't end up eliminating the policy, guidelines were established calling for one breadstick per person, plus one extra in the initial basket, and then one per person with any refills.

Olive Garden's breadsticks arrive prebaked from commercial baker Turano Baking Company. They go in the oven at the restaurants for about three minutes and are then brushed with margarine and garlic salt. They are typically served alongside dipping sauces like Alfredo or Five Cheese Marinara — though dunking them in a mix of cheese and Italian dressing offers a fantastic DIY twist.

Anyone who orders an entree can ask for more free breadsticks, as well as extra soup and salad, which are also unlimited. However, it only applies to in-restaurant diners, so the policy was temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic when Olive Garden was only offering takeout. Customers can also be denied breadstick refills if they're caught squirreling them away to take with them, according to servers on Reddit.

The breadsticks can also be ordered online in batches of six or 12, either baked or unbaked. If you don't have a restaurant nearby, however, you could also head to Walmart for a store-bought dupe that's worth trying: Great Value frozen Garlic Bread Sticks.