Get Better Olive Garden Breadsticks With This Genius Request

Olive Garden is a chain of Italian-inspired casual dining restaurants that got its start in Orlando, Florida, in the early 1980s. While there is some debate over whether Olive Garden serves traditional Italian food, that doesn't detract from the fact that it has a loyal following of diners and has a few cult-favorite menu items. Not least among them are the restaurant's breadsticks, which diners can have as many helpings of, along with its signature salad.

The batons of bread are so popular that the chain goes through over 17 million of them every week. Although they're good on their own, there is a simple modification you can make to them that won't cost any extra money and is easy enough for your server to fulfill. When the salad and breadsticks land on your table, and your server asks if you want freshly grated cheese on your medley of fresh veggies, ask if they can grate some onto your breadsticks, too.

The cheese, which actually isn't parmesan but rather Romano, does a lot more than what you think. Sure, it adds flavor, but there is some more nuance to it. The type of cheese Olive Garden uses actually has some nutty notes that really bring out the toasty flavors of the breadsticks, making them really shine and transforming them into something much more elevated. The tanginess of this particular type of Italian cheese also brightens up the more muted flavors of the sticks, something that is typical of acidic foods like Romano. But what's best about this tip is that the grated cheese coats the buttery bread so that you experience a flavor bomb in each bite.

There are many other ways in which you can elevate your breadsticks to new heights at the Olive Garden besides letting your server grate a whole block of cheese over them. For starters, you can ask that your sticks be smothered in extra seasoned butter so that you have more for dipping, or you can order the butter on the side. The added bonus is that if you go with the cheese tip, the surplus butter will coat your breadsticks even better. If you love Olive Garden's salad dressing, you can request a side of it and mix it with cheese to create a zesty dip for your bread.

You can also request that the kitchen toast the bread a little longer to get them nice and crispy, and if your server says it's okay, venture to ask whether they can shower them with the same cheese Olive Garden uses on its lasagna and see if the kitchen can broil it to create your own version of cheesy bread. You can even take it one step further to create a pizza bread by requesting that your breadsticks be smothered in tomato sauce and cheese. Just keep in mind that these requests may cost you a little extra, and not every restaurant may agree to fulfill them.

If you manage to make it home with some extra breadsticks in tow, don't gobble them up as-is. Instead, dip them in egg and fry them to create little savory French toast nuggets. And if you don't have any of Olive Garden's famous bread on hand, you can use this Walmart brand, which is a great dupe for the original.