The Olive Garden Hack That Takes Full Advantage Of Its Huge Portions
Olive Garden is most famous for its generous portions, as illustrated by the chain's endless salad, soup, and breadsticks offer. Clever patrons have figured out a way to expand these sizable portions even further when it comes to lunch offerings. Lunch entrées feature smaller serving sizes, which means you're getting less value for your money. Instead, order the regular dinner-sized portion and request that your server takes half the food and boxes it to go. Now you'll have another serving of food to enjoy at home.
This hack pairs well with limitless breadsticks and salad, as these accompaniments can help fill you up when eating a smaller portion. Even better, Olive Garden allows diners to take remaining breadsticks and salad to go, which ensures that the at-home portion of your meal will be a veritable feast. And if you're the type of person who can't get enough of the chain's Italian-inspired comfort food, the family-style meal option is another great deal to consider.
Family-style feasts great for weekly meal planning
Along with in-store dining, Olive Garden also offers at-home catering featuring its many delicious menu items. These family-style meals can serve up to six people, but you can also store leftovers to be enjoyed on subsequent days if you're meal planning for yourself. For instance, the family-sized pan of fettuccine alfredo retails for $45.99 and includes approximately four to six servings. That means you can enjoy Olive Garden pasta for an entire week for roughly $8 per serving. Other family-style meal options include chicken scampi, lasagna, and spaghetti with marinara sauce.
To ensure your Olive Garden leftovers remain fresh and flavorful, the USDA has a few helpful recommendations. Food must be well sealed to prevent bacterial growth, so an airtight container is your best bet. If stored in the refrigerator, food will remain good for up to four days. However, the freezer can keep food for about four months, although quality will be somewhat diminished the longer you keep food frozen. Leftovers can be efficiently re-heated in the microwave and should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal safety.
Other hacks to get a bigger bang for your buck at Olive Garden
Like many other chain dining establishments, Olive Garden has its very own loyalty program. The Olive Garden eClub is a great way to access awesome specials and deals, including a free appetizer upon signing up. You'll also receive coupons and other goodies throughout the year, as well as a free dessert in honor of your birthday.
According to Reader's Digest, diners at Olive Garden can also take advantage of the restaurant's BYOB offer. While it may vary from location to location, many restaurants allow patrons to bring their own bottles of wine for a $7 corkage fee. Instead of purchasing wine by the glass, which can get very expensive, you can enjoy your own bottle for a more reasonable price. The chain also offers a free wine tasting consisting of up to three one-ounce samples. These hacks show that it's possible to enjoy a meal courtesy of this famous Italian American chain without breaking your household budget.