Are Drink Refills Free At Olive Garden?
There are a few different drink options to choose from when dining out at Olive Garden, but the question is, are they are unlimited as the chain's breadsticks? Well, that depends on what you order.
The restaurant sells Coca-Cola products so if it's a soda you seek, you can sip on a glass of Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero Sugar, Sprite, or Dr. Pepper. And if you order a soda to sip on at the Italian food chain, you can request for your server to bring you as many refills as you'd like — with no added charge for each drink. Depending on the location, there may be a few other drinks that include free refills, too.
In addition to soft drinks, the chain offers free refills on its lemonade — both in the classic lemon flavor and with a splash of raspberry. If you're a fan of tea, the chain also offers three iced options: Classic iced tea, Bellini peach-raspberry, or mango-strawberry flavors, all of which also come with free refills. Additionally, fruit juices, as well as Olive Garden's Caffe la Toscana all include endless refills, as well. Not every location will offer free refills on anything but soft drinks, though, so you'll want to check with your server before requesting a top-off.
Alcoholic drinks are always excluded from free refills
Although there are plenty of options should you be looking for free drink refills, some drinks on the menu are definitely not included on that free refill list. Olive Garden serves a plethora of cocktails and wines, but the refill policy is only guaranteed for soft drinks. If you want a second glass of your berry sangria, you'll need to pay for it. The restaurant chain also sells full bottles of wine, so you could split the cost with other diners to save a little while sipping on a second glass.
Although it may seem like the restaurant loses out on some money by not charging for most non-alcoholic drink refills, it may actually benefit the chain. The cost of the syrup and carbonated water needed to mix the soda might be low enough that the amenity is simply written off as a marketing tactic. If a diner gets a refill on their drink towards the end of their meal, they may be motivated to stay a little while longer to sip on it — or even order another item off the menu to accompany it.
The restaurant offers some unlimited food options, too
If unlimited refills are something you're passionate about, the chain has a few food options to suit you, too. Of course, to start off your meal, you'll get a basket of warm, garlicky breadsticks. While there are only a limited number of breadsticks in the basket to start off, you can always put in a request with your server to bring more at no extra cost.
The restaurant also offers unlimited quantities of its soups and salads, if you want to make a meal out of the starter options. When it comes to unlimited soups, Olive Garden has several options, while OG's house salad is what diners can expect for unlimited refills. Diners can choose from chicken and gnocchi with spinach; vegan minestrone with veggies and pasta; zuppa toscana with Italian sausage, kale, and potatoes; or pasta e fagioli, made from red and white beans, beef, tomatoes, and pasta for their soup selection.
If you want something a little heartier, Olive Garden does occasionally run promotions for never-ending pasta bowls that allow diners to eat several portions of a select few pastas. So if you're looking to get your money's worth for your food while you sip on unlimited soft drinks, Olive Garden just might be the place to visit.