A woman went to Olive Garden to take advantage of the “Never-Ending Pasta Bowl” promotion. She ended up eating 13 bowls and broke the record at her local restaurant.
On September 2, Madison (@ugh_madison) captured her experience at Olive Garden in a TikTok video that had racked up more than 819,000 views as of last Saturday.
“I arrived at 11 a.m. and paid $15 for an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet,” she explained.
How long did she stay at Olive Garden?
Her waitress initially told her that the restaurant’s record was nine bowls.
“But nine plates isn’t a record,” she said. “It’s just a little treat.”
After three and a half hours, her original waitress finished her shift. The young woman left her a tip before continuing the challenge with another waitress and more pasta.
“My server told me that most customers can’t even finish two bowls of pasta,” she explained. “But I’m not here to have fun.”
In total, the woman spent 10 hours and 30 minutes at Olive Garden and ate 13 bowls of pasta. At one point, her server brought her a “one-of-a-kind pasta trophy” to celebrate her record.
“I’m proud to say I set a new record at my local Olive Garden,” she said.
What are the requirements to take advantage of Olive Garden’s “Never-Ending Pasta Bowl” promotion?
Olive Garden’s “Never-Ending Pasta Bowl” promotion offers customers unlimited servings of pasta and select sauces for a fixed price. The 2026 promotion starts at $14.99 and runs from August 31 through November 22. Customers can choose from several types of pasta, sauces, and optional protein toppings. However, prices and availability may vary significantly from one location to another.
Furthermore, Olive Garden’s website does not mention any limits on the amount of pasta that can be ordered, nor any time limits. Additionally, this woman’s TikTok video did not indicate that she had encountered any limits on time or the number of refills.
The chain first launched its “Never-Ending Pasta Bowl” in 1995. This promotion has become an annual tradition, although Olive Garden suspended it in 2020 and 2021. The restaurant reintroduced it in 2022 after a two-year hiatus. This return helped boost sales, with comparable restaurant sales rising 7.6% during the quarter in which the promotion was in effect.
However, unlimited refills can pose financial challenges for restaurants. In 2021, Rick Cardenas, CEO of Darden Restaurants, stated that this pasta promotion had always been less profitable than other customer visits. The company had then questioned whether it really needed this promotion to attract enough customers. Olive Garden ultimately reintroduced it, however, after noticing a slowdown in its summer sales.
Are there similar offers at other restaurant chains?
Olive Garden isn’t the only chain testing all-you-can-eat deals. Red Lobster launched its “Ultimate Endless Shrimp” promotion, while Applebee’s offered all-you-can-eat “riblets.”
Despite the publicity these promotions generate, they have put some restaurant chains in a bind. The most famous example is Red Lobster, which experienced highly publicized financial difficulties after making “Endless Shrimp” a permanent menu item in 2023.
This promotion contributed to an operating loss of $11 million during the company’s third fiscal quarter. Executives explained that the number of customers ordering the shrimp deal exceeded forecasts, which hurt its financial results. The company subsequently raised the price of the promotion to $25.
@ugh_madison
Subplot contacted @ugh_madison via TikTok private messages and the TikTok comments section, as well as Darden Media via email.
The article “A Woman Goes to Olive Garden for an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. Ten Hours Later, Employees Dub Her the ‘Pasta Champion’: ‘It’s Completely Crazy’” was first published on Subplot News.
A woman at the Olive Garden wants to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet. Ten hours later: “This is completely crazy.”
