Olive Garden announced Monday that its Never-Ending Pasta Pass will return for the first time since 2019, with 10,000 passes priced at $100 each going on sale Thursday, July 16, at 2 p.m. ET at PastaPass.com.
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Olive Garden announced Monday that its Never-Ending Pasta Pass will return for the first time since 2019, with 10,000 passes priced at $100 each going on sale Thursday, July 16, at 2 p.m. ET at PastaPass.com.
The pass entitles holders to a full 13 weeks of Never-Ending Pasta Bowl meals — pasta with homemade sauces and protein toppings of their choice, plus bottomless soup or salad and breadsticks, the company said. Pass holders will receive early access to the broader Never-Ending Pasta Bowl promotion beginning Aug. 24, ahead of its nationwide launch from Aug. 31 through Nov. 22.
The Never-Ending Pasta Bowl promotion, which is separate from the pass, will be available to all diners starting Aug. 31, beginning at $14.99. Guests who join Olive Garden's EClub mailing list also receive the Aug. 24 early-access date. The menu spans 120 combinations across pasta, sauce, and topping options, and this year's edition debuts two items not previously offered: Spicy Alfredo sauce and Crispy Shrimp Fritta, the company said.
"Bringing it back felt like the right way to recognize the loyalty of so many guests who have kept it top of mind all these years," Olive Garden Senior Vice President of Marketing Jaime Bunker said in a statement.
Olive Garden first introduced the Pasta Pass in 2014, the company said. When the promotion was last offered in 2019, all 24,000 passes sold out in "milliseconds," according to Axios. The company said fans have asked for its return every year since.
The Pasta Pass economics favor diners who visit often. According to Axios, the math tips in a diner's favor after about seven trips, and in earlier, eight-week editions of the promotion, the average passholder returned 10 times. The 13-week window of the current pass represents a five-week extension beyond what earlier versions offered.
The promotion arrives as Olive Garden's parent, Darden $DRI Restaurants, works to accelerate sales growth. Olive Garden posted same-store sales growth of 2.4% in its most recent quarter, below the 3.2% analysts had projected, while sibling brand LongHorn Steakhouse reported same-store sales growth of 9.5% for the same period. For full fiscal 2026, Olive Garden same-store sales grew 4.0%.
Olive Garden operates more than 950 restaurants and is a division of Darden Restaurants, the company said.