At Matter, Billy Domineau delves into the details of Olive Garden's "breadstick laws, sauce logic, and salt bans."
From Matter:
Apparently, there is an official Olive Garden policy that dictates the number of breadsticks provided at the start of each meal. The formula is one breadstick per guest, plus one extra for the entire group. For example, I should’ve therefore received two breadsticks at any of my solo dining experiences. Starboard claims that $5 million is wasted annually on breadsticks that go uneaten when a server doesn’t follow the formula and unnecessarily serves too many…
What’s more, internal data has shown that after eight minutes on the table, Olive Garden breadsticks start to substantially decline in quality. That eight-minute mark is uncanny. Early on, the breadsticks are soft, inviting, with salt and oil sparkling atop them. Wait ’til proverbial midnight, though, and your teeth will fight against the skin of a pumpkin that remembers the glory it so recently knew before it was molded back into its base, primordial form.
