Jul 13, 2026
Olive Garden is reviving one of its most popular promotions for the first time in six years: the Never-Ending Pasta Pass. The $100 pass gives cardholders access to unlimited pasta for 13 weeks at any Olive Garden location. It also includes unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks.
The pass does come with some limitations. It’s valid only for dine-in meals, cannot be shared or transferred, and doesn’t cover beverages.
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The biggest catch, however, is availability. Only 10,000 passes will be sold nationwide, and Olive Garden says every Pasta Pass release has sold out within minutes. In some previous years, the promotion disappeared in less than a second. So, diners hoping to score one will need to act fast.
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How to get a Never-Ending-Pasta Pass
Olive Garden will begin selling the Never-Ending Pasta Pass at 2 p.m. ET on July 16 through its dedicated Pasta Pass website. If you’re hoping to snag one, here’s what to do:
- Go to the Pasta Pass website before 2 p.m. ET. Don’t wait until the sale starts. Having the page open ahead of time could save valuable seconds.
- Have your payment information ready. The faster you can complete checkout, the better your chances before passes sell out.
- Use the correct name at checkout. The pass is personalized, generally can’t be transferred and requires a matching photo ID when redeemed.
- Don’t count on your shopping cart to reserve a pass. Olive Garden says a pass isn’t yours until your purchase is successfully completed.
If you don’t secure a pass, you can still enjoy the Never-Ending-Pasta promotion. Without a pass, you’ll have to pay per visit instead of receiving unlimited access for the season. Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Bowl opens to all diners on August 31.
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When never-ending food promotions work — and when they don’t
Olive Garden introduced the Pasta Pass in 2014 with only 1,000 available passes. The promotion developed a devoted following and was expanded over subsequent years before disappearing after its 2019 release.
The limited supply may be part of why Olive Garden has avoided the problems experienced by some other chains. The company receives the publicity of an unlimited-food promotion while capping the number of customers who can repeatedly redeem it.
Red Lobster took a riskier approach with its Ultimate Endless Shrimp promotion. The chain had previously offered the $20 deal for limited periods, but made it a permanent menu item in 2023 despite objections from some members of management. The promotion generated more demand than expected, contributed to shrimp shortages and caused about $11 million in losses.
Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2024, although the company also attributed its financial problems to high inflation, costly leases, increased competition and other management decisions. Endless Shrimp was one contributor rather than the sole cause of the bankruptcy.
Applebee’s has also repeatedly used limited-time all-you-can-eat promotions featuring boneless wings, riblets, shrimp and fries. Unlike Red Lobster’s permanent shrimp offer, Applebee’s has generally restricted the deals to promotional windows, allowing it to attract budget-conscious diners without promising the offer year-round.
Olive Garden’s approach combines both scarcity and unlimited dining: All customers can take advantage of the promotion, but only 10,000 people can buy access to the pass. Judging by how quickly previous passes disappeared, the greater challenge may not be eating enough pasta to make the pass worthwhile. It may be buying one before they are gone.
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Clay Halton is an associate editor at Money.ca, covering a wide range of consumer-focused financial stories. He has over eight years of experience in digital publishing and has written and edited for outlets including PCMag and Investopedia.
