More pasta lovers than ever before have the chance to snag a coveted Olive Garden Never Ending Pasta Pass on September 15. To celebrate the 21st anniversary of its fan-favorite promotion—Never Ending Pasta Bowl—Olive Garden is selling up to 21,000 passes for one hour this year.

Last year, 2,000 Never Ending Pasta Passes were claimed in less than one minute, so Olive Garden is giving more guests the opportunity to get an all-access pass to enjoy seven weeks of Never Ending Pasta Bowl. Beginning September 15 at 2 p.m., up to 21,000 passes will be available for one hour exclusively via the brand’s website. 

“Within seconds of last year’s Pasta Pass sale beginning, our most enthusiastic fans clicked ‘purchase,’ becoming part of an exclusive club and the envy of pasta lovers everywhere,” says Jose Duenas, executive vice president of marketing for Olive Garden. “We know there are more fans than there were Pasta Passes so we’re expanding the club tenfold to give more guests an all-access pass to our most popular promotion of the year.”

For seven weeks, from October 3 through November 20, every Pasta Pass holder dining at Olive Garden will have access to unlimited pasta, homemade sauces, pasta toppings, soup or salad, breadsticks and Coca-Cola soft drinks. This year, the most popular Olive Garden entrée, Chicken Alfredo, is being introduced as part of the Never Ending Pasta Bowl lineup. Guests without a Pasta Pass can take part in Never Ending Pasta Bowl and enjoy unlimited pasta starting at $9.99 throughout the seven-week promotion starting October 3.

In partnership with Feeding America, after the online sale is complete, Olive Garden will be auctioning additional Pasta Passes on eBay. Olive Garden will donate 100 percent of all proceeds from the auction to Feeding America, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $21,000, to fight hunger in local communities. 

Casual Dining, Chain Restaurants, Industry News, Marketing & Promotions, Olive Garden