Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Pass sells out in seconds
Did you score an Olive Garden Never-Ending Pasta Pass? If so, you may be in very rare company. But Olive Garfen may be cooking up something else.
The pass, good for unlimited pasta dishes, was limited to 10,000 lucky people. The instant the passes went on sale at 2 p.m. ET at PastaPass.com, they seemed to be snapped up, but some hopeful pasta fans watched their screens for an hour or more to find out.
"All 10,000 Pasta Pass opportunities were claimed within seconds of launch," a spokesperson for Olive Garden's parent company, Darden Restaurants, confirmed in an email.
Fans commenting online expressed frustration over the ordering process that showed hundreds of thousands of people in line within a few seconds.
"The whole family showed up for Pasta Pass today," Olive Garden said in a 3 p.m. Facebook post. "We've built safeguards into our checkout process and they're working well, but it's making the checkout experience take a little longer than expected."
The passes sold for $100 plus tax and allow passholders to order as much pasta, sauces, and protein toppings as they want for 13 weeks, along with soup or salad and breadsticks, and tell the server to keep it coming. It was available only for dine-in orders, no delivery or takeout.
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Not everyone was happy with the process.
"Clicked right on time and there were already 20k ahead. Definitely bots," said kylie._.phelps on Instagram.
"I clicked as SOON as it opened and was 200,000th in the queue," posted zfields.tx. "yall didn't think this through"
"the queue for olive garden's never ending pasta pass is making me appreciate the numbers I get for ticketmaster," riya7 said on Bluesky.
An Olive Garden spokesperson defended the system in Instagram comments, saying the system was designed to ensure a fair experience.
"The system is designed to manage traffic, limit purchase quantities, and prevent behaviors like repeated refreshing from impacting access," they posted in response to a disgruntled fan.
By 2:30 p.m., some people on Reddit posted that they'd nabbed one. A few responses to Olive Garden's social media said they got theirs after an hour of waiting.
Diners may get another chance soon at something special, however.
"Additionally, guests should keep an eye on Olive Garden's Instagram over the next week," the spokesperson said in the email. "You never know what's coming next."
The Italian-food chain launched the Pasta Pass promotion in 2014 (it sold out quickly then, too) but stopped offering it in 2019.
Still want unlimited pasta?
If you didn't score a pass, you can still get unlimited pasta with Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Bowl. The personalized bowl offers unlimited entrée refills for $14.99 until you tap out, plus refillable soup or salad and breadsticks.
That promotion runs alongside the Pasta Pass promotion from Aug. 31 to Nov. 22. Eclub members and diners with Pasta Passes will get early access starting Aug. 24.
Don't want that many carbs? Olive Garden recently rolled out a "Lighter Portion Entrées" menu for its most popular dishes.
When does the Olive Garden Never-Ending Pasta Pass go on sale?
The passes went on sale at PastaPass.com starting at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 16.
What do I get with the Olive Garden Never-Ending Pasta Pass?
The pass includes 13 weeks of unlimited pasta, sauces and protein toppings, accompanied by never-ending soup or salad and breadsticks. Beverages and gratuity not included.
How long does Olive Garden Never-Ending Pasta Pass last?
The pass runs from Aug. 31 through Nov. 22, but passholders can start early on Aug. 24, the company said.
Where can I find an Olive Garden near me in Florida?
Olive Garden started in Orlando in 1982, and there are more here than anywhere besides Texas, according to data site ScrapeHero. You can search for one near you at olivegarden.com/locations/location-search.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida's best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Pass sells out in seconds
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published July 16, 2026 at 7:09 PM.