I attempted Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Bowl. It was a reminder of why chains can't quit bottomless deals.

• Olive Garden is back with its endless pasta promotion for those brave enough to try.
• I visited the chain and ate my way through three bowls of pasta, plus salad and breadsticks.
• It's clear to me why casual-dining chains across the industry love bottomless deals.

Why stop at seconds when you can go back for thirds, fourths — even fifths?

I recently visited Olive Garden's flagship Times Square restaurant for my first-ever meal at the chain.

While I couldn't wait to try its iconic breadsticks, there was one specific deal I was gunning for: Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Bowl, which starts at $14.99, depending on location.

The limited-time deal, first launched in 1995, is running nationwide from August 31 through November 22, 2026.

Stomach empty and heart full, I ate my way through the promo and came away thinking bottomless deals are great for both chains and customers, if they're done right. (Looking at you, Red Lobster.)

Here's what it was like to attempt Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Bowl promotion, why it makes sense for the chain, and if you should try it, too.

I arrived at Olive Garden's Times Square restaurant hungry and ready to gorge on pasta.

The restaurant itself was a little difficult to spot amid the traffic, the hot-dog cart outside, and the massive billboards. The restaurant has stood at 2 Times Square since 1994 — it predates much of the tourist-district version of Times Square that New Yorkers and visitors recognize today.

The restaurant occupies three floors and roughly 20,000 square feet, making it the chain's largest location and more of a high-volume flagship than a typical suburban Olive Garden.

It's a tricky time for massive Times Square chain restaurants.

Red Lobster shuttered its flagship location in June after prolonged construction significantly impacted access to the restaurant, street visibility, and foot traffic.

A Times Square flagship can be a powerful billboard for a brand, but when its large footprint leaves many tables empty, that visibility can backfire, making the restaurant look unpopular.

Unlike when I visited Red Lobster's Times Square location, Olive Garden was busy.

I visited on a Wednesday afternoon at around 4 p.m., a far cry from the typical dinnertime rush. So, I was surprised to find the main dining room on the third floor nearly full.

From couples to a large group gathered in a private room at the back of the restaurant, Olive Garden was buzzing with diners. It was a stark contrast to my visits to Red Lobster's Times Square location, which felt nearly empty at both lunch and dinner.

I was given a menu, but couldn't find the never-ending pasta deal. I had to ask my waitress for it, and was given a small printed sheet of paper.

Prices vary by location, but I've found from my visits to Red Lobster's, Applebee's, and Olive Garden's Times Square locations that they're almost always more expensive to dine at than suburban locations, or even other locations inside New York City.

The Never-Ending Pasta Bowl costs $20.99 at Olive Garden's Times Square location, plus $5.99 for never-ending protein.

This was still a pretty good deal compared to other pasta dishes on the menu, including the chain's chicken Alfredo ($26.79), chicken parmigiana ($25.99), and shrimp carbonara ($32.19).

As a New Yorker, the prices shocked me — at Il Gigante, my go-to Italian restaurant in Ridgewood, Brooklyn, handmade pasta dishes all run for around $17 to $25. Paying more than that for a chain restaurant felt ludicrous, but many tourists crave familiarity just as much as they do value.

The deal started with salad and breadsticks for the table.

The salad was enough to feed two people, but I knew I didn't want to fill up on the appetizers. I had a lot of pasta to consume.

The house salad was fresh and tangy.

Olive Garden's signature salad is a crisp, cold mix of iceberg lettuce, sliced red onion, pepperoncini peppers, black olives, tomatoes, and croutons, all tossed in a tangy Italian-style dressing.

Finished with a shower of grated Parmesan, it's simple but punchy: salty, vinegary, and especially good alongside the garlicky breadsticks.

I've seen people online ask for a side of Alfredo sauce for the breadsticks, so I did the same.

The breadsticks were warm, fluffy, and garlicky — they were actually more seasoned and flavorful than I anticipated. Paired with the creamy, cheesy Alfredo sauce, I was in heaven.

I finally understand why Olive Garden's breadsticks have such a devoted following.

I then started with my first bowl of pasta.

Diners can mix and match four pasta shapes — fettuccine, spaghetti, angel hair, and rigatoni — with six sauces: Alfredo, new Spicy Alfredo, meat sauce, five-cheese marinara, traditional marinara, and creamy mushroom.

For an extra $5.99, I unlocked unlimited protein toppings, including crispy shrimp fritta, crispy chicken fritta, meatballs, and Italian sausage.

The first bowl of pasta you order is the biggest bowl, so I strategically avoided the creamier, cheesier sauces to try to avoid getting filled up too quickly.

I ordered the rigatoni with meat sauce and Italian sausage as my protein.

The hearty meat sauce clung to the ridged noodles, and I appreciated that it still had distinct chunks of meat instead of tasting overly smooth or processed.

The sausage had a satisfying snap and a savory, subtly spicy flavor that made the simple bowl feel especially filling.

For a chain restaurant, I had to admit I was impressed. At nearly $27, the bowl was satisfying enough to stand alone as a full meal — but I still had plenty more pasta to try.

My second bowl of pasta was noticeably smaller — it was probably about half the size.

I ordered the angel hair pasta with Alfredo sauce and crispy chicken. I thought the chicken portion was a little small, but since it's a bottomless deal, I didn't have too much cause for complaint.

I could always order more.

The creamy sauce coated each noodle, forming a gloopy mass.

In retrospect, the angel hair pasta was probably a bit too fine to withstand the thick Alfredo sauce. While the texture put me off a bit, I did enjoy the sauce's flavor.

The crispy chicken was perfectly fried on the outside, but the chicken inside retained its moisture. It wasn't the best chicken cutlet I've ever had, but I gobbled down every last bite of it.

By the time I had nearly finished my second bowl, the reality of an unlimited pasta deal was starting to set in.

I was pleasantly full — though definitely beginning to feel a little stuffed — and still had more combinations I wanted to try for journalism's sake.

The last pasta dish I tried featured the chain's new spicy Alfredo sauce.

I ordered the spaghetti with the new spicy Alfredo sauce and new crispy shrimp fritta.

This was my favorite of the three pasta dishes I tried.

The rich, creamy sauce had a kick of heat that kept it from feeling too heavy, striking a great balance between indulgent and spicy.

The breaded, fried shrimp was easily the most flavorful protein I tried, adding crunch and a savory, well-seasoned bite to every forkful. It reminded me more of fried calamari than of typical fried shrimp because of its Italian seasoning.

I couldn't finish it all, but I was able to pack up the leftovers in a to-go box, making the deal feel like an even better value.

After two rich bowls of pasta, plus salad and breadsticks, I was more than satisfied.

The leftovers made the already generous deal feel even more like a great value … and gave me an easy lunch to heat up the next day.

Overall, I thought this was an incredible deal.

I paid more for the deal at Olive Garden's Times Square flagship than most diners would at a typical location, but I still thought it was a good value.

My meal, including a soda, a side of Alfredo sauce, tax, and tip, came to $50.64. While pricey for one person, it's about what I'd expect to pay for a dinner out in New York City, and those meals aren't bottomless.

For the price, I got unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks, multiple customizable pasta bowls with protein, and enough leftovers for another meal.

Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Bowl works because it makes diners feel like they're getting a supersized deal while relying on low-cost, easy-to-prepare ingredients. The menu sticks to a handful of pastas and sauces that can be prepared in bulk, while costlier proteins carry an upcharge.

Limited-time promotions also create urgency and help bring diners through the door. Restaurant Business reported that after Olive Garden saw traffic dip in summer 2024, the chain's parent company, Darden, moved up the deal's launch and extended it by three weeks. It helped Olive Garden post a 2% increase in same-store sales that quarter — its first positive result in a year, according to Nation's Restaurant News.

Olive Garden's deal follows a safer formula than Red Lobster's Ultimate Endless Shrimp, which became a permanent menu item in 2023, allowing diners to repeatedly order costlier seafood dishes. It contributed to an $11 million quarterly loss for the company and even played a role in the chain's bankruptcy filing. It's since returned only for limited periods.

Olive Garden's Never-Ending Pasta Bowl is a reminder that, when it comes to value, chains still know what resonates with customers: comfort food and big portions at an affordable price.

I arrived skeptical and left stuffed, with leftovers in hand and a new appreciation for the restaurant's cult-favorite breadsticks.

Read the original article on Business Insider