Don't Be Shy About Utilizing This Unlimited Olive Garden Perk

Most people know Olive Garden as the place where breadsticks flow like water, which is one of the free perks it built its brand on. But there's another perk at Olive Garden that won't cost you a penny, and most diners are far too polite to take full advantage of it: the shredded cheese. Every time a server approaches your table with that iconic cheese grater, they are prepared (obligated, at least) to keep going for as long as you let them. Olive Garden has never published any formal limit for how much cheese a guest can receive, as experienced by a Reddit user who claimed, "I never told the server at Olive Garden to stop, so she gave me extra blocks of cheese to go."

While this may be a lucky fluke, and you shouldn't expect to get whole pieces of cheese to go, it appears they will keep grinding until you say, "stop." Much like the unlimited soup and salad and, let's be honest, delicious breadsticks, that makes Olive Garden one of the most beloved casual dining destinations in America, the tableside cheese experience is built around a philosophy of generosity. The chain wants you to feel like family — and families don't tell each other when to stop with the cheese. So, now that you know grated cheese is essentially endless, the next question is, "Where should you be requesting it?" The short answer is almost everywhere.

Olive Garden's soups — from creamy chicken and gnocchi to hearty pasta e fagioli — can be elevated in taste and texture with a dusting of shredded Romano cheese. You might even want to try a liberal grating to stuff right into the breadsticks. Pastas like fettuccine Alfredo and classic spaghetti with marinara are obvious candidates. But it can be a "grate addition" to its famous house salad, where Romano adds a salty, tangy, savory punch to every forkful. If you need more inspiration, Mashed's ranking of Olive Garden's side dishes confirms the steamed broccoli was still a bit bland though it's served with cheese and could benefit from a cheesier finish — so feel free to ask for more there, too.

For anyone with social anxiety around asking for more, there's an easy approach: Simply don't say stop. You don't need to make a special request or announce your intention. Just let the server do their job, then nod appreciatively, keep your eyes on your plate, and say thank you. That said, insider tips for a better Olive Garden experience confirm servers at Olive Garden are accustomed to accommodating generous requests — it's the whole point.