Olive Garden's Food Is Fresher Than You Thought
Those who love Olive Garden might have heard a fast-spreading myth that most, if not all, of the food that is served there is microwaved (via REDBOOK). However, this is far from true. The restaurant's food is actually much fresher than what you might expect.
Olive Garden does have to keep some things frozen in order to make preparation easier, which several former employees at Olive Garden discussed on Reddit, according to REDBOOK. One person wrote, "The food is mostly frozen. All of the desserts are." Another former employee added that the meat is too, saying it "shouldn't be a surprise since you can't expect fresh meats every day. It's just not possible." Though these items are kept frozen, there are still plenty of foods the eatery doesn't have pre-made.
The soups fall under this category for example. In an interview with PopSugar, one employee said, "All of Olive Garden's signature soups — Pasta e Fagioli, Chicken & Gnocchi, Zuppa Toscana, and Minestrone — are made by hand and from scratch every morning using fresh, whole ingredients such as kale, peppers, and squash." Thankfully though, soup isn't the only dish that's made-to-order.
These Olive Garden ingredients are frozen or microwaved
Soups aren't the only fresh dish you can get at the restaurant. According to Reader's Digest, ingredients like pasta are cooked up specifically for each order, too. One server even broke down the process of how the pasta is prepared each day on Reddit. REDBOOK reported, "The pasta is precooked in the morning and given an ice bath while it's still al dente. It is then portioned into bags if it's a specialty pasta or put into a large container if it's something like spaghetti or fettuccine. When the dish is ordered, the cook puts the pasta into boiling water for a set time, strains it, and plates it with the measured ladle of sauce."
Reader's Digest also explains that when it comes to microwaves at Olive Garden, they are designated solely for heating things like sauces. "Everything else is either pan fried, deep fried, or grilled," said a former worker on Reddit (via REDBOOK). More sources who have worked at the restaurant went on to explain that sauces and appetizers are whipped up in the kitchen each day just like the soup selection.
So the next time you dine at Olive Garden, rest assured that everything that can be made fresh is being made fresh. Having some foods prepared ahead of time is convenient for you, really, because it cuts down on the amount of time you have to wait.