For eight weeks each year, Olive Garden unleashes the Never Ending Pasta Pass onto the most dedicated carb lovers of the world. But in true OG fashion — ever heard of a little thing called unlimited breadsticks? Or the pizza bowl, perhaps? — eight weeks just wasn’t enough. This year, 1,000 people can purchase an Annual Pasta Pass, ensuring a no-cooking-needed dinner schedule for a full 52 weeks. It’s a wild world we live in.
The $300 Annual Pass gives you access to all the pasta, soup, salad, and breadsticks your body can handle, starting September 24, 2018 and running all the way through September 22, 2019. There’s no limit to how often annual cardholders can visit, other than the two days a year the restaurant is closed (Thanksgiving and Christmas Day).
As with the last five years, there are also eight-week Never Ending Pasta Passes up for grabs — 23,000, to be exact, on sale for $100 each. If you buy one, your time to shine runs from September 24 to November 18.
In case you're trying to break down how much pasta you might actually eat, here's the peak: The current record holder for the most meals consumed during pasta pass season, Jeff Berman, visited Olive Garden 140 times (!!) in 56 days last year. You could try and beat him, or you could go roughly 15 times during the year (or five times in eight weeks, assuming a single meal is usually around $20) and make back your money. Whatever floats your boat.
Both cards will be on sale at www.pastapass.com starting Thursday, August 23 at 2 p.m. E.S.T. and lasting a QUICK 30 minutes, if that. Last year, passes sold out instantaneously, so set an alarm (or 12) if you’re serious about snagging one. If you miss out on the passes, you can still carb-load on noodles with a single Never Ending Pasta meal. These plates start at $10.99 and are available at Olive Garden restaurants this fall.
PRE-ORDER NOW Delish Cookbook, amazon.com
