Put Your Own Spin On Olive Garden's Pasta Dishes By Swapping The Sauce

Like many other popular restaurant chains, Olive Garden is happy to personalize orders to ensure its customers are completely satisfied. This includes allowing diners to get particular when it comes to sauce selection. No matter what sauce your dish normally comes with, you can request a substitution for one of the restaurant's many other tasty options if you prefer.

For example, the establishment's classic chicken parmigiana is typically served with marinara sauce. Using the special swap technique, you could increase the cheese factor exponentially by requesting Alfredo sauce instead of marinara. While not technically a sauce, you can also swap out the Italian dressing that normally accompanies the restaurant's house salad for something like oil and vinegar or even a low-fat version of the standard Italian selection. In addition to creating your own menu items by customizing your sauce option, you can also modify how much sauce you receive with your meal by making a simple request.

No matter what sauce you choose, you may want a little more to accompany your Italian-style Olive Garden feast. In this case, simply ask your server for an extra serving of your favorite sauce. Keep in mind that your mileage may vary with this request. For instance, the chain may not be able to accommodate you if you ask for a sauce during a busy time or if the sauce is currently in short supply to ensure other customers can also enjoy it. You may also be charged for extra portions, as practices can vary from location to location.

When it comes to Olive Garden's famous breadsticks, the restaurant made an awesome update regarding its dipping sauces. Bottomless sauces are available from the restaurant, which means you'll be able to dip to your heart's content. Customers are also free to select one sauce to start, then switch to another option for subsequent breadstick orders. Much like the extra sauce hack, different Olive Garden locations may have different rules, so it's best to check with your closest establishment to get the skinny on any saucy secrets.

Olive Garden is known for its expansive menu of Italian American dishes, and the chain's sauce selection is equally substantial. In addition to the classic marinara, a staple at most Italian eateries, the chain also offers Alfredo, meat sauce (featuring sausage and beef), cream-based marsala mushroom sauce, five cheese marinara, and many others.

There's a good reason why people are downright obsessed with Olive Garden's full sauce selection. According to a Reddit thread from an alleged staff member at the chain, there's a secret behind the establishment's delicious sauces. The poster claims the majority of the sauces are created fresh each day right inside the establishment. Additionally, a fresh batch of Olive Garden Alfredo sauce is made "every few hours," per the alleged staff member via Reddit. The restaurant, however, supports this staff member's claim, stating on its website, "Our soup and sauce masters create dishes by hand and from scratch, every day." With commitment like that, it's easy to see why Olive Garden sauces are so coveted.