Is Olive Garden Open On Christmas Eve 2023?

Not every family has a specific Christmas Eve tradition; some people may be driving to or from family parties or otherwise traveling that night to ensure they can be with loved ones on Christmas Day proper. When it comes to dining on the road, Olive Garden always hits the spot and is often readily found, especially since as of late 2023, there are 913 of them across the United States (via ScrapeHero). Luckily, Olive Garden is open on Christmas Eve — however, exactly how late it's open is up to each individual location.

According to Olive Garden's FAQ page, each Olive Garden location has the freedom to close on Christmas Eve if business is slow enough. The restaurant's website states that the management teams of these individual locations each get the final say on whether or not to close, and if so, how early. If you want to stop by and grab some food from your local Olive Garden on Christmas Eve, the best way to make sure it's open is to call ahead. Staff can give you a more accurate, firsthand idea of whether or not the location plans to close early or open up at all.

If Olive Garden is open on Christmas Eve, then what about the other holidays throughout the year? Is Olive Garden open on days like Memorial Day, New Year's Day, or the Fourth of July? According to Olive Garden's FAQ, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day are the only two days of the year when the restaurant is closed completely. For other holidays, the chain remains open, so you'll be able to get your favorite pasta and breadsticks even on a day like Easter.

Olive Garden does allow management to close the restaurant early on the day before Thanksgiving, as well, so keep this in mind if you're making any Thanksgiving travel plans. Again, when in doubt, call a particular location to ask its management about hours. There may be other situations in which the store will need to close early, and if you have your heart set on a plate of delectably creamy chicken Alfredo, it's better to be safe than sorry.

If your local Olive Garden plans to shut its doors early on Christmas Eve, don't worry — you can still enjoy your favorite Italian dishes with a little pre-planning. Olive Garden has a robust to-go menu; it sells just about all of its dishes, sides, sauces, breadsticks, and salads (plus dressings to go with them) boxed up and ready for transport. You can use this to your advantage to build your own holiday feast.

Simply order your meal to-go before your nearest location closes on Christmas Eve (or even on the day before) and enjoy it from the comfort of your own home — or wherever you'll be staying for the holiday. You can even get some of the to-go items in family-style sizes, which is perfect if you're heading home for the holidays and need to feed a few extra mouths, or if you're going to a party and want to bring something more unique than the usual veggie tray or cookie platter. Olive Garden leftovers reheat easily (especially in the air fryer), so just bring your food up to temperature and enjoy a festive Italian feast any day of the year — even on the days that Olive Garden is closed.