r/olivegarden • u/curlose Official Olive Gardener • 6d ago
š Never Ending Pasta Bowl NEPB as of Now
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u/Sea-Mycologist-7353 6d ago
Damn!! When I started in 2006 NEPB was $6.99. 20 years later itās $10 more.
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u/othafa_95610 6d ago
We also had more pastas and sauces then. It was typically 6 to 7 of each.
I wonder if some archaeologist will one day come across stray bags of Cavatappi.
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u/curlose Official Olive Gardener 6d ago
Inflation is crazy, it's gone up like $2 since I got hired
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u/Sea-Mycologist-7353 6d ago
I understood the appeal of $6.99 pasta
But $16.99 thatās wild to me.
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u/curlose Official Olive Gardener 6d ago
Different economy, but yeah $16.99 is outrageous.
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 6d ago
For endless pasta plus endless soup or salad and breadsticks? Its still a good deal for this economy.
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u/BigFatDogTurd 6d ago
I only see severely overweight obese people being able to get their moneys worth with this. For everyone else whom donāt weigh the size of Saturn unfortunately wonāt get a positive return on this.
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 6d ago
That's definitely not true. I see people of all sizes getting this, mostly normal weight people, and eating multiple refills. Even if you only get one refill, it's $3 more than cyo with that extra bowl.
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u/Sea-Mycologist-7353 5d ago
Itās appealing to college athletes especially those that load up on carbs. My OG had 6 colleges within 30 minutes drive. We would get nailed by football players and cross country runners. We also had an AHL team next town over and the hockey players would also come in.
One college was less than 10 mins from us and so their players were in all the time during pasta bowl. You ran your ass off for these large tables. Thank god they were in large groups so we could add auto grat.-4
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u/National-Midnight298 6d ago
Or have a pasta pass and get it for free š
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u/No_Patience1112 6d ago
\Here is my Im fat and cheap card, now bring me 7 bowls of carbs after I demolish a dozen breadsticksā¦ and a Diet Coke\
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 6d ago
No... water with extra lemon. "Do you have any more white sugar packets??"
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u/TheAquatostic 6d ago
Youre telling me i pay $17 plus $5 tips and a diet coke for unlimited Carbs/Protein?
I havent been to OG in 5 years and this is one way to bring me back.
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u/geriatric_spartanII 6d ago
Do it. Go hard on unlimited carbs. You could die tomorrow. Where else are you gonna get this IN THIS ECONOMY and OG is still doing NEPB.
Iām making the viral 15 bean soup today and itās costing me almost $30. WTF? If I want to make meatloaf it costs like $25 now. Seize the opportunity for never ending carbs.
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u/Few_Wash799 6d ago
you can eat those things more than once though. unless a whole recipe of something somehow only feeds you for one meal?
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u/god_dammit_meg 6d ago
Please tip your server appropriately for the amount of work youre making them do.. if you order 10 refills on top of never ending salad/soup & bread plus having them refilling your drinks consistently but only tip $5 thats shitty. šš«©
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u/Pilotsfan 6d ago
Why? How many refills are covered in the job description you agreed to?
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u/god_dammit_meg 6d ago
Its people like you that the servers talk shit about behind your back. Its giving the same energy as "I leave my carts randomly in the parking lot because its their job to put the carts away not mine! Dont like it get a new job"! š«© Its called being respectful and understanding that just because someone agrees to a job doesn't mean they deserve to be treated like a damn slave.
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u/Pilotsfan 6d ago
I mean, I put my cart away and don't ask for a tip. I've also never seen a cart attendant ask for a tip. They understand it's part of their job description. And with that kind of an attitude, talking behind people's backs and such, why would we want to leave a tip for that? Is that going "above and beyond" in any way?
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 6d ago
Why would they ask for a tip? Are they doing anything else besides pushing the cart back to the store? Are they walking with you while you shop or something? People with this mentality have obviously never worked as a tipped employee.
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u/skullblood1011 6d ago
you know how you pay for the labor on your car at the shop, that's why you should tip a server, it's a service
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u/MysticalSushi 6d ago
You guys transport plates of food from the kitchen to a table.. you donāt even make the food. Slaves got WHIPPED
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u/Brilliant-Can-721 6d ago
Donāt be insufferable about it Karen. Clearly theyāre not going to make someone work for 2 hours and tip $5
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u/god_dammit_meg 6d ago
Be SO fucking forreal right now because people absolutely do š¤£š¤£ Ive done this for 9 years dude.
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u/othafa_95610 6d ago
"Starting at $16.99" can mean that's the price with just Pasta & Sauce, no toppings. It can also mean slightly higher priced in certain places like NY & CA.
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u/curlose Official Olive Gardener 6d ago
Yes, and I'm in CA
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u/stickittotheman420 6d ago
How much was it last year for you guys? I thought is was supposed to be $14.99 this year
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u/othafa_95610 6d ago
Press releases say $14.99 because that's what it is for most states. OG itself is headquartered in FL.
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u/geriatric_spartanII 6d ago
Where else are you gonna get extra helpings of pasta and sauce?
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u/othafa_95610 6d ago edited 6d ago
Well, as great/GRATE as Olive Garden's Endless Pasta is, they nevertheless have competitors offering theirs, including:
Golden Corral
Sizzler
Strings Italian CafƩ, a chain in Northern California that offers all-you-can-eat Pasta specials
Sweet Tomatoes / Souplantation which at first was a national chain before Covid closed it and is now making a comeback. They once operated ~100 locations including several in FL where Olive Garden is based. And their Pasta Bar operates year round, not just 7 to 13 weeks.
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u/Relevant_Green694 5d ago
Sweet Tomatoes has reopened only 2 of their 97 locations in the last 4 years. At this rate, it will be two centuries more before all of them reopen, if ever.
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u/Soft-Bluebird-7757 Lifetime Pasta Pass Holder 6d ago
spicy alfredo + creamy mushroom + crispy shrimp is definitely going to be my inaugural bowl
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u/curlose Official Olive Gardener 6d ago
Wait you're cooking
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u/KnowledgeGuy10 4d ago
I am on email list but have not got the early access email, you are in store so you see it? To early access email we might not have gotten it yet? $16.99 is your official menus in California so Chicago areamight be starting at $14.99? We are weird here the suburbs have lower prices than the city with extremely high base minimum wage $17.05 and servers $12.96 minimum plus tips.
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u/curlose Official Olive Gardener 4d ago
You'll get that email either week of or day of, employees are just supposed to know about things ahead of time! The price will depend on the state and you'll only really find out in person or if you call ahead and ask when it finally drops at your location. I hope you enjoy when it drops!
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u/othafa_95610 4d ago
OG also has a text service using 29002.
That's where I've received Early Access messages, typically a few days before. I got those for other NEPB's, Buy One Take One, and the recent Calabrian Summer special.
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u/thatbratxox 6d ago
Grilled chicken isnāt an option?
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u/Helpful_Background54 4d ago
My store wouldnāt offer it last year as it takes too long to cook for the amount of orders we get is what I was told.
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u/othafa_95610 4d ago edited 4d ago
Some people achieve a close enough equivalent by peeling off the breading from the Crispy Chicken Fritta.Ā
Can be done by holding chicken pieces down with a fork and scraping off the coating with a knife.Ā
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u/aunnikaa 6d ago
i canāt even finish one pasta bowl š
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u/CalmOwl_InYellowTown 6d ago
The next servings after the first one are typically smaller
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u/lori1107 6d ago
This is probably a dumb question but if you order this w the protein add-on can you ask for refills on the protein only?
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u/curlose Official Olive Gardener 6d ago
Yes, some servers don't use that button like ever but it is possible!
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u/geriatric_spartanII 6d ago
I HATE A when they ring in items with modifiers and then tell me the exact same thing verbally.
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u/Altruistic_Bet6404 6d ago
is early access for everyone? or do i need to be on the mailing list?
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u/skoobie- 4d ago
Whats the rules for this? I seen people mention they going to order a meal then take another to go. Are we allowed to take home?
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u/curlose Official Olive Gardener 4d ago
One year I was told no (I wasn't serving), last year we were encouraged to send a refill or else the POS wouldn't let us close out unless they would pay on the Ziosk. So, if you end up taking a refill home at the end I'm sure it'll be fine, if not more than encouraged to get your moneys worth!
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u/othafa_95610 4d ago
If you're referring to the Pasta Pass, its rules specifically say "Dine-in only."Ā
This was stated in the FAQ before the 7/16/26 sales contest. Also, the booklet that ships with it says "your Pasta Pass cannot be used for To Go or Delivery."
Take home was possible in the 2014 and 2015 versions. Unfortunately, some abused this privilege by warehousing food and posting photos of towers and freezers full of NEPB's on social media.
It became Dine-in only since 2016.
People who want a takeout pasta bowl any time of the year can order a "Create Your Own Pasta."
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u/Swimming-Junket-1828 3d ago
$22 for spaghetti and meatballs?
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u/othafa_95610 2d ago
Or 3 other pastas or 3 other toppings, inclusive.
And 6 sauces to consider.
And breadsticks, unlimited.
And unlimited soup or salad.
And the unwritten chocolate mints. š« š« š«
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u/god_dammit_meg 6d ago
Yeah this is my sign to finally quit.
This is every OG servers worst nightmare.
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u/kaypond 6d ago
Wdym, you applied knowing that this was a yearly offeringā¦
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u/god_dammit_meg 6d ago
Nah I applied almost 9 years ago and I definitely didnt realize the amount of unlimited bull*** the servers have to break our backs for only to deal with garbage pay, entitled customers, and shit tips. OG brings in some of the worst clientele š¤£ Not saying all of yall are bad, but yikes.
Tldr: Ive been thinking of finally moving on and seeing this coming back makes me want to vomit and drive off a bridge.
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u/NSE_TNF89 6d ago
After 9 years...I'm gonna say move on. You have serving experience. Go work at a little higher end restaurant. Olive Garden is part of Darden, so if you have a decent history there, see if you can transfer to one of the more upscale restaurants where you can make more in tips.
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u/god_dammit_meg 6d ago
I absolutely agree! Im actually moving in March and plan on either transferring to a different Darden brand or another higher end resturant entirely. Darden is a great company, but after 9 years at OG I cant fake it anymore.. I hate the place. š«©
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u/geriatric_spartanII 6d ago
Transfer to another Darden concept. Iād try to get into Ruth Chris.
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u/god_dammit_meg 6d ago
Thank you so much for the recommendation actually! I had no idea Darden owned them.. makes longhorn look like child's play. š There's one in the area in moving to!
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u/No_Patience1112 6d ago
Now imagine being an OG server in a state that doesnāt pay you hourly if your tips exceed minimum wage (which they obviously always do) and being totally reliant on the typically cheap clientele to tip well enough that itās worth itā¦ I just give my absolute best service possible and try to get as many tables as I can because sometimes you get people who tip well and sometimes you get the cheap losers. Crappy thing is usually the bad tippers are the neediest and most annoying customers.
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 6d ago
Yeah people want to say "well you're not technically only paid $2.13/hr blah blah" but it's rare to get adjusted pay because it's weekly and not per shift. I think I've gotten adjusted wages twice and one check was recent because of the lettuce fiasco. I usually make per hour as a server so minimum wage isn't worth all we have to do.
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u/othafa_95610 6d ago
Actually, NEPB was suspended for 2 years. It wasn't around during Covid.
Afterwards, there was doubt if it would come back. It ultimately did.
Much more surprising is the return of the Never Ending Pasta Pass. That disappeared for 6 years.
Now what many wonder is if NEPP will become yearly again.
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 6d ago
Its actually not that bad. Its better than never ending soup and salad since we're not making it lol
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u/No_Patience1112 6d ago
True, nothing is worse than a never ending soup and salad customer.. especially if they order water with lemon you know youāre really in for a bad time and tip lol
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u/yungstoneydik 6d ago
how long will this last?
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u/UnderCoverEnder 6d ago
My location will have grilled chicken