Olive Garden is serving up some big changes this spring.
On March 19, CEO Rick Cardenas told investors diners can expect to see GLP-1-friendly menu options and opportunities for free food in 2026.
The comments came during Olive Garden’s parent company, Darden Restaurants’, Q3 FY2026 earnings call. Olive Garden saw a 4.7% increase in total sales during the quarter, largely driven by menu changes and first-party delivery fees.
“Olive Garden is making some moves and I think those moves are gonna get even bigger in the upcoming quarters,” Cardenas told investors.
Olive Garden is shrinking its portion sizes
Over the past few months, Olive Garden has been testing smaller portion sizes at some of its locations. These GLP-1-friendly entrees have been so successful that the restaurant plans to roll them out nationwide over the next year.
“This platform provides [Olive Garden’s] guests with more choice by offering additional smaller portions of popular dishes at a lower price and is offered in addition to the Olive Garden’s regular portion sizes,” Cardenas told investors. “The lighter portion section of the menu is clearly resonating with our guests and their restaurant teams.”
A September 2025 report from the RAND Corporation, a think tank and research institute, found that nearly 12% of American adults had taken GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, and another 14% were interested in doing so.
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Additionally, data from EY-Parthennon, which was highlighted by CNBC, found that 60% of GLP-1 users were eating out less frequently. The inclusion of smaller portion sizes, then, makes sense for full-service restaurants like Olive Garden that are seeking to attract this calorie-conscious consumer.
“Restaurants continue to adapt and grow with [diet plan] trends,” Circana Vice President and Food Industry Advisor David Portalatin said in a recent report. “With GLP-1 usage, the biggest change to restaurants won’t be that consumers stop going out to eat, it will be how they go out to eat and what they order.”
Morgan Stanley’s Simeon Gutman, a food retail analyst, agrees.
“Retailers need to monitor the obesity drugs trend. They should be prepared to make changes to their assortment and how they market to their core customers to maintain market share,” he said in a statement.
Cardenas was quick to note that the new menu didn’t just appeal to GLP-1 users, but to a much larger portion of customers.
“We do know that the Olive Garden menu has abundant portions and abundant means different things to different people,” he said. “When you get as much soup or salad as you want and as many breadsticks as you want, a lighter portion may be all that you’re looking for… I think a lot of people want smaller portions if you get all these other things.”
Olive Garden’s lighter portions menu:
Ranging in price from $12.99 to $15.99, there are currently seven lighter portion menu options:
- Chicken Parmigiana
- Lasagna Classico
- Spaghetti & Meatballs
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Eggplant Parmigiana
- Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
- Cheese Ravioli
Source: Olive Garden
Getty Images
Olive Garden is serving up free food
If what you’re craving is more Olive Garden, not less, the restaurant has you covered.
During the earnings call, Cardenas told investors the company would be extending its “Buy One, Take One” promotion in 2026.
“Building on last year’s successful reintroduction, Olive Garden recently launched Buy One, Take One and is extending the offer for one additional week versus last year,” he said. “With the same starting at a price point of $14.99, guests can choose one entree for their dining experience and then they take a second entree home.”
Like the lighter portions menu, the “Buy One, Take One” promotion is limited to a small selection of items. But in 2026, there are more options than ever for customers to choose from.
“To give guests even more reasons to enjoy it, this year’s offer features a new Rigatoni alla Vodka entree for a limited time,” Cardenas told investors, noting guests’ “strong affinity for familiar, craveable dishes.”
Olive Garden’s “Buy One, Take One” Menu:
The restaurant’s promotion runs from March 16-May 3. Customers can choose from the following entrees:
- Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
- Rigatoni all Vodka
- Four Cheese Manicotti with Marinara
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
- Lasagna Classico
- Chicken Parmigana
Source: Olive Garden
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Is Olive Garden’s popularity slipping?
Olive Garden was founded in 1982 by General Mills. It grew incredibly fast in those early years, with 145 U.S. locations by 1989, according to the Tasting Table.
In the ‘90s and early ‘00s, by then under the purview of Darden Restaurants, the chain continued to flourish, thanks in large part to its never-ending breadsticks and salad.
However, it seems the Italian chain’s dominance of the mid-scale restaurant category may finally be starting to fade. According to data from Placer.ai, in February 2026, Olive Garden saw a 4.3% increase in traffic year over year.
While any increase is positive, the figure pales in comparison to some of Darden’s other major chains. Longhorn Steakhouse saw a 7.2% increase in traffic over the same period, Cheddar’s Scratch kitchen saw a 5.4% increase, and The Capital Grille saw a 9.8% increase.
“Darden’s results suggest that performance is being driven… by brand positioning, with concepts that offer either premium experiences or strong value perception capturing disproportionate demand,” the report said.
“As consumer budgets remain tight, growth is likely to concentrate further in brands that clearly justify their price point — leaving middle-of-the-road concepts increasingly pressured to sharpen their value proposition or differentiate more meaningfully.”
Olive Garden’s 2026 menu changes, then, are perhaps best seen as a way to both expand its value proposition and differentiate more meaningfully from competitors such as Maggiano’s Little Italy and Buca di Beppo.
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