Olive Garden’s salads are prepared fresh in-house, and each one will look a little different. One commenter in the Buzzfeed Community forum revealed, “The number of olives, tomatoes, etc. on your salad is directly impacted by the amount of people at your table.” If you were hoping for a mountain of black olives or a whole handful of red onions and croutons mixed into your green salad, you might want to consider inviting a few more friends to help you tackle the unlimited meal. Olive Garden’s system also dictates the weight of each salad depending on the party size, as well as the number of breadsticks patrons receive — employees are required to provide one per person per refill.
Technically, you’re allowed to stay as long as you want during Olive Garden’s business hours, as long as you’re actively consuming food. In a Reddit thread, former employees confirmed that there’s no actual cut-off point when it comes to enjoying the restaurant’s never-ending meal options. However, employees do reserve the right to deny service if a customer is being disrespectful or impatient while servers are constantly refilling their salad bowls and bread baskets.