If you're a real purist when it comes to dining, there's a good chance that the phrase "chain restaurant" makes you think of one thing: Frozen, microwaved food. It's hardly a secret that often, chain restaurants maintain consistency by shipping meals pre-made and frozen from a distribution center somewhere to each individual location.
If you're a regular at your local Olive Garden, you might be wondering if the (seemingly) fresh house salad is actually made in-house, or if it arrives at the restaurant in some partially or fully pre-made form. But good news, veggie lovers: Olive Garden does indeed make their salads in-house, which the brand confirmed to Daily Meal via email.
The other star appetizer, their famous breadsticks, are baked in-house, but only partially — they initially come from a bakery where they're made but transported fresh (not frozen) to each location, where staff finish them off in the oven for a few minutes before serving. So, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to think that the salads follow a similar process, possibly arriving pre-chopped like the bagged salads you can get at the grocery store. But to its credit, Olive Garden makes the majority of its dishes fresh each day, relying on packaged food and microwaves far less than comparable casual chains like Applebee's.
One hint that the salad really is made fresh is that it's customizable. The official website instructs vegan gueststo order the salad sans croutons, and with oil and vinegar instead of the standard Italian dressing in order to make it free of animal products. Additionally, the online ordering platform allows you to hold the olives, tomatoes, onions, and/or pepperoncini if you're getting a salad for pick-up. If the ingredients came to the restaurants already mixed together, customizations likely wouldn't be allowed at all.
Additionally, it's a lot harder to fake fresh veggies when serving them raw, as in a salad, rather than cooked. Vegetables, especially lettuce, start oxygenating as soon as they're sliced open and exposed to the air, which causes them to become brownish at the edges and less crisp within minutes. If your salad arrives at your table looking and tasting totally fresh, that's a good sign that it actually is.
The Microwave Isn't Olive Garden's MVP
The only dishes that arrive at the restaurants fully prepared and frozen, then microwaved to order, are the desserts. Everything else on the menu is made in-house, including the soups and sauces, which are prepared fresh each day. Given that most Americans are probably pretty accustomed to eating canned soup and jarred pasta sauces, the franchise could probably get away with cutting some corners and using pre-made, shipped-in items — but they don't, which bodes well for their kitchen practices overall.
In fact, the only dishes Olive Garden uses the microwave for are desserts and dipping sauces. The sauces are made in-house each day but reheated to order when served as dips for your breadsticks.
Olive Garden may be known for offering a not-so-authentic spin on Italian food — you certainly won't find their Amazing Alfredos! anywhere in Tuscany. But as far as casual dining franchises go, Olive Garden actually stands out as a pretty good choice if fresh food is what you seek. If you're craving a crisp, delicious salad, you can be confident that Olive Garden's famous never-ending salad is going to hit the spot — even after the second, third, or even fourth refill.
The soups are made in-house daily—but all the desserts are frozen. The pasta, however, is made to order. The restaurant only uses microwaves for heating dipping sauces and warming desserts. Otherwise, everything is pan fried, deep fried, or grilled.
Additionally, the online ordering platform allows you to hold the olives, tomatoes, onions, and/or pepperoncini if you're getting a salad for pick-up. If the ingredients came to the restaurants already mixed together, customizations likely wouldn't be allowed at all.
While the bread may be a staple of eating at Olive Garden, they actually aren't made from scratch in-house. Instead, Darden Restaurants, Inc. — the parent company of Olive Garden — outsources the bread from Turano Baking Company.
The fact that servers will refill your salad bowl as many times as you want is a major plus, but the reason many customers enjoy it so much is most likely the dressing Olive Garden uses.
Leafy green salads in sealed bags labeled "washed," "triple washed," or "ready-to-eat" that are produced in a facility inspected by a regulatory authority and operated under "Good Manufacturing Practices" (GMP): Do not need additional washing at the time of use unless specially directed on the label.
One serving is about 5 ounces. The amount of salad served depends on the number of guests in your party. For a party of 1 to 2 guests, about 10 ounces would be served (so ½ of the bowl would be one serving).
The pasta at Olive Garden isn't frozen or microwaved, but it is prepared in advance of service. In a Quora thread, one server explained the process: "The pasta is precooked in the morning and given an ice bath while it's still al dente.
Olive Garden starts with bagged pre-cut lettuce, adds some cut onions, cut tomatoes and a few canned black olives and pepperoncini and croutons - just like this recipe. Really? Come on!
According to Olive Garden's menu, the lunchtime Alfredo is around 650 calories, while a dinner portion is closer to 1,310 — nearly double the size of the lunchtime serving.
What is Olive Garden salad made of? Olive Garden salad starts with a base of iceberg lettuce, and contains tomatoes, olives, cheese, croutons, red onions and pepperoncini peppers. What kind of dressing does Olive Garden use? Olive Garden uses a creamy Italian dressing for its signature salad.
Our Signature Italian dressing has been a favorite with our guests for over 35 years. It's crafted from a special blend of Italian spices, oil, and vinegar. Great for salads and marinades!
One of the things she mentioned is that Olive Garden uses microwaves to heat up pre-made items. "Yes, they do use a microwave," the former server is said to have alleged about Olive Garden. "Your potatoes, your veggies, certain sauces, and some of your meats are just microwaved and put on your plate."
All other entrees excluded. Each meal is for one person and may not be shared. Dine-in only. Valid at any Olive Garden location in the continental United States Not valid for online or To Go orders.
Introduction: My name is Gregorio Kreiger, I am a tender, brainy, enthusiastic, combative, agreeable, gentle, gentle person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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