You know the famous Olive Garden saying: When you’re here, you’re family. Now, Olive Garden wants you to know that when you’re home, you’re family, too. In partnership with Uber Direct, Olive Garden is now making its breadsticks, pasta, classic sauces, and all the rest of its Tuscan favorites available for delivery nationwide. According to a press release from the restaurant, guests can place their orders for delivery at OliveGarden.com or through the Olive Garden app, then their food is freshly prepared and delivered by an Uber delivery driver. Delivery is available for orders up to $350, and larger orders are available for next day delivery through Olive Garden’s catering service. Whether you’re craving a midday desk lunch or a big family dinner, the delivery pasta-bilities are endless.
Before you start furiously scrolling the Olive Garden menu in your pajamas to put your delivery order in, you should know there’s a catch. In order to enjoy the fruits of this new delivery option, you must be within eight miles of your local Olive Garden location.
The delivery pilot program launched late in 2024, with the full rollout to be complete later this year
Before the big delivery announcement, Olive Garden had been piloting its delivery partnership with Uber for several months. According to a September 2024 article on Today.com, Darden, the restaurant group that owns Olive Garden, started to pilot the program in select locations before making it available nationwide. “Guests have been asking us for home delivery options and they continue to show they are willing to pay for the convenience,” said Rick Cardenas, President and CEO of Darden. Cardenas noted that his team spent a lot of time evaluating how delivery would best serve its guests, keeping in mind the importance of the guest experience without any disruptions on the restaurant side.
This collaboration is a boon for Uber as well, as it adds another major restaurant chain to its delivery repertoire. “On-demand delivery is increasingly a core expectation for consumers,” said Sarfraz Maredia, vice president of Delivery, head of Americas at Uber Eats. “People also expect a great experience, especially when it’s from a brand they love like Olive Garden, and that doesn’t change whether it’s at the restaurant or at home.”
For those looking to recreate all the delicious elements of Olive Garden in their very own home, this delivery announcement is welcome news. However, not everything from the Olive Garden menu is available for home delivery. If you want never-ending soup, salad, and breadsticks, you’ll have to go in person.
