Bucking A Restaurant Trend, Olive Garden Will Continue To Dish Out Free Breadsticks

Olive Garden restaurants are bucking a persistent national trend: the disappearance of free bread at meals. A report by Olive Garden investor Starboard recommended that the Italian restaurant chain eliminate free bread sticks to boost the bottom line. “Endless salad and breadsticks are another contributor to food waste,” the company said. But executives at Olive Garden said they had no intention of implementing the recommendation. “Olive Garden’s salad and breadsticks have been an icon of brand equity since 1982. It conveys Italian generosity ...”