Olive Garden’s ‘Buy One, Take One’ Promotion

Unlike the restaurant’s breadsticks, the options for what you can “take home for free” as part of Olive Garden’s “buy one, take one” promotion are not unlimited. In fact, according to Olive Garden’s website, there are only four meals that you can take to go for no additional cost in connection with the deal: spaghetti with meat sauce, fettuccine alfredo, five cheese ziti al forno and cheese ravioli with marinara.

But instead of noting this limitation in its TV ad for the promotion, above, which has aired 4,500 times since it debuted on July 22 according to ad-tracking firm iSpot.tv, Olive Garden features images of dishes in the commercial that it does not offer for free; in other words, the ones you buy as opposed to the ones you take. These dishes include chicken con broccoli (pictured) and shrimp scampi, both of which cost more than the advertised starting price of $12.99. The only way these meals leave the restaurant is, ostensibly, half-eaten in a doggie bag.

Yet the fine print at the end of the commercial merely notes: “Limited time only. Prices may vary in AK, CA, Times Square, Canada.”

TINA.org looked into Olive Garden’s “buy one, take one” promotion after a reader complained. We reached out to the restaurant for comment. Check back for updates.

Find more of our coverage on BOGOs here.