How To Order Small Portions At Olive Garden When You Want A Lighter Meal

Did you know that the renowned restaurant known for its fan-favorite deal of endless pasta and generous portions, large enough to feed a soccer team, now offers smaller options? This menu addition rolled out nationwide at the beginning of the new year and provides a selection of Olive Garden's classic entrees in reduced sizes. These smaller options, which were previously limited to lunchtime, are now available on the dinner menu under the "Piccolo Portions" section (piccolo meaning small in Italian). The new offerings are light versions of some of Olive Garden's most popular menu items, including the Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico, Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, Cheese Ravioli, Spaghetti & Meatballs, and Fettuccine Alfredo. Each of these smaller options comes with the restaurant's never-ending soup or salad and breadsticks.

The smaller portion options have approximately 40% fewer calories than the original-sized versions, according to Olive Garden's menu. However, the size of the dish's components varies, depending on the entrée. For instance, while both the small and original-sized portions of Chicken Parmigiana have the same description, the smaller portion includes the same amount of chicken as the original, but with a smaller side of spaghetti with sauce, according to the general manager at my local Olive Garden. On the other hand, the original-sized Spaghetti & Meatballs comes with homemade meat sauce and three hearty meatballs served over spaghetti, while the smaller portion reduces the size of all components, resulting in less meat sauce, less spaghetti, and two hearty meatballs.

According to a Reddit thread directed toward Olive Garden employees titled, "New 'lite' menu. Anyone have this at their store yet?", several customers who were enthusiastic about the smaller portions commented. One Reddit user wrote, "As a customer, I love this! I wish more restaurants would adapt smaller portion options. Most restaurants serve portions that are absolutely ridiculously huge, and the leftovers aren't always great heated up. When traveling, it's also just not very convenient." From the perspective of older diners, another user wrote, "I need this smaller portion menu to come to my town. I haven't been to Olive Garden in about two months. My mom is 88 years old and can't eat the huge portions, and she doesn't like leftovers."

Rick Cardenas, president and CEO of Olive Garden's parent company, Darden Restaurants, said during a quarterly earnings call in December that the new offerings were partially in response to customers' desire for smaller portion sizes. Cardenas noted that reduced serving sizes may attract diners seeking lighter meals, including those taking GLP-1 medications.

Smaller portions also come with lower prices. Depending on the region, Olive Garden's "Piccolo Portions" range from $13 to $15, compared to original-size entrées priced between $16 and $23. Cardenas also explained that the reduced portions have led customers to rate the Italian-American restaurant chain 15% higher in affordability. Although customers may leave without leftovers — which is food you're more likely to waste — their stomachs and wallets appear more satisfied with the amount of food served for the price paid.