This Massive Olive Garden Dish Cost Less In The '90s Than Most McDonald's Meals Cost Today

When a Redditor posted a throwback Olive Garden menu on the r/olivegarden subreddit, one item caught commenters' attention: the $10.75 Tour of Italy. "10 dollars for a tour of Italy is mind boggling," read the top comment. "I just said the other day the Tour was under $11," wrote another commenter. "Not a single soul believed me."

It's not clear when exactly the menu was in effect or for how long; the small print lists a copyright date of 1991. Regardless of the time frame, it demonstrates just how much prices have changed over the past few decades. These days, a Tour of Italy tasting platter — which includes chicken Parmigiana, lasagna, and fettuccine Alfredo — costs $23.49. On the vintage menu, eggplant Parmigiana cost just $6.75, and every dessert as well as most appetizers cost less than $5. Some Redditors claimed the portions were bigger back in the day, too.

These days, $10.75 might not even buy a meal at McDonald's, as most of the chain's lunch and dinner meals cost more than $10. Limited-time meals (like McDonald's FIFA World Cup meal) tend to err on the pricier side, and in some places, the chain's overpriced burgers cost customers up to $19. As for old-school McDonald's prices? It's hard to find solid data from 1991, but one TV ad from 1988 promotes a limited-time $3.59 Big Mac Meal deal. The same meal costs $8.59 today — or more, depending on your location.

Good news for modern Olive Garden diners: In 1991, a Tour of Italy was actually pricier than it is today. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $10.75 had the same buying power in June 1991 as $26.40 would in June 2026. It's not until the end of the '90s that the relative prices start to even out. The trend applies to other menu items, too.

McDonald's price hikes haven't been so customer-friendly. Admittedly, some menu items are cheaper than they used to be: In June 1988, $3.59 had the same buying power as $10.16 in June 2026. Still, the chain's prices have been undeniably volatile since the start of the decade. In 2024, McDonald's attempted to defend itself with a fact sheet, where the chain denied claims that its prices had risen at a rate that was nearly double the national rate of inflation since 2019. It's true that some McDonald's menu items, including Big Macs, more or less kept pace with the 22.7% inflation rate during the five-year period. Still, prices went up by roughly 40% overall. So, you know, nearly double inflation.

It's clear why customers are switching from fast food to fast casual chains like Olive Garden. Even if the chain has downsized its Tour of Italy as Reddit claims, diners still get a massive amount of food for a fair price. McDonald's, meanwhile, isn't necessarily the deal it used to be — and you don't even get unlimited breadsticks.