Michelle Obama does not approve.
Olive Garden’s first-ever $100 “Never Ending Pasta Pass” allows all-you-can-eat pasta, salad, breadsticks and soda for seven weeks.
“What we’re trying to do is get some attention,” said Jay Spenchian, executive vice president of marketing, USA Today reported. “It’s sure to provoke a reaction.”
Olive Garden will only be selling 1,000 of the gut-busting passes, beginning Monday at 3 p.m. ET via their web site.
The PR stunt piggybacks with the chain’s annual “Never Ending Pasta Bowl” promo, Sept. 22 through Nov. 9., which lets customers eat all the pasta they want for $9.99, USA Today reported.
Last year during its “Never Ending Pasta Bowl” promotion, Olive Garden served 13 million bowls, Mr. Spenchian said.
“It’s our most popular and most requested promotion,” he said.
But registered dietitian and author Robyn Flipse warns that all-you-can-eat promotions can be harmful on the waistline.
“If the primary object is to get your money’s worth, it has nothing to do with good nutrition,” she told USA Today.
Mr. Spenchian maintains that the promotion isn’t about overdoing it, but the experience.
“We’re trying to make our fans feel like VIPs,” he said.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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