Olive Garden has to be one of our favorites when it comes to going for a ‘quick’ Italian. Their pasta and pizza are the stuff of legends, and it is always enjoyed better when you are in a crowd. The good news is that olive garden can provide catering. In fact, the Olive Garden catering menu features many of their usual restaurant favorites! Today we will explain a bit about the Olive Garden, tell you what the menu includes, and show you the menu itself with prices, so choosing couldn’t be easier! Enjoy!
What is Olive Garden Catering?
In short, olive garden is the largest Italian restaurant chain in the United States. It serves over 900 different locations, which means that wherever you are based, you should be able to choose and order something from the Olive Garden catering menu.
While we might not be able to promise you a ‘never-ending pasta bowl’ as you can get in their restaurant, you can still ensure that if you order the right things, nobody will be leaving the party hungry.
Traditionally, Olive Garden serves Italian-American-style cuisines such as steaks, salads, pasta dishes, and pizzas.
When it comes to catering, they do have a dedicated catering service. According to their website, they cater for the following: –
- Businesses, such as holiday parties, office meetings, and employee appreciation
- Events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, functions, and more
- Bridal catering, including rehearsal dinners, weddings, and showers
This isn’t just simple party platters, either. It is actually possible to create your own pasta station!
What Does Olive Garden Catering Include?
As you would expect with any Italian menu, the Olive Garden catering menu has a lot of options to choose from. They are all great tasting and really filling! The catering menu falls into several different categories.
You can order: –
- Family style meal combinations
- Appetizers
- Entrees
- Create your own pasta
- Lunch
- Desserts
- Soups, salad, and breadsticks
Here are some of our highlights.
Meal Combinations
This catering platter serves between 8 and 14 people (depending on how hungry your guests are). But it includes a large amount of food. Take, for instance, the chicken parmigiana combination. You’ll get 2 salads, 24 breadsticks, a pan of chicken parmigiana with 8 breasts included, a pan of spaghetti alfredo, a pan of fettuccine, and a whole cake dessert! Oh, and don’t forget the gallon of freshly brewed ice tea either!
Pasta Creation Station
This is literally like being in Olive Garden but in the comfort of your own home or even your backyard.
The best bit? There is no washing up as they even include the dishes! Each station will serve up to 10 guests, but Olive Garden proudly boasts that if you wanted to, you could serve up to 1000! Included with each portion, you will get 2 types of pasta, 3 different sauces, and three meat fillings to pad things out. The choice includes grilled chicken, meatballs, or Italian sausage. As you would expect with the Olive Garden catering menu, breadsticks and side salad are included in the package!
Individual Pans
This is what most people would consider when discussing Olive Garden catering. These pans allow you to order individual dishes from the Olive Garden menu but in a bigger form. That way, everyone can dig in and help themselves!
Each individual pan is designed to feed around 6 people, and don’t forget you can order more breadsticks and sides separately if you want to make it stretch a little further.
On the catering menu for Olive Garden, you’ll find a lot of classics such as: –
- Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
- Lasagna Classico
- Cheese Ravioli
- Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken scampi
- Five Cheese al Forno
- And many more…
See Also: Does Costco do catering?
Does Olive Garden do Party Platters?
Yes, it does! But they are referred to as individual pans instead of being referenced as party platters. The individual pans are the closest thing you will find to a party platter. These are large individual dishes filled with the same dish so that everyone can take their pick and help themselves!
The meal combinations are pretty similar to party platters too. Provided that everybody is courteous and considerate, there should be plenty to go around, and up to 14 people will be able to take a little of what they love and try each dish!
Olive Garden Catering Menu
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Meal Combinations | |
| Chicken Parmigiana Combination (Serves 10-14) | $136.50 |
| Lasagna Combination (Serves 10-14) | $143.50 |
| Chicken Marsala Combination (Serves 10-14) | $150.50 |
| Appetizers | |
| Bruschetta Caprese (Serves 6) | $14.99 |
| Toasted Beef and Pork Ravioli (Serves 6) | $24.99 |
| Crispy Risotto Bites (Serves 6) | $22.99 |
| Stuffed Mushrooms (Serves 6) | $18.99 |
| Fried Mozzarella (Serves 6) | $22.99 |
| Chicken Meatballs (Dozen) | $18.99 |
| Breadsticks | |
| Half Dozen Breadsticks | $2.99 |
| Dozen Breadsticks | $4.79 |
| Homemade Sauces | |
| Alfredo Sauce (Serves 6) | $5.79 |
| Marinara (Serves 6) | $4.39 |
| Five Cheese Marinara Sauce (Serves 6) | $4.69 |
| Meat Sauce** (Serves 6) | $4.79 |
| Signature Salads | |
| Our Famous Jumbo House Salad (Serves 6) | $17.99 |
| Jumbo Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (Serves 6) | $26.99 |
| Homemade Soups | |
| Half-Gallon Soups (Serves 6) | $13.29 |
| One-Gallon Soups (Serves 12) | $22.29 |
| Breadstick Sandwiches | |
| Breadstick Sandwiches (Assortment of 10) | $59.99 |
| Breadstick Sandwich & Jumbo Famous House Salad Combination | $69.99 |
| Italian Classics | |
| Fettuccine Alfredo (Serves 6) | $31.99 |
| Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce (Serves 6) | $26.99 |
| Five Cheese Ziti al Forno (Serves 6) | $30.99 |
| Gluten-Free Rotini with Grilled Chicken (Serves 6) | $42.99 |
| Lasagna Classico** (Serves 8) | $33.99 |
| Sausage Stuffed Giant Rigatoni** (Serves 6) | $43.99 |
| Ravioli di Portobello (Serves 6) | $35.99 |
| Spaghetti with Meat Sauce** (Serves 6) | $29.99 |
| Cheese Ravioli with Marinara or Meat Sauce** (Serves 6) | $32.99 |
| Gluten-Free Rotini with Marinara or Primavera Sauce (Serves 6) | $28.99 |
| Lasagna Classico** (Serves 12) | $43.99 |
| Chicken, Beef & Seafood | |
| Shrimp Alfredo (Serves 6) | $49.99 |
| Chicken Parmigiana (Serves 6) | $39.99 |
| Chicken Marsala with Roasted Potatoes (Serves 6) | $43.99 |
| Braised Beef & Tortelloni (Serves 6) | $43.99 |
| Chicken Alfredo (Serves 6) | $45.99 |
| Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair (Serves 6) | $36.99 |
| Garlic Rosemary Chicken with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes (Serves 6) | $42.99 |
| Perfect Additions | |
| Italian Meatballs (Dozen) | $14.99 |
| Italian Sausage (Dozen) | $14.99 |
| Chicken Meatballs (Dozen) | $18.99 |
| Grilled Chicken Breasts (6 Sliced) | $18.99 |
| Desserts | |
| Black Tie Mousse Cake (Serves 12) | $39.99 |
| Lemon Cream Cake (Serves 12) | $39.99 |
| Dolcini (25 mini desserts) | $39.99 |
| Tiramisu (Serves 12) | $39.99 |
| Seasonal Sicilian Cheesecake (Serves 12) | $39.99 |
| Beverages | |
| Gallon Iced Teas & Raspberry Lemonade | $4.99 |
| Soft Drinks (2 liter) | $3.99 |
| Italian Bottled Waters | $3.00 |
| Italian Market | |
| Italian Syrups (bottle) | $7.99 |
| Dozen Breadsticks | $4.79 |
| Italian Salad Dressing (bottle) | $5.49 |
How Does Olive Garden Catering Work?
Olive Garden is very flexible when it comes to catering. But they do have a few requirements that you will want to observe if you are planning to use Olive Garden for party catering. To place a catering order: –
You have to spend over $50 on a single order
- Order by 5pm at the latest if you want the food the next day
- Check that you are in an area served by Olive Garden
- Be sure to request a complimentary chafing dish set
There are a few ways you can place your order. For groups of fewer than 100 people, Olive Garden prefers orders to be made online. The good news is that you can also arrange delivery too! For larger orders, Olive garden asks that customers contact them via the phone. That way, you can ensure that the staff will be available to make your order on a required day.
The other good news is that Olive Garden doesn’t add any charge to the price of their menu items for delivery. While they add a 10% delivery charge, this is only what you would pay as a tip in the restaurant anyway!
Related: Walmart Catering and prices
Recipes You Can Make Yourself
FAQs
-
How many people can Olive Garden cater for?
Olive Garden can cater for both small and large groups up to 100 people, however this might vry depending on location and notice period provided. It’s best to call up and ask their dedicated catering team.
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Where do I place my order for catering?
You can place your online order and choose from their wide array of options on the menu. Alternatively, their team will take care of you if you’re calling or dropping into your local Olive garden restaurant.
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How much advance notice do you need to provide for catering orders?
When catering for a smaller audience get your order in before 5pm the evening before. For larger gatherings, make sure to contact your local restaurant to see how they can accommodate you.
Conclusion
If you are looking for some seriously tasty Italian food, then go for Olive Garden catering. Menu options are numerous, and there is bound to be something for everyone (we love the breadsticks more than anything!) It is a little bit more expensive than some other options, but the food is freshly prepared and really high quality, making it well worth it. What is your favorite dish from the Olive Garden menu?
