They say the best things in life are free. It costs nothing to feel proud of an accomplishment or to have that warm fuzzy feeling you get after hugging a loved one. As you count up all the priceless things that make life worth living like happiness friendship and laughter don’t forget to close out the list with perhaps the most impactful phenomenon that doesn’t cost a dime: the free bread provided at your favorite restaurant chains.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Good Mythical Morning | 2018-09-14 10:00:04 |  5,352,866 Views |
Restaurant bread tasting test
A staple of the fast-casual dining experience is the free bread you get at places like Olive Garden Texas Roadhouse and more. It’s more than just a way to whet your appetite — it often serves as a good indicator of the level of quality you can expect from the rest of your meal. And while there’s a sneaky reason why restaurants offer free bread it shouldn’t make you any less excited when you see a fresh basket on your table. Getting free bread when you eat out may seem like magic but the secret is usually in the addition of a few common ingredients and it’s possible to recreate most restaurant breads at home. From cookies to baguettes to rolls and more these snack-worthy morsels are the perfect way to break some bread.
Olive Garden’s iconic breadsticks need no introduction but they deserve one anyway. These deliciously soft buttery and savory breadsticks have been on the menu since their inception in 1982 and fans can’t seem to get enough. The Italian eatery’s breadsticks are always baked fresh and go so fast that the kitchen cranks out new batches every 15 minutes. Perfect for sopping up excess pasta sauce the only downside to Olive Garden’s breadsticks is that they’re not exactly unlimited. Still it’s safe to say that plenty of customers would probably order them even if they weren’t free. While they may look like they’re made from scratch or sprinkled with a secret blend of Italian herbs to make them so delicious for customers they’re actually covered in nothing more than margarine and garlic-herb salt.
Several alleged employees on Reddit note that the sticks come pre-baked (Olive Garden owners Darden Restaurants have previously listed Turano Baking Company as one of their partner bakeries) and on TikTok a kitchen crew member filmed the entire process of making the breadsticks from start to finish buttering and seasoning them after they were browned in the oven. That finishing touch is likely why customers can reportedly go through thousands of breadsticks a day. When it comes to a food as simple and straightforward as bread even the most basic ingredients can completely transform the flavor. If you want Olive Garden-level breadsticks at home make sure you have plenty of margarine and garlic salt on hand.
