Did Olive Garden Really Change Its Iconic Breadsticks?

Quick, what's Olive Garden's most iconic menu item? Is it the chicken alfredo? The minestrone soup? Nah — it's the breadsticks. 

Olive Garden's breadsticks aren't just a fan favorite. They're practically an American institution. The chain serves more than 500 million buttery breadsticks per year, on average — that's nearly two breadsticks for every U.S. citizen. But a few years ago, fans of the fast-casual chain noticed a difference. Many turned to social media to voice their opinions. Some posters likened the new bread sticks to "hot dog buns." Others complained that they missed the "old" Olive Garden. 

Yes, Olive Garden breadsticks have changed. However, the chain insists that the recipe is the same. "Our freshly baked breadsticks are the same recipe our guests know and love -– and as never-ending as always," an Olive Garden representative told The Takeout. "In 2023, we switched suppliers to ensure that none of our breadsticks contained sesame. The menu item became available without sesame as of October 2023."

Doesn't that count as a recipe change? Sort of, but not really. The recipe was sesame-free until 2022, so it was only that way for a year. If you want to gripe about it, blame the supplier.

Sesame joined the Food and Drug Administration's list of major allergens in January 2023. But instead of protecting people with sesame allergies, the new law was a disaster as suppliers started adding sesame to recipes. The logic? There's no need to stick to FDA standards if sesame is a loud-and-proud ingredient. The change meant that many people with allergies could no longer eat foods they used to enjoy.

Many chains, including Olive Garden, were at the mercy of suppliers. "Following the FDA's declaration of sesame as a major allergen, our suppliers have added a minimal amount of sesame flour... to our breadsticks," Olive Garden stated at the time (per Business Insider). "We have updated our allergen guide accordingly and are sharing this information with our guests."

But for Olive Garden, the change didn't last long. Rather than keep the now-contaminated breadsticks on the menu, the restaurant switched suppliers. "It was always our intent to identify alternative sources to ensure our breadsticks did not contain sesame flour," senior director of communications Rich Jeffers told Allergic Living.

Before you complain about the change, remember that the company did it for the right reason. Fast casual restaurants bring Americans from all backgrounds together, so it's encouraging to see that Olive Garden is taking steps to become a more inclusive place. And if you have a sesame allergy? Go ahead and eat as many as you want.