Olive Garden is opening its annual window of unlimited pastabilities. Its Never Ending Pasta Pass returns, allowing some lucky superfans to fulfill their carb-laden dreams for 56 days.
“To not have to think about what to have for dinner for a full eight weeks was heaven,” said Julie Boyer of Citrus County, Florida. Last year, she managed to snag a couple of passes for her husband and herself.
The restaurant chain will put 23,000 all-you-can-eat passes up for sale at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday. They'll be available for 30 minutes or until they sell out, whichever comes first, said Jennifer Arguello, Olive Garden executive vice president of marketing.
To get your hands on one of the coveted passes, you'll need to be fast, lucky and have $100. Boyer, for instance, bought hers with quick fingers on two separate devices.
Last year, the passes were claimed in one second, Arguello said.
"Some guests use their pass three times a day, others use it once a week," Arguello said. "Last year’s Pasta Passholders used their passes an average of 10 times over the eight-week promotion."
With the pasta bowl starting at $10.99, it takes 10 visits for a customer to come out ahead.
Boyer and her husband managed to eat 64 meals combined and, for their $200 investment, yielded a tab of nearly $1,100 worth of pasta.
“We were both getting tired of pasta by the end, but it was definitely worth it.”
New this year for the fifth-annual promotion is the introduction of an Annual Pasta Pass for $300. The 1,000 passes also go on sale 2 p.m. Thursday at www.pastapass.com.
"We do Pasta Pass for our fans who have been telling us they want more, and nothing says Italian generosity as much as an Annual Pasta Pass – it’s our way of thanking them," Arguello said.

Winning the lottery

Alan Ling got lucky two years in a row and wants to try for a third.
To get a pass, "one has to be in front of the computer,” the Burlington, Vermont, resident said, adding he went more than 100 times in 2016 and 54 days in a row last year.
Alex and Laurie Johnson of Fairport, New York, also both scored the passes and got special treatment at their western New York Olive Garden.
Alex, a retired teacher, went 19 times and stocked the freezer with leftovers.
“It was a great experience and became more of a challenge for me to try to get many more meals in,” he said. “I also found myself going to the gym much more often to burn calories so I could eat more the next trip.”
Celebration, Florida, resident Michael Johnson, no relation to the New York couple, used his pass about 50 times, including in Vero Beach and Orlando, Florida, and New York City’s Time Square. He had tried for years to get the pass but wasn’t successful until 2017.
There can be a downside to all the fun.
“My doctor did ask what I was doing differently at my next blood test,” Johnson said. “My A1C and cholesterol had gone up quite a bit.”

Never Ending Pasta Bowl

Olive Garden introduced the Pasta Pass in 2014 and sold 1,000 that first year. The number has increased each year, and this year's 23,000 is to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Never Ending Pasta Bowl.
The pasta passes can be used from Sept. 24 through Nov. 18, and the annual passes can be used through Sept. 22, 2019.
With the pass, toppings including meatballs, garden veggies and chicken can be added at no additional cost.
Rob Frankel, a Los Angeles-based branding strategy expert, said Pasta Pass is effective because it gets consumers into the habit of buying over time, and most will buy a drink or bring friends.
“In terms of advertising, it’s probably way more effective than running national television commercials,” Frankel said.
For those who aren't able to get one of the desired cards, there's still the Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion, which coincides with the eight-week passholder program. That promotion includes a choice of pasta combinations, soup or salad and breadsticks starting at $10.99 for dine-in patrons.
Olive Garden Pasta Pass 1
Olive Garden's Pasta Passes go on sale at 2 p.m. ET Aug. 23. (Photo: Olive Garden)

The options

To buy the eight-week or annual pass, go to www.pastapass.com before 2 p.m. EDT Aug. 23. A "buy" button will activate when the passes are available.

Never Ending Pasta Pass

  • 23,000 available at $100 each
  • Eight weeks of unlimited access to Never Ending Pasta Bowl
  • Sept. 24 through Nov. 18

Annual Pasta Pass

  • 1,000 available at $300 each
  • 52 weeks of unlimited access to Never Ending Pasta Bowl

Never Ending Pasta Bowl

From Sept. 24 through Nov. 18, all guests can get unlimited servings of pasta combinations, soup or salad and breadsticks, starting at $10.99. There are seven types of pasta including cavatappi and gluten-free rotini, seven sauces and six toppings such as meatballs and garden veggies.
Kelly Tyko is a consumer columnist and retail reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Follow her on Twitter @KellyTyko and email her atkelly.tyko@tcpalm.com.