Olive Garden Breadstick Bun Sandwiches Make their Menu Debut

ORLANDO, Fla., June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Olive Garden is introducing another way for guests to enjoy its iconic breadsticks with a new menu offering – Signature Breadstick Bun Sandwiches served with fries and choice of unlimited homemade soup or Famous House Salad. Beginning today, guests can satisfy their lunchtime cravings with one of two Breadstick Bun Sandwiches, starting at just $6.99.

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The much-anticipated Signature Breadstick Bun Sandwiches have been making headlines with fans across the nation looking forward to their first taste. That's why Olive Garden is inviting guests to celebrate the new menu offering throughout the summer with Breadstick Nation – a seven-week-long nationwide tour of four Olive Garden food trucks that will be giving away free samples of the Signature Breadstick Bun Sandwiches. The tour will hit the road today with one food truck in New York City and will be joined by additional trucks visiting 20 cities nationwide.  

"We're always looking for new ways to reach and engage our most loyal fans," said Jose Duenas, executive vice president of marketing for Olive Garden. "Not only are we giving guests more ways to enjoy our most iconic menu item, we're making it easy for our guests to try our Signature Breadstick Bun Sandwiches."

With the Signature Breadstick Bun Sandwiches hitting the lunch menu today, guests can select one of two options, served with garlic Parmesan fries, unlimited breadsticks and choice of homemade soup or Famous House Salad:

NEW Italian Meatball Sandwich: Sicilian meatballs with alfredo and marinara served on the signature breadstick bun. (Starting at $6.99)
NEW Chicken Parmigiana Sandwich: Parmesan-breaded chicken breast, fried and topped with Italian cheese and marinara served on the signature breadstick bun. (Starting at $7.99)

Fans can follow the food truck tour by visiting BreadstickNation.com. On BreadstickNation.com, they can share their love of breadsticks for a chance to win free lunch for a year, check out breadstick recipes and more. Later this month, fans will have the chance to submit their own breadstick culinary innovations and vote for their favorite menu ideas.

Guests also can engage on Olive Garden's social channels to see where the Olive Garden food trucks will go next. Follow along and join the conversation with #BreadstickNation and connect with Olive Garden at Facebook.com/OliveGarden, Twitter.com/OliveGarden and Instagram.com/OliveGarden.

In addition to the Signature Breadstick Bun Sandwiches, on June 1, Olive Garden is introducing other new menu offerings:

• Shrimp Fresco Appetizer - Extra large shrimp served chilled with a new fresco sauce for dipping.
• Upgrade Your Salad with Grilled Chicken - Olive Garden's Famous House Salad topped with sliced grilled chicken marinated with Italian spices.
• Sausage Stuffed Giant Rigatoni - An instant guest favorite, this once limited-time-offer is being added as a permanent menu item. Large pasta filled with flavorful Italian sausage and topped with Olive Garden's homemade meat sauce and fresh melted mozzarella.
• Tuscan Duo Create Your Own Lunch Combination - Your choice of never ending soup or salad plus a variety of lunch options, including Olive Garden's new Signature Breadstick Bun Sandwiches, new Italian Mac & Cheese Mini Pasta Bowl, flatbreads and more starting at $6.99.
• Vanilla Panna Cotta with Fresh Blueberries - Fresh blueberries and raspberry sauce top a rich and creamy vanilla custard.
• 2 for $25 Tuscan Dinner - 2 for $25 is back, now with more new items than ever before! A three-course meal for two, starting with unlimited homemade soup or salad, with a choice of two Tuscany-inspired entrees from a select menu and dessert, all starting at $25.

About Olive Garden
Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with more than 800 restaurants, more than 96,000 employees and more than $3.6 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants, Inc., (NYSE: DRI), which owns and operates more than 1,500 restaurants that generate over $6.3 billion in annual sales. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., and employing more than 150,000 people, Darden is recognized for a culture that rewards caring for and responding to people. Olive Garden is committed to making a difference in the lives of others in the local community. As part of this commitment, Olive Garden restaurants have donated more than 31 million pounds of food to local community food banks across the country. For more information, visit www.olivegarden.com. Connect with us on Facebook.com/OliveGarden, Twitter.com/OliveGarden and Instagram.com/OliveGarden.

SOURCE Olive Garden