Olive Garden may have made a name for itself with its unlimited pasta and breadsticks deals, but the restaurant is now among a growing number that are hoping to revitalize profits by scaling back on portion sizes and lowering costs.
Over the last few months, Olive Garden has been testing a lighter portion section of its menu. The menu, which is currently offered at 40% of its locations, features seven of its famous entrees in smaller amounts and at lower prices, along with traditional unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks.
During its Q1 2026 earnings call last month, the company said consumer response to the new menu had been "encouraging," citing a 15% increase in its affordability score as well as "high satisfaction" with portion sizes.
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"The way we’re thinking about it is there is a consumer group out there that believes in abundance, but abundance is different for everybody," Rick Cardenas, president and CEO of Olive Garden parent company Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI), said on the earnings call. "And by bringing some smaller portion sizes to the dinner menu at Olive Garden, there are still abundant portion sizes, but it also adds price breadth to the menu. So consumers can choose."
Portion size has become increasingly important to consumers over the last few years. The National Restaurant Association's State of the Restaurant Industry 2025 report found that for 76% of adults, a choice in portion size was a must-have offering at table-service restaurants. Another 66% said shareable menu options were essential for them when choosing a dine-in establishment.
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Maeve Webster, the president of foodservice consulting firm Menu Matters, says that these smaller portion sizes and their matching price tags aren't just a way to attract diners; they're also helping dine-in restaurants compete with fast food chains.
"From the casual dining perspective, it is as much about competing more effectively with the quick service restaurants (that) have embraced value-meal discounts and promotions as it is about offering consumers a more affordable option," she told CNN.
Olive Garden isn't the only chain trying out reduced portion sizes. At the end of last month, P.F. Chang's announced that it would be rolling out two portion sizes for all of its entrees: traditional and medium.
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P.F. Chang's Chief Marketing Officer Sonika Patel told CNN the changes were the result of customers’ requests for more flexible options.
"One of the things today's consumer is looking for are ways to enjoy dining out without feeling like they're breaking the bank," she said. "Our job is to make it easier for (customers) to discover and be able to customize, the different options that we give on our menu."
Webster is confident that this menu portion size trend Olive Garden and P.F. Chang's have started will continue to spread.
"[The industry has been] talking about customization and have facilitated endless customization in many food and beverage categories for years, but have not really allowed for the same flexibility and customization when it comes to portion size," she told CNN. "That should be a long-term goal for most operators."
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