here’s how to enter
Passes will go on sale Thursday at PastaPass.com, and it’s first-come, first-serve—Olive Garden recommends customers refresh the page until a “Buy Now” button appears, which they should click as quickly as possible.
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How Are Chain Restaurants Trying To Win Back Customers?
Like Olive Garden, chain restaurants are increasingly offering value meals or promotions like the pasta pass, offering deals for a flat fee. In 2024, McDonald’s rolled out a $5 value meal, and last year, brought back “Extra Value Meals,” a deal it had not offered since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The $5 meal includes a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink, while the Extra Value Meals save customers 15% on combo meals. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told CNBC last year the deals are a bid to win over lower-income consumers, saying they are “under a lot of pressure right now” in what he called a “two-tiered economy.” In 2023, Subway brought back its Footlong Pass, a monthly subscription service that offers consumers 50% off sandwiches for a flat fee of $15, and in 2022, Taco Bell unveiled a monthly Taco Lover’s Pass that offers fans 30 free tacos over 30 days. Earlier this year, Applebee’s brought back its “All You Can Eat” deal, offering customers unlimited fries with their choice of boneless wings, riblets or shrimp.
key background
As customers have felt the pressures of inflation, traffic at restaurants has declined. In December, CNBC reported restaurant traffic was down year-over-year for every month of 2025, except for July, when traffic increased by just 0.1%, citing data from Black Box Intelligence. Restaurants faced increased pressure earlier this year as the war in Iran caused gas prices to spike. Chains including Domino’s and Applebee’s reported declining traffic in March and April, and Black Box data showed restaurant traffic dipped 2.3% in March from one year prior.
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further reading
Restaurants’ hottest menu item in 2025 was ‘value.’ That won’t change next year (CNBC)
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High gas prices are hurting restaurant sales — but not all chains (CNBC)