The Ordering Tweak That Lets You Customize A Classic Olive Garden Dish

Are you in the mood for an authentic Italian meal on the town but don't have access to a high-end bistro or rustic restaurant? If so, you might wind up at the Olive Garden (especially when you live in the state with the most Olive Garden locations). After all, beyond its beloved breadsticks and enormously popular deals, like endless soup and salad, the chain offers a veritable culinary tour of Italy to patrons — as with its aptly-named Tour of Italy combo item.

Now, if you're not enticed by the dish's three standard options of chicken parmigiana, lasagna classico, and fettuccine Alfredo, you may be able to customize your OG trio. That's according to a former Olive Garden employee on TikTok, at least, who revealed the somewhat surprising fact that customers are able to mix and match their Tour of Italy entree selections.

Of course, while the former employee mentioned it's entirely possible to swap in different dishes to your preference, there appear to be some caveats to keep in mind before you head to the nearest Olive Garden (especially if it's your first time). It certainly seems like customers can create (and then enjoy) their own version of the Tour of Italy, but it may not be free or feasible depending on where and how you place your order.

For starters, you shouldn't necessarily expect your customized Tour of Italy order to ring in at the exact same price as the standard menu item. As noted by that former Olive Garden employee on TikTok, there's a decent chance your request will result in an upcharge, though it's unlikely to cost more than a dollar or two (per swap).

More than that, based on our experience and research, it appears the only real way to customize one's Tour of Italy items is to do so in person at the restaurant, or by ordering over the phone (and speaking to an actual employee). There's no option for replacing either the chicken parm or lasagna when ordering online, after all, though it does allow you to swap the Alfredo for meat sauce or the fettuccine for spaghetti.

Considering Olive Garden has previously offered a (now-defunct) special where customers could create their own Tour of Italy entree, the restaurant clearly understands the appeal of mixing and matching its many great dishes in this fashion. So if you're determined to enjoy your own version of the chain's classic combo, you can likely make that happen ... as long as you're willing to potentially pay a little extra and speak to a real person in the process.