Meet The Bakery Behind Olive Garden's Famous Breadsticks

Olive Garden's breadsticks are famous for a reason. Not only are they unlimited, they're also free, and happen to be absolutely delicious to boot. Warm, pillowy, and loaded with punchy garlic and rich melted butter, the breadsticks are one of the best parts of an Olive Garden meal. If you've ever wondered who makes them, though, it's not the in-house chefs, but a family-owned baking company that specializes in European-style bread.

At least, this is true for some Olive Garden locations. Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden, is rumoured to work with several commercial bakeries around the country to stock its breadsticks. The suppliers vary depending on the region, but we do know that Turano Baking Company, which is based in Illinois, has been contracted for all of Olive Garden's Midwest restaurants for over 26 years.

Turano Baking Company was founded by Italian immigrant Mariano Turano after he moved to the U.S. from Calabria. It all started with a small shop on Chicago's westside, where Turano sold loaves of old-fashioned round bread he used to bake back home. He eventually partnered with his brothers to create one of Chicagoland's most popular Italian bakeries. Little did the family know they'd end up contributing to the astonishing number of breadsticks sold at Olive Garden every day.

After Turano's sons took over the company, it started specializing in wholesale fresh and frozen products, which it continues to supply to major partners all over the country, including Olive Garden, Applebee's, and McDonald's. To keep up with such demand, Turano Baking Company operates five baking facilities in Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and Nevada. Combined, the locations produce over 400 varieties of artisan breads and rolls, all of which are hand-rolled and either par-baked or fully baked before delivery.

According to some Olive Garden employees on Reddit, Olive Garden's breadsticks aren't frozen. They arrive at the restaurants par-baked, and the staff finishes them in the oven and tops them with butter and garlic salt. If you want to replicate the process at home, Turano's breadsticks are available to purchase wholesale from the company's website, but you need to enquire about prices.

Luckily, you can also buy the par-baked breadsticks from Olive Garden. All you need to do is click into "Breadsticks" when ordering online, and select the unbaked version. A half dozen costs $5.99 and a dozen is $8.79 (depending on location). If you nab some, bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for six to eight minutes, and brush with melted butter. If find yourself with leftovers, the best way to reheat Olive Garden breadsticks is to put them in the oven inside the foil-lined bag Olive Garden provides. They should be ready in just five minutes.