Lubbock’s Olive Garden Will Sell You Soup by the Gallon—Yes, in a Bucket

If you thought the best-kept secret at Olive Garden was how many breadsticks you could sneak home in a napkin, think again. Turns out, the Lubbock Olive Garden will let you order their famous soups by the gallon—yes, an actual bucket of soup.

Make Sure You Order From the Correct Menu

This little nugget of knowledge isn’t exactly brand-new, but it’s flying under the radar for most folks. The trick is that you have to order from Olive Garden’s catering menu, which means no awkwardly sitting at the bar with a giant pail of Zuppa Toscana in front of you. The catering menu is strictly for delivery or carryout.

I called the Lubbock location and spoke to a nice employee named Ed who confirmed that, yes, you can order their soups by the bucket at their location and every Olive Garden location.

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Olive Garden’s four signature soups—Chicken & Gnocchi, Pasta e Fagioli, Minestrone, and the fan-favorite Zuppa Toscana—are all available in bulk. You can go for a half-gallon or take the plunge with a full gallon. Prices vary depending on location, but bulk buyers get a serious discount.

How Serious of a Discount?

Let’s break it down. If you were to order soup by the bowl from the regular menu, you’re looking at about $12 a pop. Through the catering menu, it works out to roughly $2.50 a bowl. A full gallon serves 12 people, so you’re getting lunch for the whole crew—or one very determined soup enthusiast—for way less money.

That price point has turned this into a bit of a meal-planning hack for budget-conscious families and anyone trying to stretch a dollar. It’s four to five times cheaper than ordering single bowls, and because it’s Olive Garden, you know exactly what you’re getting.

@dearyall Adventures with my boba bucket part 1: one entire gallon of Olive Garden’s chicken and gnocchi soup😂 It’s actually really economical. The whole thing is about $30 . . . . . #olivegardensoup #bobabucket #batonrouge #louisiana #olivegarden ♬ Passionfruit (Instrumental) - Luke Muzzic

There is one small catch—you don’t automatically get the endless breadsticks. You’ll have to order them separately if you want the full Olive Garden experience. (Let’s be honest: what’s soup without at least one breadstick for dunking? Am I right?!?)

Why is This 'Hack' Suddenly Making the Rounds?

Food & Wine recently pointed out this soup-by-the-bucket option, and now die-hard fans are wondering how they didn’t know about it sooner. With the weather bound to turn chilly again in a few months, this might be the ultimate way to stock up on comfort food without blowing your food budget.

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So, next time you’re craving Olive Garden soup and don’t want to pay menu prices, skip the table service and go big—literally. Just remember to bring your own breadsticks… or maybe that’s your excuse to swing back by for “just one more”.