So let me clarify something before I get to the rest of my comment...I LOVE a lot of cheap, technically shitty quality foods. Fast food burger and fries?? I'm there. Microwaved food at chain restaurants? Loving it. And I fucking love eating the free bread at restaurants.
But I just do NOT understand the hype for Olive Garden bread sticks. They look and taste EXACTLY like a particular kind of cheese stuffed bread sticks (minus the stuffed cheese) that were mass produced and sold in public schools all throughout my childhood. They were tolerable but not great. When I first went to an Olive Garden I was transported back into grade school with the exact smell, look, and taste.
I just don't get it. Even shit-tier places like Little Caesars do bread sticks better.
I would do borderline illegal things for some fucking Cra-z-bread.
And while I understand where you're coming from about Olive Garden's sticks, I frankly don't care. Those be some tasty mass produced bread product sticks, especially when dipped in their chicken & gnocchi soup. But I get it. The hype is too much for them to live up to. They were probably REALLY good about 20 or so years ago. Enshitification to cut costs.
But today, I don't care, I have a very unhealthy relationship with bread and will shove them in my face whenever I get the chance.
I really am a slut for bread tbh. I even dig those $2 loaves from the Walmart bakery.
I think the problem for me is that since the taste is identical, Olive Garden bread sticks have such a strong association with school cafeteria food for me. If I never had those breadstick things all the time at school growing up I might have a different take on Olive Garden's breadsticks.