Inevitable Black Market For Olive Garden’s Elusive “Never Ending Pasta Pass” Emerges

If you’re not one of the 1,000 people who managed to get your hands on a $100 “Never Ending Pasta Pass” from Olive Garden that does, in fact, only last for a seven-week promotional period, don’t worry. You can either live your life the same way as before, or you can drop deep into the underbelly of Internet commerce and pay a jacked-up price for one.

So it’s not quite the same thing as a black market, but business-minded folks are already shilling the passes on eBay for those unfortunate souls who are faced with paying market prices for as much pasta, breadsticks, salad and fountain sodas as they can eat in one sitting.

As Grub Street points out, there are almost 50 listings on eBay alone right now for the passes, not to mention that shadowy figure you see lurking in dark alleys everywhere you turn, opening a trenchcoat laden with pasta passes and fake watches.

You can get two passes for the not-so-bargain price of $490, or a single pass for a “Buy It Now” price of $399. Or again, continue to live your life just like you did before Olive Garden made you act crazy enough to consider paying an almost 400% markup for what essentially boils down to a PR stunt.

But buyer beware — the passes can’t be resold, an Olive Garden rep tells CNNMoney. Anyone who’s already bought one off eBay should contact the company to find out what to do.

“We’re a hospitality company, so we’re going to make things right,” a spokeswoman said, adding that each pass bears the original buyer’s name, barring anyone else from wielding their power.

In related news: A giant hat tip of the most joyously squealing with glee kind to The Onion AV Club for referencing the OG as a “manicotti disposal service.” The world has changed for me now, and I again know the true meaning of laughter.

There’s a Thriving Black Market for Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Passes [GrubStreet]

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