BS BRIEF:
- CNN’s Laura Coates devoted a segment of “Laura Coates Live” to the viral comparison between Olive Garden’s photo ID requirement for its Never-Ending Pasta Pass and the national debate over voter identification laws.
- Republicans have increasingly cited Olive Garden’s policy while promoting the SAVE America Act, arguing that identification is required for many everyday activities and should also be required in elections.
OLIVE GARDEN’S PASTA PASS BECOMES THE LATEST FRONT IN THE VOTER ID DEBATE
A restaurant known for unlimited breadsticks has unexpectedly found itself in the middle of one of Washington’s biggest political debates.
During Friday night’s edition of Laura Coates Live, CNN host Laura Coates examined the growing use of Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass as an analogy in the debate over voter identification laws. “You think I’m crazy, but Olive Garden is part of this,” Coates said before playing a compilation of Republican lawmakers and commentators comparing the restaurant’s ID policy with election laws.
The comparison stems from Olive Garden’s policy requiring holders of its $100 Never-Ending Pasta Pass to present a valid photo ID matching the name printed on the pass before ordering. The restaurant says the passes are personalized and non-transferable.
After showing the clips, Coates summarized the issue for viewers.
“Republicans are singling out Olive Garden as part of their push for—we talked about voter ID,” she said. “The restaurant says, quote, ‘Pass holders must present a valid photo ID along with the pass at the time of ordering.'” She joked that the story had become “catnip for Capitol Hill,” while adding that the chain’s breadsticks and salad remained “delicious.”
Coates then posed the central question to her panel: “If others are pointing out a need for voter ID, photo ID, is this the right argument that they should be making now?”
Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin responded that many Americans routinely present identification in everyday life and argued it was reasonable to discuss voter ID as part of election policy. “I mean, if you need voter ID for anything from breadsticks to participating in different sports leagues… then I think it’s fair,” Rogin said.
He continued that the discussion is not only about preventing fraud but also about public confidence. “It’s people feeling that they’re secure. And I think that voter ID is a way to do that.”
Washington Post journalist Carine Hajjar offered a different perspective, joking, “But do you need citizenship to eat breadsticks? That’s the question.”
Coates responded with another lighthearted remark of her own: “I just want to know what triggered that. Like who went to the Never-Ending Pasta Bar so many times and messed it up for everyone?”
The restaurant became part of the national political conversation after its social media account explained the Pasta Pass rules to customers. Conservative elected officials and commentators quickly began using the policy to argue in favor of the SAVE America Act and broader voter identification requirements. Among those making the comparison were President Donald Trump, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona and several state officials.
Although the Olive Garden analogy began as a social media post, it has evolved into one of the more unusual examples lawmakers and commentators have used while debating election policy in Congress.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- CNN – Laura Coates Live transcript: Trump election demands, Democratic Party and Olive Garden discussion
- Fox News – Olive Garden becomes unlikely face of voter ID fight after restaurant’s policy goes viral
- New York Post – Olive Garden becomes unlikely face of voter ID fight after restaurant’s policy goes viral
- NBC Connecticut – Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Pass is back. Here’s how to get one
- The Independent – Top Republican rages at needing a photo ID for Olive Garden pasta but not on voting day
