A takeout order from Olive Garden. The chain is testing small portions of some its entrées. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images New York —

Olive Garden, which has traditionally seen success from its annual unlimited pasta promotion , recently noticed the opposite trend: Some customers actually wanted less food.

Last quarter, the restaurant chain tested a new menu section at a little less than half of its locations: smaller portions, along with reduced prices, for seven of its dinner entrées. The trial was designed to appeal to cash-conscious customers, who’ve been cutting eating out from their budgets, hurting restaurants’ profits .

It was a success. Customers’ feedback was positive. The chain’s internal affordability metric jumped 15%. And early signs showed the new menu was

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