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 percent. And early signs showed the new menu was not only bringing diners back but perhaps even turning them into regulars, Olive Garden’s parent company, Darden Restaurants, revealed

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