Will tapas bring millennials to Olive Garden?

Olive Garden, known across America for its unlimited bread sticks and never-ending bowls of pasta, is now experimenting with smaller portions.

Six months ago, Olive Garden's parent company Darden Restaurants cooked up a set of "tapas" to release in select test markets like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Grand Rapids, Mich. After trying out some of the dishes earlier this year, the company says it plans to make a selection of small plates part of its permanent menu in December.

The restaurant has announced that parmesan asparagus and grilled chicken will join the roster, and that it will audition garlic hummus, chicken meatballs, and cheesy Tortelloni for permanent positions as well. They will go for $4 a pop.

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The change is all part of a push to attract the millennial crowd — the sought-after generation of twenty-somethings, who usually eschew chain restaurants, says Bloomberg. Traditionally a restaurant for families and boomers, Olive Garden has seen sales drop off since the recession, when people started eating at home to save dough.

The tapas are "expanding the way people think about Olive Garden," Jay Spenchian, executive vice president of marketing, told Bloomberg.

So will Olive Garden be able to attract millennials with these shrunken plates?

It certainly won't be the only one trying to woo that crowd, says Bloomberg.

Alexander Abad-Santos in The Atlantic Wire says the problem is more that tapas lost their cool factor about a decade ago:

But others are less dubious about the chain's ability to please the youngsters. Charisma Madarang at Food Beast says, "Personally, as a 20-something, I'm all for change. Just don't get rid of the breadsticks, Olive Garden. If that happens, I'll quit you."