With the price of restaurant meals outpacing grocery prices, it’s understandable that many are looking for ways to save money while still enjoying a meal not cooked at home.
One method customers have used to lower their restaurant prices is through ordering hacks. For example, one user claims she used a method to get a Chipotle meal for under $5. Another alleges they used a hack to receive a complete dinner from LongHorn Steakhouse for just $9. Others have turned to meal prep, ordering catering or family meals from places like Panda Express, to have meals for the rest of the week.
A popular destination for these hacks is Olive Garden. Numerous users have documented their ways of getting cheap meals, and now, another example of these hacks has sparked discussion.
In a video with over 513,000 views as of Monday, TikTok user Courtney Danielle (@courtneydanielleyt) claims she bought a kids’ meal from Olive Garden and ordered it for pick-up. For around $20 including tip, she says she received fettuccine alfredo, spaghetti, a drink, two breadsticks, chicken breast, and an appetizer she ordered separately from the kids’ meal.
Courtney clarified that if she hadn’t added the mozzarella sticks as an appetizer, her kids’ meal would’ve set her back a mere $6.99.
@courtneydanielleyt Not a bad deal! #olivegardenkidsmeal #olivegarden #mukbang #eatwithme #eatlunchwithme ♬ original sound – courtney danielle
In a comment, Courtney noted that the resulting meal fed two people.
Courtney isn’t the first to note this hack, with other users claiming to receive similarly large meals for kids’ meal prices. Commenters, too, claimed that they had been utilizing the hack.
“I do the same kids meal, I just mix the pastas and it’s like a kinda vodka sauce moment,” a user wrote.
“I always do the kids meal. And the dozen breadsticks for like $6. And the salad,” another shared.
“I used to work at Olive Garden. The kids meal was definitely a go to,” detailed a third. “But we all loved the mozzarella sticks.”
“Me and my mom been doing this for yearsssssss,” shared a further TikToker.
That said, many noted that Courtney could make dishes like these at home with relative ease.
“Make homemade Alfredo. It’s better than Olive Garden’s Alfredo!” exclaimed a commenter.
“Once you start making your own Alfredo sauce, you’ll never go back,” echoed a second.
The Daily Dot reached out to Olive Garden and Courtney via email.
*First Published: Sep 4, 2023, 10:00 am CDT
Braden Bjella
Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work can be found in Mixmag, Electronic Beats, Schon! magazine, and more.
