Restaurant “hacks” are a popular topic of discussion on TikTok.
In some cases, these hacks allow one to order a specialty item that might not be available on the menu. For example, last year saw the rise of the Waffle House sandwich, a viral trend that had customers ordering several different items to make one cohesive sandwich (and annoying staff in the process).
Then, there are the hacks that allow customers to get more for less. To offer an example, several users have noted that one can get cheaper meals from restaurants if they simply order a children’s meal for takeaway.
In the comments sections of these hacks, there are always some people doubting whether they will actually be able to use these hacks in the real world. Now, a user on TikTok has accrued over 1.5 million views after trying, and failing, to perform a meal hack at Olive Garden.
Why is this Olive Garden customer upset?
In his video, TikTok user Tanner (@tannerx55) shows a woman eating a bowl of pasta. The woman is upset.
“I ordered the exact same thing when we came here. Do you remember?” she asks the person filming the video. “And they let me do it. But this time, ‘No, you can’t do that. That is not an option.’”
In the caption and the text overlaying the video, Tanner offers a little more information about what exactly happened here.
“POV: the waiter at Olive Garden didn’t let her ‘hack’ the system and she won’t let it go,” he writes in the text overlay.
The caption clarifies, “She tried to get chicken alfredo with the ‘create your own pasta’ meal and the waiter wouldnt let her do it.”
@tannerx55 She tried to get chicken alfredo with the “create your own pasta” meal and the waiter wouldnt let her do it #funny #girlfriend #relationship #comedy #lol #fyp #foryoupage #olivegarden ♬ original sound – tannerx55
What is the Olive Garden hack?
As explained in the caption, it would appear that the woman attempted to save a little money by creating a chicken alfredo pasta with the ‘create your own pasta’ option.
Looking at the restaurant’s online menu, while prices may vary by location, a sample Olive Garden location in Wisconsin lists the cost of a Chicken Alfredo at $19.99.
However, if one creates their own pasta, the price is just $12.99.
That said, it appears that the issue with this is not that the woman in the video was trying to get a lower price, but that her original order should not be possible with the “create your own pasta” option.
As noted on the website, the only sauces offered as part of this deal are Creamy Mushroom, Traditional Marinara, Five Cheese Marinara, and Meat Sauce.
While this hack might not have worked, there are plenty of other Olive Garden hacks that servers insist one can use on their next trip to the restaurant.
The Daily Dot reached out to Olive Garden via email and Tanner via TikTok DM and comment.
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