An Olive Garden customer finally tried out the chain’s kids’ meals after hearing others praise the menu option. Samantha James (@sammyinthesity) recorded herself showing off one of the items in a viral TikTok that’s garnered over 600,000 views as of Sunday.
A meal hack
“Today, I decided to get a kid’s meal from Olive Garden,” she begins, recording her plate from inside her car. “I got the spaghetti noodles with Alfredo and grilled chicken. With broccoli. It comes with two breadsticks. She then shows her drink and swirls it around and says, “I got some raspberry lemonade, and this was $9.28.”
James says she finally tried the Olive Garden Kids meal after hearing others discuss its good value. After doing so, she agreed with their praise.
“People been saying they’ve been getting full off of this meal. And I’m telling y’all this is plenty of food to get full off of,” she says at the end of her video.
Take-home entree hack
If you’re looking to get even more bang for your buck at Olive Garden, you can try out this to-go hack. AllRecipes shares how you can order a kid’s meal, and then get an adult portioned “take home” entree for just an extra $6.
This includes one of the restaurant’s three most popular items: Five-cheese ziti, spaghetti with meat sauce, and fettuccine Alfredo. This isn’t really a “hack” or exploit in the restaurant’s online ordering system a la this McDonald’s self-service glitch.
Rather, it’s just an instance of folks taking advantage of a perk the Olive Garden offers its guests. Patrons can often buy a cold, pre-packaged take-home entree for $6 if they buy another meal at the restaurant.
It’s an option that becomes available to them even if you buy a kid’s meal to-go at the restaurant. Sure, you’ll have to reheat the dish after buying it, but if you’re a fan of the Olive Garden’s food, it’s a pretty good deal.
For $13 you can nab two, ready-made pasta dishes, a side of breadsticks, a side of broccoli, and a beverage.
Kid’s meal movement
A number of diners have urged folks to try ordering off the kid’s menus at various restaurants. Different diners have selected different restaurants for their favorite values. However, there are some clear front-runners.
For example, this $12 Texas Roadhouse kid’s meal comes with a 6-ounce hand-cut sirloin, a side, and a soft drink. Furthermore, you can request one of the chain’s trademark rolls and a bag of peanuts. Giving you five items and a good amount of food for under $15.
There are other Texas Roadhouse hacks, too. Like this mini cheeseburger kid’s meal that packs all of the value of the aforementioned steak combo, but for $7. It’s effectively the same offering, but the steak is swapped out for sliders.
Taking advantage?
However, some say servers outright refuse to let adults buy kid’s meals. This is what happened to this woman when she tried ordering off the children’s menu at a hotel. A staff member asked where her kid was, leading the hotel guest in question to feel “judged.”
Restaurants will often offer kid’s meals at reduced prices. That’s because there’s an implied understanding their parents are buying full-priced entrees. So, in order to entice parents to come out and eat without breaking the bank, kids’ menus exist.
@sammyinthesity I love a kids meal #olivegarden #fypシ #lifehack ♬ original sound – Samantha James
Praise for kid’s meals
Viewers shared their thoughts on kids’ meals in the comments section. Plenty of them said they would order the meals for themselves.
One wrote, “It’s well balanced too!”
Someone else thought that this offered a much better value than fast food: “Literally rather get this instead of McDonald’s.”
Another was pleasantly surprised by the portions, writing, . “What?!?!! That’s a huge kids meal! Perfect amount.”
Someone else recommended their own value meal from the restaurant chain. They wrote, “You can also do the lunch special. Chicken Parm with a side of spaghetti, two breadsticks, and your choice of soup or salad for $11.99.”
However, others didn’t have the best experience when buying the kid’s meal option. “I did this once but the noodles where dry ruined it for me,” they penned.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the Olive Garden and James via email for further comment.
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