Olive Garden restaurant gets serial number printed on its breadsticks — and gets paid for snafu
An Olive Garden employee found a strange serial number on his bread stick — and the chain paid for the mistake.
In a recent video posted on TikTok, a user shared a photo of one of the restaurant's unlimited breadsticks. “Guys why are there grains on my Olive Garden bread,” read the text on the screen.
This photo shows a half-eaten breadstick with parts of a serial number printed across it as if the TikTok user didn't find the number until they started eating. The video went on to receive more than four million views after it was first posted on November 17.
Many people are quick to turn to the comments to express their concerns or provide an explanation as to why there will be different numbers and letters printed on a bread stick.
“They come from frozen bags so the label should like to be found on that,” suggested one commenter.
Another commenter who claims to be a worker at Olive Garden wrote, “From the plastic they come in, if they stay in the fridge for a while, that happens.
The restaurant also left a comment telling TikToker to contact their customer service immediately.
“We are concerned to see this. Can you email social@olivegarden.com with your full name and destination?” comments read.
A few days later, a user posted an update on TikTok explaining what happened after contacting the restaurants.
The post was a screenshot of an email from Olive Garden sharing that a user had received a $100 gift card. “Thank you Olive Gardens,” a TikTok user wrote in a message on the screen.
The video has received more than 600,000 views, with many commenters explaining that the restaurant made the right decision in handling the situation.
“Now that's good service,” wrote one commenter while another commenter agreed, writing, “Olive Garden is not kidding.”
The Independent contacted Olive Garden for comment.
Olive Garden also responded to the viral post asking customers to contact them (Getty Images)
This is not the first time a restaurant has raised concerns about a video on TikTok. In November, food critic Keith Lee posted a video reviewing a sushi bar, but fans noticed something moving in his food.
Lee was reviewing FOB Sushi Bar in Seattle, Washington, when he applauded the “unique way” the food was prepared. Then he got into his car and started eating a box of nigiri and sashimi while rating it on a scale from one to ten.
However, at minute 1:50, he picked up a piece of sashimi with his chopsticks, so that fans could see what appeared to be a “worm” that he was moving about just seconds before he put it in his mouth.
Enough fans commented on the food, prompting the restaurant to issue a response. They posted a statement on Instagram that reads: “The movement seen in the fish may be caused by the natural stretching or pressure of the rods when applied to their structure.”
“Rumors like these can hurt small businessmen, so we deal with them head on. Thank you for trusting us and supporting FOB Sushi,” they said in the caption of the post.
The sushi restaurant has since been permanently closed after Lee posted the following video revealing that another customer was hospitalized after eating FOB's sushi.
“I don't believe in destroying business but at the same time people's lives are on the line. “If someone says they're in the hospital and there's something wrong with the food, I think there's an accountability that needs to be taken,” said Lee.
