A “suspicious” Olive Garden breadstick has left the customer, as well as the restaurant where the baked good originated from, asking questions.
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A TikToker, identified as “Fartbubbles69420,” took to the video-sharing social media platform to share a photo of the Olive Garden breadstick, which had letters and numbers on it.
“Guys, why is there letters on my Olive Garden breadstick?” the TikToker asked in a voiceover.
@fartbubble69420 #olivegarden #breadstick #olivegardenbreadsticks #fyp ♬ eating sound – unknown
The video has more than 3.4 million views and even attracted the eyes of those running the Olive Garden TikTok account. However, the response wasn’t very comforting.
“We are concerned to see this,” Olive Garden responded. The company then asked the TikToker to email their social media account with their actual name as well as the information of the location where they got the questionable breadstick.
The TikToker later offered up an update on the situation, sharing a screenshot of an email from Olive Garden. Although the company didn’t give an actual reasoning behind the letters and numbers, it did give the TiKToker a $100 gift card.
“Thank you Olive Gardens,” the TikToker declared.
Although Olive Garden didn’t seem to have any answers for the situation, several TikTok users claiming to be current or former employees say it was likely transferred from the plastic bag that the breadsticks were stored in.
Olive Garden Previously Struggled Following Inflation-Causing Price Hike
The breadstick incident comes just as Olive Garden continues to recover from its inflation-causing price hike that went into effect over the summer. The price increase made the restaurant chain too expensive for those making less than $75,000 a year.
“We’re clearly seeing consumer behavior shifts,” Rick Cardenas, the CEO of Olive Garden’s parent company, stated over the summer, per New York Post. “The lower-income consumer does appear to be pulling back.”
Cardenas then shared, “We believe that operators can deliver on their brand promise with value and can continue to appeal [to] consumers despite economic challenges.”
Darden also reported there was an increase in transactions from diners who boast incomes of higher than $150,000 in the third quarter, which ended in late February.
Darden previously kept its price increases below inflation. However, it also got rid of some popular promotions at Olive Garden. This included free pasta refills.
Olive Garden still offers a “never-ending first course,” which is soup, salad, and breadsticks.
Darden now owns 2,022 restaurants, including 917 Olive Gardens, 572 Longhorn Steakhouses, 181 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchens, and 64 Capital Grilles.