A mystery is unraveled surrounding a single breadstick in Olive Garden.
On Nov. 16, a TikTok user posted about the disappointing extras he received when ordering breadsticks from the popular pasta chain.
“Guys, why are there letters on my Olive Garden breadsticks?” a user asked. This post consists of 1 photo. In his hand he holds a half-eaten breadstick with the letters “O” and “K” and the number “6” printed in black letters on the side.
The image-based TikTok quickly went viral, garnering more than 4 million views and thousands of comments.
One user wrote: “I’ve worked there and I’ve never seen anything like this 😭,” while another asked: “How did this happen?”
One user speculated, “It came out of a freezer bag, so it must have been labeled.”
Other commenters who claimed to be former or current employees also believed this text was part of the coding on the plastic bag containing the stick.
“It’s like when you get a fruit roll-up tongue tattoo and the print sticks to the bread, but it’s just a whim,” one person said.
Others said they had similar experiences when eating out at restaurants.
“This happened to my family when I was a kid!!!” one user wrote. “They gave me a pizza with the receipt inked on the cheese. I could literally read it all 😭😭 I got a free dessert.”
“One time I ate an egg at Starbucks and there was a price tag on the bottom of it,” said another poster, and when the original poster asked if he had eaten it, the user responded, “I’m hungry, what can I say?” Is that so?” he answered.
Neither the TikTok user nor Olive Garden representatives immediately responded to TODAY.com’s requests for comment.
However, Olive Garden’s official account commented on TikTok as follows: Could you please send an email to social@olivegarden.com with your full name and where you have been?”
Four days later, the TikToker and Olive Garden apparently got in touch via email. Even though all Olive Garden entrees come with endless first courses, including soups, salads, and breadsticks, the chain is giving TikTokers $100 gift cards for their mistakes. I gave it as a present.
The user uploaded a second TikTok to his account on November 20, four days after the Panstick debacle.
“Thank you, Olive Garden,” the TikToker wrote above a screenshot of the email from Olive Garden.
Commenters praised the chain’s response. One person wrote, “This is good service,” while another wrote, “Olive Garden don’t play around.”
“How do I put numbers on bread sticks?” someone else asked.
For now, this mystery surrounding unlimited carbohydrates remains unsolved.
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