Main Character of the Week: The Olive Garden customer who showed us this kids’ meal hack

Here’s the Trending team’s main character of the week.

Many of America’s restaurants have been called out for serving their customers enormous portions, which health experts warn can lead to obesity among a slew of other problems.

As portion sizes continue to increase and the price of food increases, one content creator shared a hack for getting the most bang for your buck: ordering a kids’ meal. 

In a recent video, Samantha James (@sammyinthesit), who has dedicated her platform on TikTok to kids’ meals hacks, shared how Olive Garden customers can get a full-sized meal for just $9. 

Indeed, $9 is quite the steal—especially since some fast-food chains sell meals for the same cost, if not more. For just under $10, James said she ordered “fettuccine with shrimp, broccoli, two breadsticks, and a drink.”

How do I take advantage of this? 

Considering James is not a child (which, on Olive Garden’s website, is defined as those younger than 12) and was able to order off Olive Garden’s kids’ meal with no issue, that would suggest everyone can take advantage of this steal.

According to the restaurant, the kids’ alfredo (which comes with your choice of pasta and sauce) is just $6.99. Adding protein comes with an upcharge, as James noted. But you can order more than just sauteed shrimp for an additional $2.29. There’s also the choice of a meatball ($1.79), grilled chicken ($2.29), or chicken fritta ($1.99).

The sides are customizable, too. Beyond broccoli, other options include fries, grapes, or more spaghetti with tomato sauce.

On top of the meal, which James said was filling on its own, customers also get their choice of beverage. While some non-alcoholic drinks such as a peach or strawberry smoothie come with an added upcharge, most Coke products, teas, and milk are just part of the meal.

Is this really a good value?

The cost of fast food kids’ meals have steadily increased over the past few years, according to Finance Buzz. 

Chick-fil-A has seen the biggest increase in its’ kids’ meal prices—jumping 63% since 2014, researchers found. Other chains such as Popeyes (62% increase), Jack in the Box (61%), Sonic (60%) and McDonald’s (57%) have seen the cost of their kids’ meals increase more than 50% over the last decade too.

In other words, just because something is labeled as being a “kids’ meal” doesn’t mean it’s a steal, but the $9 meal from Olive Garden is still worth trying in this economy.

Beyond the cost savings, ordering kids’ meals at restaurants has the added benefit of being better for you. Calorie-wise, the Olive Garden base-level noodles in sauce from the kids’ menu was just 440 calories, compared with 1,310 in the adult portion.

So if you’re not exceptionally hungry and feel like saving a few bucks, ordering the kids’ meal versus the adult portion at Olive Garden might be the better option—both for your wallet and your health.

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