TikToker @plainoldericka, from Utah, embarked on an experiment inspired by Olive Garden’s “Never-Ending Pasta Bowl,” commenting on each step of her failure with a deadpan AI voiceover.
By her own account, this rookie mistake happened very early on and didn’t cost her much: she simply ate the famous garlic breadsticks.
“Watch me make a fool of myself at Olive Garden,” the voiceover begins, before listing the mishaps in order.
What did she order at Olive Garden?
First, the “Zuppa Toscana,” a thick Tuscan soup that typically contains cannellini beans, potatoes, and kale. Then the breadstick—“one breadstick, because I’m an idiot.” That’s the rookie mistake. Next comes a cocktail, “because, once again, I’m really stupid.”
The pasta arrives in waves. Angel hair pasta with mushrooms and Italian sausage, accompanied by what she calls the “sausage mountain.” Then rigatoni with spicy Alfredo sauce and crispy shrimp. She approves of the shrimp without hesitation: “The shrimp were delicious.”
The sauce, on the other hand, didn’t appeal to her. “The spicy Alfredo sauce gave me heartburn,” she explains, “so I left it aside.” The garlic in the breadstick probably triggered the heartburn.
By the time the next course arrived, her resistance was at an end. “The waitress talked me into ordering the five-cheese marinara rigatoni,” she says—a dish she ordered only to finally admit defeat. “I accepted defeat.”
Her conclusion serves as a vow. “Olive Garden, I love you, but I’ll never again fall for your pasta propaganda.”
Internet users shared their tips for the “Never-Ending Bowl”
“If you have heartburn, you have to stick to creamy sauces,” one person said. “I got the five-cheese marinara sauce for the second bowl, and it was awful.”
One commenter suggested a very smart strategy for tackling this pasta challenge. “Don’t add any protein, and if you do, stick to chicken only. For the first bowl, ask if you can take half of it to go so you can try other combinations,” they wrote. “If your server is nice, they’ll say yes. And don’t order any sides—haha—take your soup home too.”
The best advice in the comments: “Maybe you should invest in some Tums to slip into your purse.”
Save some room
The mistake she mentioned first is one that the pros also highlight. In a list of mistakes to avoid at this chain, Samantha Maxwell of Tasting Table advises to “go easy on the salad and breadsticks”: these free appetizers arrive before the main course and leave no room for it.
Her second issue has a scientific explanation. Dr. Michael Schopis, a board-certified gastroenterologist at Manhattan Gastroenterology, told Healthline that restaurants “often use more fat, spices, and acid to enhance flavor than you would when cooking at home.” A bowl of spicy Alfredo combines all three of these elements. Eat it as your fourth course—after soup, bread, and a cocktail—and heartburn is inevitable.
Subplot reached out to @plainoldericka via direct message and comment on TikTok, as well as to Olive Garden via email.
The article “A Utah Woman Goes to Olive Garden for All-You-Can-Eat Pasta. Her First Order Is a Classic Rookie Mistake: ‘I’ll Never Let Myself Be Fooled… Like That Again’” was first published on Subplot News.
A woman from Utah goes to Olive Garden to enjoy the “all-you-can-eat pasta.” Her order is a classic rookie mistake.
