How far would you go to save money? People are working more than ever, sometimes three jobs at a time, just to cover bills. And so few in the U.S. can manage a $400 emergency bill. If that’s you, would you split a meal? One Texas family shared a “hack” for getting a “cheap family meal” at Olive Garden. Being a family of six, that sounds like a lot of food, but social media is roasting them for being cheap, while others argue it’s not that serious.
With happy smiles, the Milehams (TikTok/themilehams) record themselves outside Olive Garden. Mr. Mileham makes the bold claim, “Feed your family of six cheap at Olive Garden.” When the Milehams are seated, Mr. Mileham order two orders of ‘Tour of Italy,” which included chicken parmesan, alfredo noodles, and lasagana, along with a bowl of salad. Along with his order, he adds, “We’re just gonna family style for everybody.”
Once the orders reach the table, you get a good look at how much food just two orders of Tour of Italy actually get you. Mr. Mileham splits the chickens and noodles into four servers, and get a breadstick and salad, which one of the children exclaimed, “That is so much salad!” Mom and Dad have a side of salad and breadstick, in addition to their slice of lasagna.
All together, the servers don’t look that much more than I’d personally eat. However, the comment section is full of people arguing Mr. and Mrs. Mileham are being “cheap.” Others are suggesting this is just embarrassing for the family, especially their older children. And many point out it’s not so much the portion as it is the experience.
Responding to a comment thread on the Mileham’s TikTok video, a mother shared that “Going out to eat is a treat.” And although she does “love” that the MIleham’s are “frugal,” she wants her kids to enjoy their choice of soda or tea. “I would never want my kids to feel deprived in any way,” she says.
One commenter claiming to have worked at Olive Garden for “5 years” stated, “So they technically should have charged y’all for 3 salad add ons.” By virtue of “eating the salad” to those who didn’t order an entrée, those should then have counted as a meal.
And one top comment read, “This is not a flex. Just cook at home.” You could make a lot of food with just a few ingredients. Getting children involved with mixing and whatnot (safely) is also a lot of fun!
The Milehams defended themselves on numerous comments. To one person arguing the portions being “very small,” they responded that it was a “normal” amount for adults. To them, the problem is Americans being “used to overeating.”
What people are getting at in the comments is that it seems silly to cut up portions like that. When you go to a restaurant, ordering a meal that’s specially made for you is part of the experience. Is saving a pretty penny worth stripping that away?
