The Latest Olive Garden Takeout Hack Is A Real Money-Saver

If you love Olive Garden — and particularly eating Olive Garden in the comfort of your own home — then you're going to want to pay attention. You already know that chowing down on their signature breadsticks, salad, and pasta at your kitchen table is very easy — so easy, in fact, that all you really have to do is place an order online and go pick it up. But what you may not know is the latest money-saving hack that'll get you that delicious Olive Garden meal at home for an extra affordable price. 

There is one very easy trick you can do to save a few extra dollars on your next Olive Garden order. We shouldn't even call it a trick, considering all you're going to be doing is reading right off the menu, with no substitutions, additions, or any other changes necessary. All you need to do to save money on your next takeout order is to choose from the kids' section of the menu. You don't have to act all shy or embarrassed, either — no one is going to know your age aside from you.

But why order from the kids menu anyway? Wouldn't you be getting smaller portions? If testimony is to be believed, not only will you be saving money, but you'll still have a surprisingly hearty meal to look forward to.

The reason this takeout trick saves you money is that most kids meals are somewhat cheaper than what's offered on the regular menu. The most likely reason for this is that, in exchange for lower prices, you'll get a smaller amount of food. After all, what 5-year-old kid would reasonably be expected to eat an entire adult serving of five cheese marinara spaghetti by themselves?

Surprisingly enough, the Olive Garden kids menu is pretty robust in serving options. Not only can kids get a selection of chicken, pasta, or pizza, but they are always offered a side of grapes, broccoli, french fries, or spaghetti, alongside a drink. Each kids meal also includes Olive Garden breadsticks, as is complimentary of any meal. One woman experimented with this trick back in March and, according to her TikTok, she seemed rather impressed. For $9, she was able to order chicken Alfredo, spaghetti, breadsticks, and a drink.

Although a large amount of food for only a few dollars outweighs you having to swallow your pride and order off the kids menu, believe it or not, Olive Garden actually has an even cheaper alternative to the kids menu hack.

Although Olive Garden seemingly hasn't taken notice of adults ordering off the kids menu, the restaurant does seem to have a cheaper alternative to doing so. Olive Garden offers customers three classic entrées — fettuccine Alfredo, five cheese ziti, and spaghetti with meat sauce – as part of their "$6 Take Home Entrées" special. Yes, that's less than what you would pay to order off the kids menu.

While this is a cheaper option, it's not without one or two minor drawbacks. First, unlike ordering normal takeout from Olive Garden, these entrées will be served cold with the expectation that you will reheat the meal yourself. You also will not receive a breadstick when ordering the entrées. The price of $6 still gets you a complete, pre-cooked entrée, but it's more like ordering a leftover meal for when you want some Olive Garden at a later time, rather than ordering a dinner to eat right away.

If you're in the mood for something you could reheat and enjoy later, you're not getting a bad price with the Take Home Entrées. If you want a more complete meal that's hot and ready to eat, you could use the kids menu to shave a few extra dollars off your bill.