Woman talking(l+r), Olive Garden exterior(c)

TikToker and Olive Garden enthusiast Bella (@happily.bella) stirred up some very cheesy controversy with her latest video, hitting the 65,000 view mark in just six days.

The first words out of her mouth say it all: “You gotta stop buying the Olive Garden cheese graters.” 

Bella then dishes out a hilarious—yet distressing—story about a grater-less Olive Garden visit.

“I went to Olive Garden last weekend. We didn’t get cheese once,” she said. “They said, ‘We don’t know where any of the graters are. We don’t have any graters.'”

The struggle was real as she had to flag someone down at a neighboring table to get freshly sprinkled cheese on her friend’s salad.

@happily.bella 😐😐 #olivegarden #olivegardencheesegrater #cheesegrater ♬ original sound – Bella Wolfe 🪩✨

It seems like TikTok’s life hacks might be to blame here. With viral videos spreading the word on Olive Garden’s purchasable signature items like cheese graters and Andes Candies mints, fans like Bella are facing quite the conundrum: Where have all the graters gone?

The comments section erupted with opinions and theories. Some users pointed out an apparent discrepancy in Bella’s story.

“The cheese graters you buy are in the back stored brand new in the package. That wasn’t the issue,” @demidianna said, hinting that perhaps the server-used grates were stolen or went missing. Others were more direct. “There’s some people stealing them from server trays,” @_soy__bella said.

Another user even defended Olive Garden.

“Not every Olive Garden participated in that, so I’m pretty sure that’s just the restaurant lacking its general supply,” they wrote, prompting Bella to clarify, “It’s just a joke.” 

Ok, phew. So, perhaps, this story wasn’t real—because what’s Olive Garden without the cheese anyway?

While Bella’s video was all in good fun, it does touch on on how TikTok’s viral trends can impact the real world, even in the realm of casual dining. Whether folks are buying or, ahem, “borrowing” these graters, it’s clear that Olive Garden’s little extras are in high demand.

For customers hoping to get their hands on the cheese graters, other retailers offer similar ones. Viewers suggested Target, Walmart, and Temu, among other stores.

The Daily Dot reached out to the Olive Garden and Bella via email for comment. 

Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.

Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/olive-garden-zero-cheese-graters/