A seemingly simple dinner at Olive Garden sparked an internet showdown after one diner freaked out over the look of his Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini.
A photo comparing the dish to the menu image set off a heated Reddit debate over whether he was ‘overreacting’ or just a stickler for perfection.
The diner’s wife admitted she thought her husband was overreacting, but some Reddit users sided with him while others told him to ‘just eat.’
‘There’s no spinach? Only basil. I’d be upset too. Stop normalizing this I want what I paid for,’ a commenter wrote.
‘Nothing EVER looks like the picture. As long as it’s the right amounts of everything, he’s overreacting,’ another person insisted.
Several users reminded the couple that menu dishes are often styled by professionals using tools like tweezers, blowtorches, scissors, and oil to make them look perfect for photos.
Despite the explanations, the diner doubled down, claiming there were ‘two types of people: people with low standards and people with high standards.’
It prompted other Redditors to call him ‘ridiculous’ and a ‘Karen.’
An Olive Garden diner was unimpressed with the appearance of his Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini
The debate comes as Olive Garden recently brought back its popular ‘Never Ending Pasta Bowl’ for $13.99 and removed the Steak & Shrimp Bucatini from menus.
The chain also made headlines in March after rolling out delivery at all of its 900 restaurants nationwide.
The orders are priced the same as restaurant menus, and can be placed on the chain’s website or via app. The food is typically delivered by Uber drivers.
Fans had been requesting the delivery system for years before Olive Garden relented last year.
The chain has been looking to get back in its customers’ good graces since losing its title of the nation’s top US restaurant. The list was based on 2024 revenue — and Texas Roadhouse was responsible for Olive Garden losing the crown.
The Italian chain could be on the brink of a comeback after its parent company, Darden Restaurants, experienced a 10.6 percent sales increase during its fourth quarter. Olive Garden’s sales rose by 6.9 percent as well.
‘We had a strong quarter with same-restaurant sales and earnings growth that exceeded our expectations,’ said Darden president & CEO Rick Cardenas.
‘Our strategy remains the right one for the company, and we will continue to execute it to drive growth and long-term shareholder value.’
Olive Garden experienced a 6.9 percent increase in sales during its fourth quarter
Social media users debated whether or not the Olive Garden guest was ‘overreacting’
What could potentially be some of Darden’s biggest changes includes the closures of Bahama Breeze restaurants. The company abruptly closed 15 restaurants in May after suffering a sales decline.
It’s now planning to offload the remaining locations — planning to either convert them to other brands owned by the company or sell the Bahama Breeze name.
Darden is focusing on brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn’s Steakhouse — recently losing the title of America’s favorite restaurant chain.
If all goes as plan, the company is ‘probably going to have 40 to 45 openings’ between the two chains next year.
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Furious Olive Garden diner sparks fiery debate after claiming his entree ‘looked nothing like the picture’
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