A TikTok user who visited the Olive Garden for her birthday went in for the endless pasta bowl, but came out with so much more. Her prize was one of the cheese graters that they use to top customers’ meals with Parmesan cheese.
Bo (@bo_gjerness) uploaded a viral clip detailing how she was able to purchase one of the graters and showed off her swag in a video that’s garnered more than 514,000 views on the popular social media application.
Several viewers who saw the clip were shocked that the graters were even for sale, while others said they managed to get their hands on them without having to fork over a dime.
@bo_gjerness literally obsessed with it @Olive Garden #olivegarden #olivegardencheesegrater #olivegardenpasta #neverendingpastabowl ♬ olive garden cheese grater – Bo
Bo happily speaks into the camera and says in the beginning of the video: “So I went to the Olive Garden for my birthday and the never-ending pasta bowl and I asked the waiter, you know, do you guys sell the cheese graters? And they do!”
She holds up the white plastic cheese grater used in the restaurant up to the camera and begins shaking it joyously. “B*tch tell me when! Tell me when!” she says, spinning the cheese grating mechanism on camera to demonstrate how it works. “And here’s the best part they gave me some cheese to go with it,” Bo says, holding up a plastic tupperware with hunks of cheese inside. She punctuates her excitement with a scream before the video ultimately cuts out.
There are several references to Olive Garden selling its cheese graters, and there’s even an eBay listing that features one that looks identical to the product Bo showcases in her TikTok going for $14.74 on the popular auction website.
A 2018 Reddit post also features a photo that looks like it was snapped in front of a display case at an Olive Garden location that shows the chain selling its grater, which is manufactured by Zyliss, for $14.99. Olive Shoppe sells the Zyliss branded cheese grater for $22, and it’s currently being offered on Amazon Prime for the same price as well in this listing here.
One commenter who responded to Bo’s video said that they received it at an even better price point, thanks to a careless employee. “One time I went to Olive Garden and the dude just gave it to us when we asked. He was chill af and did not care about his job lmao,” the user wrote.
It seems like someone else was able to get their hands on the grater via a five-finger discount. “I have one as well, it just showed up in my purse after dinner lol,” the user wrote.
Apparently it turns out that cheese grater purchasing isn’t common knowledge, even among employees of the chain, as someone else who responded to Bo’s video penned. “I work there and I didn’t even know,” they wrote.
Darden has reported an increase in Olive Garden’s revenue in 2023, up from the previous year’s same quarter: $2.84 billion vs $2.72 billion. More locations are sprouting up, seemingly in response to customers embracing the chain’s casual dine-in Italian-style fare.
Update 11am CT, Oct. 18: After Bo’s video went viral—it’s since been viewed 1.1 million times—popular TikToker @jordan_the_stallion8 went to Olive Garden to see if he could also buy a cheese grater. Not only did Jordan, who has over 11 million followers, secure a cheese grater but he also walked away with a container of cheese workers gifted him so that he could test it out. Bo was shocked that Jordan saw and stitched her video, replying in a video that she is a “normal civilian with a normal civilian job.”
Bo, who appears to work in the medical industry, continued, “And you’re telling me that Jordan the Stallion duetted my video?”
“Insane. Jordan, I hope you love that cheese grater,” she exclaimed.
Her video led to a wholesome interaction with Jordan, who thanked Bo in a comment. “Ur the best,” Bo responded with a string of heart emoji.
The Daily Dot reached out to the Olive Garden via email and Bo via TikTok comment for further information.