Olive Garden customer calls out servers who refused to give him his calamari. Here’s why

Photo by@bobbydotube/TikTok Tada Images/ShutterStock

An Olive Garden manager was so dead-set on protecting a customer with a food allergy that they took their food away. The customer ended up being grateful for the server being so insistent.

Eating at restaurants can be challenging for individuals with severe allergies, varying in intensity. For a few, it's acceptable to have minimal exposure to their allergen, such as a small piece of cheese in their salad.

On the other hand, some individuals may experience a severe allergic response even from indirect contact with their allergen, like through cooking oil or water.

Olive Garden server protects customers with dairy allergies

In a video that quickly went viral, TikToker Bob Mitchell (@bobbydotube) recounted the impressive lengths his Olive Garden server went to in order to accommodate him, even if it meant going a bit overboard.

In the clip, Mitchell describes how he placed an order for calamari with marinara sauce and chicken parmesan without cheese.

His server, noticing the unique combination of chicken parmesan (which typically includes cheese, chicken, and sauce), inquires if Mitchell has any dietary restrictions. Mitchell reveals he has a dairy allergy, which causes him acid reflux, so he avoids dairy products.

When the calamari, which comes out first, lands in front of him, Mitchell is excited to dig in. But right as he squeezes the lemon all over the golden, crispy seafood, the server takes it away from him.

“Don’t you dare eat that,” the manager told him as she pulled it out of his hands.

She explained that calamari and chicken cutlets are fried in the same oil as the mozzarella sticks, and she didn’t want that to set off his allergy.

“Miss, I’m not that sensitive. It’s OK, I can eat it,” Mitchell told her.

But she insisted that they wouldn’t serve him his original order despite him going back and forth with her about it.

So what did he eat?

Instead, she chose an allergen-free meal for him, consisting of steak with rigatoni and meat sauce.

“Now I should be mad. I should make a riot right now because it’s my body and my GERD. But after I taste this steak and this rigatoni with meat sauce, *chef’s kiss,*” Mitchell says. “Mamma Mia, it was the greatest freakin meal I ever had in my life.”

So satisfied with what he ate, Mitchell went over and hugged the overprotective manager.

“Sometimes mistakes turn out to be the best meal you ever had,” Mitchel concludes.

How does Olive Garden handle food allergies?

As is usual, Olive Garden requires that individuals with food allergies inform their server about their condition. This allows the server to be mindful of their allergy when taking the order (to prevent accidental selection of items containing the allergen) and to notify the kitchen.

Notifying the kitchen starts a sequence of actions, including the kitchen staff changing their gloves and the utensils used for serving.

“Even with processes and procedures in place, we are mindful that we are not an allergen-free facility. As such, we cannot guarantee that any item is free of any allergen,” the Olive Garden site states.

For those with a food allergy, Olive Garden has a five-page allergen guide that’s in line with the FDA’s regulation of the “big 9” allergens. These are:

• Eggs
• Fish
• Milk
• Peanuts
• Shellfish
• Sesame
• Soy
• Tree nuts
• Wheat

They also offer details on sulfites (preservatives found in food and beverages), mentioning that although they have gluten-free options (including pasta without gluten), the preparation method could lead to cross-contamination. Nonetheless, they keep the gluten-free pasta away from other foods to reduce this danger.

Commenters react

“So i am a cook for olive garden and we take are allergies very seriously bc we don’t want a case,” a top comment read.

“Yeah the moment you say sensitivity or allergy it’s insanely strict,” a person said.

“I think she was looking out for you a bit but she shouldn’t have done that but atleast you still ended up winning with the food,” another chimed in.