The Chain Restaurant Once Rumored To Use Canned Chicken

Many people love going out to eat and grabbing a fairly quick and delicious meal they didn't have to make themselves. It's easy to be trusting of restaurants and assume that the chefs have got everything under control, especially given what you're paying. But, apparently, this isn't always the case, especially at Olive Garden.

Olive Garden is arguably one of the most popular chain restaurants in the United States, and boasts a seemingly endless menu of Italian-inspired favorites. There's nothing obviously wrong with the restaurant, but one former employee argued that there's quite a bit that goes on behind the scenes that patrons aren't aware of.

Newsweek reported on a TikTok user known as @spookyshanny who claimed to have previously worked at Olive Garden. While the woman has since deleted some of the videos she made about the chain, Newsweek was able to transcribe the audio before she got rid of the videos.

Among many disturbing allegations, like slugs on soda fountains, spiders in salad, and enough MSG and gluten to make a person ill, she made an accusation that would rub any food purist the wrong way.

"All across the board, they changed their chicken about six years ago from good chicken to chicken that's not so great," she alleged. "It's not 100% chicken, and the chicken that comes on the never-ending pasta bowl is actually canned chicken. Or, canned mystery chicken."

A representative from Olive Garden did not respond to Newsweek before the story was published, but the chain has still commented on the canned chicken allegations. Eat This, Not That! compiled a list of offenses Olive Garden has committed, including the chicken rumor. The outlet was able to get in touch with Olive Garden, who claimed the allegations were unequivocally untrue.

Unlike canned tuna, which tastes relatively similar to regular tuna, canned chicken is quite different from the chicken you're used to. It doesn't have much flavor to it, and is essentially just meat that's been packaged and left in water. Not the most appetizing meal for sure, but still perhaps not the worst offense Olive Garden could make. (The slugs and spiders do sound a bit more concerning, quite honestly.)

Still, when eating at a relatively nice sit-down restaurant, a customer expects to receive a high-quality meal that's better than what they could make for themselves at home. Canned chicken is not something one typically thinks of as being a part of that menu. While it's not clear if Olive Garden actually uses canned chicken, restaurants may want to steer clear of doing so as a general rule. It's just not a good look.