The Olive Garden Ordering Trick That Feeds 2 People For $7.50 Each

The biggest benefit of ordering food from a restaurant is getting a well-prepared meal without having to do any cooking. The biggest downside, though, is the cost. Between the food itself, the prospect of service charges, and, when ordering to-go, additional delivery app fees, it's often more economical to cook at home, especially if you're going the fast food route. Grabbing two meals from Olive Garden might be the exception, though — as long as you're willing to drive there and pick it up.

Olive Garden offers a full-sized, take-home pasta meal for $6 with each entree purchased, but fans of the chain online seem to have cracked the code: You can order off the kids' menu and still receive the low-cost bonus entree, effectively dropping the cost of two meals to just $7.50 per person (though exact prices may vary by location). Each kids' meal costs around $7 — but could be higher in places like New York City and Los Angeles – and to make it more filling, you can add a protein like chicken fritta for $2 or $3 extra. While it doesn't come with soup or salad, you do get to choose a side; fries or broccoli are filling choices. Since this purchase allows you to snag the take-home pasta entree, add one of those for the extra $6. By calling to order and picking it up yourself, you avoid extra fees, potentially netting you two solid-sized meals for only $15.

Believe it or not, there are ways to reduce the cost of this meal combo even further while increasing the variety of pasta in your dishes. By swapping the crispy chicken fritta out for a meatball, you're still adding protein but potentially paying an extra $1.79 to $2.50 instead of $1.99 to $2.99, further reducing the total cost. Then, to increase the pasta varieties, request a side of spaghetti with tomato sauce, which is offered at no extra charge with the kids' meal. So, if you order something like the fettuccine Alfredo and pair it with a meatball and a side of spaghetti, you get two pasta varieties (Alfredo and spaghetti and meatballs).

With the take-home entrees, you're adding a third type of pasta. Options include the chain's Five Cheese Ziti al Forno, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. If you choose the ziti, you're now getting three pasta varieties for just $14.78, making this deal perfect for splitting with someone else. Plus, certain menu items (including the ziti) are part of our favorite dishes at Olive Garden, so odds are you'll get some pretty tasty meals.