The Olive Garden Hot Dog Hack You Need To Try This Summer

It's tough to imagine improving on a perfect hot dog, but we've found a way to do it. The idea is simple, but you're going to be thanking us for awhile. Instead of using standard hot dog buns, slice an Olive Garden breadstick halfway down the middle. Pop in a deliciously grilled (or microwaved, or whatever, we're not here to judge) hot dog, and you're on your way to garlicky, perfect-for-summer bliss.

You can certainly just take a leftover breadstick out of the foil bag that Olive Garden so kindly sends you home with at the end of your meal and call it a day, but you've got options if you'd like to take your breadstick to the next level before you use it as a hot dog bun. Some people are using Olive Garden's dipping sauces to help take the whole creation to the next level — the Alfredo sauce is apparently a serious winner. You could also slather a bit of mayo on the inside of your breadstick once its sliced (similar to the mayo-for-butter swap that makes your grilled cheese taste like heaven), place it cut-side-down in a hot pan for a few minutes, and enjoy crispy, garlicky, hot dog perfection.

If you go with a skinnier hot dog, your Olive Garden breadstick will leave plenty of room for toppings — you can pile on ketchup, mustard, relish, or even chili to your heart's content. That being said, hot dogs aren't the only sandwich (is it okay to call them a sandwich?) that work well with Olive Garden breadsticks. While your fillings are limited a bit by the size of the breadstick, no one can tell you not to eat two (or three, or four) of them with your favorite sandwich filling, so the world is your oyster here. One sandwich we think would be ridiculously delicious on an Olive Garden breadstick: an authentic Philly cheesesteak.

Another delicious way to fill up a sliced-in-half Olive Garden breadstick if you're not exactly in the mood for a hot dog: load it with chicken salad (be sure to follow Bethenny Frankel's secret to getting chicken salad right every time). Basically, if it's a sandwich that can work with a hot dog bun, it can work with an Olive Garden breadstick. Next time you have dinner at the chain, ask for an extra order of breadsticks to go so you can load them up with hot dogs, cheesesteak, chicken salad, or whatever else your heart desires in your own kitchen.