An influencer family has divided the internet after sharing how they have a cheap night out at Olive Garden. The Milehams (@themilehams), who have 147,000 followers on TikTok, have gone viral after sharing how they eat at Olive Garden “family style.”
In the TikTok, which has amassed 818,700 views, the parents shared how they ordered two Tours of Italy before dividing the food among four of their children—splitting the two meals across six of them in total.
In a second video, wife Callie Mileham shared the payment screen of the order, revealing that they bought two Tours of Italy at just $22.49 each, meaning that, with tax, they only paid $48.69 in total. There was no tip on the screen, and the screen indicated that they also ordered free water.
The Milehams didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment and contact form. A representative for Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden, didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via email.
Commenters were horrified
In response to the video, the family was pretty much ripped to shreds in the comments.
“YOU SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED AS A MAN,” one wrote. “Please don’t do this,” a second added. “It’s not a hack. If you can’t afford to feed your family the correct portion sizes for their age/gender then don’t embarrass yourselves. Coming from a server, I would absolutely tell EVERYONE ABOUT THIS TABLE.”
While a third echoed, “How embarrassing that as the man of the home you are so cheap and stingy to provide each family member with their own meal on a night out.”
“Embarass your family of 6 at Olive Garden and everyone goes home hungry,” a fourth complained. “Why not eat such a sad meal at home?”
And a fifth suggested, “Take it to go and split it that way at home. Not fair to take up space for 6 paying customers.”
@themilehams Replying to @MortgageQueen Cheap Family Meal at OLIVE GARDEN!!! ??? @Olive Garden #olivegarden #cheapmeal #familymeal #hack #italianrestaurant ♬ original sound – themilehams
Several follow-ups were made
Responding to irritated commenters, Callie made several follow-ups. In one, she clarified that she didn’t order extra salad, and that it was just a salad per meal.
In another clip, she claimed that they paid a $20 tip to servers, while in a third video, she explained how she and her husband started sharing meals when they started dating, and later decided that the kids should share at restaurants because they never finished their meals.
For the final follow-up, Callie revealed that one reason she and her husband post these videos is to make viewers “lose their minds.”
The family has a history of doing this
This dining experience is far from new for the Mileham family. On their TikTok account, there are several videos of them doing the same thing at various other restaurants. In fact, they went viral under very similar circumstances in 2024.
In this video, dad Josh, who had been served a fajita platter, took a tortilla, stuffed it with shredded cheese, cooked it under the skillet that came with his meal, and gave it to his son. The extra tortilla and cheese were part of a $2.50 side.
Like the Olive Garden video, this clip amassed a lot of hate, but in an interview at the time with TODAY, Josh said he was undeterred. “I could care less about the haters,” he said. “There are families that don’t go out to eat often because they think they can’t afford it. I’m here to help those people. I want them to know it’s possible to have a decent meal out for $20.”
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