The Heartfelt Reason Olive Garden Bought 93 Boxes Of Girl Scout Cookies
Olive Garden is perhaps best known for its Never Ending Pasta Bowls, surprisingly-good breadsticks, and cheese graters (which you can buy, for some reason). If a recent heartwarming story is any indication, however, the restaurant chain also wants to be known as a business that genuinely cares about its customers and community. Emily Uquillas — a 12-year-old Girl Scout in Stamford, Connecticut — contacted the company via Instagram, asking it to buy some cookies, with the hopes of eventually selling enough boxes so that her troop could visit Disney World. She had no idea the chain would buy not just one box but 93, making that dream a reality.
Uquillas' goal, according to an email Olive Garden sent to Mashed, was to sell 100 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies by February 23. With just a few days left, she had only sold seven. On a whim, Uquillas hopped onto her mother's Instagram account and messaged Olive Garden, asking it to buy a box and ending the message with a purchasing link. She knew her chances were low, writing, "If you guys even respond I will be so happy." Not only did Uquillas get a response, but the business also went above and beyond.
Olive Garden donated most of the cookies
When Emily Uquillas learned that Olive Garden bought her remaining 93 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, she was ecstatic. "OMGG THANK YOU," she wrote to the company. "I am so happy and excited you are so wonderful!!!" Uquillas also shared that she loved Olive Garden and that it was her restaurant of choice for her birthday, concluding, "My troop is going to go on so many wonderful adventures!!" On February 27, Uquillas' mother posted photos on Instagram showing the Girl Scout with pasta-themed swag, which included a T-shirt, a chef's jacket, and a spa towel. "We love all the items we received!" the mother wrote in the caption. Olive Garden shared its appreciation with the comment: "That's our new bestie."
Olive Garden customers are used to receiving a complementary chocolate mint after their meal, so it's fitting that Thin Mints — the most popular Girl Scout Cookie — were the business' treat of choice. Executive chef Terrence Tookes even posed for a photo with four boxes that were kept for the restaurant. The business donated the other 89 to the Girl Scouts Cookies for Heroes program, which distributes cookies to veterans, active military, and first responders.