The Huge Dinner Party TikTok Couldn't Believe Was Seated At A Restaurant
Social media has changed how we interact with each other and the world at large, giving us the ability to share clips and tidbits of our lives almost instantly. Some vloggers and influencers gain fame simply through sharing these small moments while other times individuals just get a quick glimpse of fame from a viral Tweet or TikTok that seizes the platform's imagination. While an overly emotional attachment to social media can be harmful for users, social media also helps to provide beneficial social attachments to users (via Harvard).
It happens occasionally with viral social media posts that clearly foster a powerful sense of community among users who relate to the content, like when a Karen video goes viral and service workers around the globe groan and recall their own drive-thru horror stories. But not every surprising story in the restaurant industry is borne from entitlement. Sometimes perfectly reasonable guests create interesting stories, which is what happened at one Olive Garden this past week with a surprising number of guests (via TikTok).
The surprise party of almost a hundred
A TikTok user posted a video that was only eight seconds long but went viral quickly after a party of 91 guests showed up at her Olive Garden with no warning whatsoever. The video simply shows the TikToker and their coworkers shaking their heads incredulously while showing the software confirming their massive table with the text "we not closing tn." In both the comments of the original video and one follow-up video and then another reply, the user explained that the guests had come from a sports tournament and ended up getting seated across two sections, and mentioned that, since she was the host, she didn't know about how much they tipped or what their bill came out to be.
The comment section was simply stunned by the unexpected turnout. One user said, "I can't believe that is allowed, anything over 12 requires a manager-approved reservation at my job." Others were simply astonished that a group like this hadn't tried to order catering, with one user adding, "I don't know how people aren't embarrassed walking in with that many people with no notice." At the very least, $ophy doesn't mention any members of the party acting out, which no doubt helped ease the flood of guests along — although she does say that the restaurant continued seating tables of up to twelve around the 91 surprise guests.