TikTok Isn't Happy With How Chili's Saves Its Burnt Cake

Ruining a kitchen creation can be a highly embarrassing moment, arguably even worse than accidentally covering yourself with food. Whether it's undercooking your food, missing an ingredient while cooking or baking, or an adventurous experiment that really fails to impress, culinary mishaps are always going to happen.

The status of major restaurant chains does not exclude them from encountering such issues. Even a chain as big as Chili's — which boasts 1,225 locations in the U.S., according to ScrapeHero — is susceptible to cooking gaffes, even if this isn't the real reason Chili's is struggling. One particular incident has triggered controversy on TikTok, where the recycling method of a Chili's worker has raised eyebrows.

The video, uploaded by @fortheloveof_money, shows a server, confirmed by Daily Dot to be at a Chili's restaurant, cunningly covering up a burnt molten lava chocolate cake by smothering it with sauce and ice cream. Captioned "haven't had a complaint yet," the overcooked dessert looks quite different from the perfected version showcased on Chili's website. Naturally, it's prompted outrage, as well as approval of the inspiring cover-up, on TikTok.

Many TikTok viewers feel offended by the video, claiming they would send the dessert back, that the server should have made a new one, and that the ruse should be judged illegal. One commenter admits being caught out by the burnt cake trick in the past, while another tells of the opposite experience: a cake that was still frozen. Another viewer mocks high prices, joking that the chocolate dessert would be priced at $10.99. One user simply states that they hate working at Chili's.

Feedback wasn't all bad, however, with repliers saying they would eat the dessert anyway, and some claiming to believe it actually looks nice. One comment advocates adding whipped cream to further cover up mistakes. Another commenter alludes to similar practices at Applebee's, saying, "I used to cook for them ... I always told people to not eat there."

Chili's reply to the video was noted by Daily Dot as claiming that overcooked molten chocolate cakes should be replaced with new ones before being served to customers and that the brand strives for "food perfection." The TikTok's poster must have missed that memo.