We tried Olive Garden's $60 family-style meal deal. Despite a few downsides, it was a great value for the 4 of us.

Although my husband and I opt for independently-owned small businesses when we go out to dinner, if my teens are involved in the decision-making process, we usually end up at Outback Steakhouse or Chili's.Since it's rare for the whole family to get together to go out to eat these days, we usually let our kids choose the restaurant, which means we eat at a lot of chains.Dining out as a family of four can get pricey, so we've been experimenting with different chains' "meal deals" to see if we could enjoy the same food at a better value in the comfort of our home.This time, we tried the family-style meals from Olive Garden. My family has dined at the Italian-American chain together before, and my kids visit it often on their own on dates or with groups of friendsSo, we were curious to see how takeout compared to the dine-in experience — and whether our meal would feel like a great value.

It was fairly simple to order our meal online, but there were a few hiccups.

We ordered a large portion of one of my teens' favorite Olive Garden dishes for pickup to have dinner together at home.

Terri Peters

I headed to Olive Garden's website, chose my preferred pickup location, and clicked on the "family-style meals" section of the menu.There were several options for family-style meals, from chicken fettuccine Alfredo to lasagna, most priced at around $50 to $70 and designed to serve four to six people.I also saw a larger lasagna meal that served up to 12, as well as family-sized portions of appetizers like calamari and spinach-artichoke dip. At checkout, I could also add things like dessert or drinks for an additional cost.For our entrée, we chose the chicken Parmigiana family meal, a $60 dinner that said it would serve four to six people. It sounded perfect for my family of four.Initially, I selected to add six breadsticks to my order for just under $5, but at checkout, a prompt popped up asking if I'd like to change the quantity. My kids are big fans of Olive Garden breadsticks, so I clicked through to change my order from six to twelve ($7).When I got home, my printed receipt indicated I had accidentally ordered and paid for 18 breadsticks.