Every relationship faces tests. Sometimes it’s things like death, debt, or disease. Other times it’s something so small it could fit in the palm of your hand. In this case, a ranch packet from Zaxby’s helped a North Carolina woman dodge a lifetime of disappointment.
“I feel like a lot of you are with guys that you should break up with over packets of ranch from Zaxby’s,” says Lauren Bailey (@baileyz), whose story sparked conversations about how condiments can reveal relationship red flags.
North Carolina-based wedding planner Bailey used TikTok to tell her tale of how a condiment left unshared was eye-opening for her.
“I got the Nibblerz combo, and I specifically always ask for extra ranch because I have to have my ranch with my Nibblerz,” she recalls in a video that has nearly 105,000 views.
It started when she ordered her usual meal, and her now-ex-boyfriend picked it up. She says he returned with the food, and she realized they forgot her ranch. “I’m bummed but, like, not pissed, because, like, s— happens,” she says.
“Then he starts to open his box, and there’s a packet of ranch,” she says.
“And I jokingly go, ‘Oh, but they remembered your ranch,'” she recalls joking with him. “‘They forgot mine but remembered yours?'”
Deeper Than A Condiment
Then, he said something shocking.
“‘Funny thing is, I didn’t even order ranch,'” she says he responded before he continued eating, hogging what was clearly her ranch mistakenly put in his order.
“So now I’m pissed,” Bailey recalls. Not only was the ranch not his, but he didn’t think to share it with her.
She says he was confused as to why she was so upset, but what transpired was so much deeper than a packet of ranch—it showed her how selfish her then-boyfriend was.
It was a small moment, but a big relationship red flag. Later she discovered how true this was. The entire time they were together, she says he was talking to other women and men.
“You knew that you didn’t order ranch,” she recaps. “You got a ranch; you knew that I was upset. … And you didn’t even think about offering it to me?”
No Confusion In The Comments Section
While her then-boyfriend was left confused, Bailey’s retelling of the story and how it made her feel made complete sense to fellow TikTokers.
“I absolutely think this is reason to leave before it’s a bigger thing he’s keeping from you!” said one.
Another called the man either “stupid” or “selfish.” Either way, they’re glad Bailey got out of the relationship.
“It starts with the dipping sauce. You dodged a lifetime of disappointment,” a third exclaimed.
And the best quip goes to user reesesandpringles, who said, “You didn’t get your ranch, but I’m glad you DIPPED.”
Resource Allocation
Psychology Today lists nine qualities of the most successful relationships, including communication, trust, and fair sharing of resources.
Dr. Abby Metcalf, host of the Relationships Made Easy podcast, says that fairness doesn’t need to look like 50/50. It’s about emotional equity.
“If you’re looking at your relationship to be ‘fair’ you need a shift in your worldview. Relationships are not 50/50, they’re 100/100. The key is that you should only be focusing on putting in your 100%! Do not focus on what your partner is or isn’t doing, because that’s competing and keeping score. This comes from a fear mindset and you can’t have a love relationship based on fear,” says the doctor.
Happily Ever After
After her Zaxby’s revelation helped her dodge disappointment, Bailey shares that she eventually found her happily ever after.
She says she’s now with a guy so devoted to her that not only would he share his ranch with her, he’d go back to Zaxby’s to get her more.
@abaileyz This is a funny story now but seriously a packet of ranch from @ZAXBYS was the turning point in this relationship… he was also talking to other women and men the entire time we were together but that’s another story
BroBible has contacted Lauren Bailey via email for updates.