Are you safe from the tactics restaurants are using to make you spend more? Well, be
on high alert for any razzle-dazzle shenanigans, as we share more of the Top 10 Dirty TRICKS
Of Fast Food Restaurants.
A Soda With A Side Of Mold, Please
Going back to the notion of freshness, there's nothing more refreshing than a nice cup of
soda to go with your fast-food meal. Especially when it's ice-cold. The only problem is the
ice. The ice at restaurants often comes with some controversial baggage. Apparently, ice
machines are notoriously difficult to clean. You know where this is going, right? Hard
to clean usually translates to hardly cleaned. And because they're so nearly impossible to
clean, it's the perfect spot for all kinds of bacteria to mingle. A study done in 2010
found that around 48 percent of soda fountains at fast-food restaurants contain coliform
bacteria, which is commonly found in feces. Yummy. Microbiologists have no idea how it
even gets there in the first place, but they think that it's most likely from dirty cleaning
rags or unwashed customer hands. No matter where it comes from, it's there, alright.
And it's not the only unwanted thing that can be found in an ice machine. There could
also be mold. Because where there are bacteria and a lack of cleaning, there is bound to
be some mold creeping around the corner, hidden at the bottom of the machine.
Same Taste, Different Joint
Have you ever noticed that your burger from McDonald's might taste just a tiny bit familiar?
Perhaps, from the time you ate one from Burger King? If you have, you're not the only one
- and you're not wrong either. No matter what you order, the burger, the fries, the onion
rings, or even the shake—they will all have the same somewhat recognizable taste. Essentially,
they all taste like "fast food." The reason for that is very simple; they're all calibrated
to appeal to our tastebuds in the best way possible. Basically, in a way that inspires
us to keep eating - so it won't be too meaty or too cheesy, it will be just right. This
all works thanks to the part in our brains called the hypothalamus - which is what responds
to food. It evolved to respond to sweet, salty, and bitter tastes, and that's why we crave
the types of food we do. However, fast-food has been designed to satisfy all of these
taste desires. Plus, fast food is so highly processed, in general, that the flavor in
it is often destroyed. So, in order to make up for this, the tastes and aromas are often
manufactured at special chemical plants, giving very similar - practically the same - flavors
to everything. At least, you know you won't be disappointed with how it tastes.
It's All About The Color
If you had to think about one color - just one - that dominates the world of fast-food,
which one would it be? If your answer is red, congratulations, you've cracked the code to
efficient marketing! By now, you understand that nothing is random when it comes to fast-food
restaurants, not even where your go-to item is placed on the menu. So it shouldn't be
surprising that even the colors of those said menus are not left to chance. While color
theory isn't the most exact science, there is still some pretty accurate proof that it
might just be a thing. For instance, red has been associated as an appetite stimulant,
and it seems like it holds up. After all, practically every fast-food chain has the
color red in their logos, so it must be doing something right. McDonald's, Wendy's, Chick-fil-A,
KFC, you name it. Red is also the most popular color for food packaging and is used in table
cloths and other forms of restaurant decor. It supposedly raises blood pressure, heart rate,
and people's desire to eat everything in sight. Other similar warm tints like orange, i.e.,
Popeyes, yellow - Subway - and pink - Dunkin Donuts - will get the job done as well.
Relax, Take It Easy
Fast-food restaurants are designed to make you leave as fast as you arrived, all thanks
to some very specific food techniques, uncomfortable seats, harsh lighting, and a bunch of other
targeted methods designed to make you eat as quickly as possible. However, it's not
the case with every feature of the restaurant. In fact, it might be the complete opposite
when it comes to the self-serve kiosks. These ingenious, rather new additions to the fast-food
world have been designed to allow you to place an order without actually having any sort
of interaction. Instead of waiting in line at the cash to place your order, you can just
hop on a kiosk and take your time to get exactly what you want - and that's what they're counting
on. They want you to take as much time as possible so you don't feel rushed or judged
when you're making your food choices. How considerate of them, isn't it? Well, just
being considerate is not exactly what fast-food places had in mind when they came up with
kiosks. They were actually installed to upsell. The more time you spend at the kiosk by yourself,
the more likely you'll explore the menu more and inevitably order more than you originally
planned to. Studies even show that restaurants expect you to spend 20% more than if you ordered
any other way.
Adjectives, Adjectives, Adjectives
When it comes to deciding what you want to eat, it all comes down to how delicious and
enticing something sounds. If you could choose between a fried, greasy cheeseburger or a
juicy, all-beef burger made with American cheese and crispy fresh cut produce, which
one would it be? Chances are, you're going to go with option number two - for obvious
reasons. Some words just sound more appealing than others, and those are the ones that fast-food
chains - and restaurants, in general, like to use the most to describe their menus. For
every kind of food, there's a whole set of clichéd adjectives that have been proven
to work best in terms of sales. For instance, coffee is "aromatic," beef "sizzles," and ice cream
is "rich." Adding a bunch of meaningless adjectives like “flavorful,” “tasty,”
and “delicious” to their menu items helps build expectations in their customers’ minds,
which makes them more likely to order them. Plus, there is also a lot of wordplay going
around too. Notice how fast-food chicken is no longer “fried,” now it’s “crispy”
or “homestyle?” But that's not all. Including fancy-sounding or exotic names can also bring
an aura of authenticity. Like, what's a Coolata? Who knows, but it sure sounds refreshing.
So, if you find yourself ordering something because it sounds good, don't be surprised
if it doesn't live up to your expectations.
Warming Trays Are A Fast-Food's Best Friend
Obviously, when you go to a fast-food restaurant, you don't expect to receive a 5-star meal.
Or even 4-star. But you do expect to get a minimum level of freshness, at least. That
should be a given. Well, it's not every fast-food place that thinks like that. A lot of places
will just leave their food in warming trays a lot longer than they're supposed to - in
hopes of saving a few bucks. Let's take McDonald's McNuggets, for example. These little nuggets
sometimes sit in a warming tray just waiting for someone to order them. Sure, they’re
supposed to be thrown away after a set amount of time, but most of the time, the timer just
magically resets, and they just stay there. That goes for any other food item that might
not be the most popular on the menu. Like the Filet-O-Fish. If you want something that's
a least remotely fresh, a piece of advice, don't order anything that's not necessarily
a fan favorite. But then again, popular or not, it might not even be a factor for some
restaurants. According to a Reddit user, the beans at Taco Bell are something you should
avoid at all costs. Why? Because they can stay in those trays for up to 18 hours. To
keep them from becoming dry and crusty, water is added to them every 15 minutes. Apparently,
everything is not what it seems in the fast-food world.
Pictures Speak Louder Than Words
Okay, yes, words are important; they're what makes the whole meal sound irresistible. But,
what if you got to see the actual item that went along with the description? That could
change your ordering preference. Fast-food restaurants have a way with menu displays
- the colorful ads, and impeccable illustrations can make just about anything look delicious.
Of course, we already know that the way fast-food looks in advertisements is nothing like how
it looks in real life. We've all experienced that disappointment of opening up a Big Mac
only to see a sad, mushy sandwich, half-broken apart. It's not like it should even be a surprise
anymore, as 99% of the time, your order looks nothing like any picture you've seen. Even
though we know this, we keep buying, hoping that this time, it'll look more appealing.
But it never does. And that's all thanks to the giant billboards with fake food and touched-up
pictures that we see just about everywhere. The simple fact of having a picture on the menu
instead of just a name has proven to sell more - it gives visual support to the item
you're about to eat. And while you know it will look absolutely nothing like the picture,
at that point, you've already been sold. And, they're not placed about randomly. Through
studies, menu planners have learned that we usually fixate on whatever’s in the upper
right-hand corner of a menu. So next time you go through the drive-thru, pay attention
to what first catches your attention.
You Shall Eat What They Decide
You might think that you have something to say about what you will and won't eat at your
favorite fast-food joint, but in the grand scheme of things, it turns out that most of
the time, you really don't. Think about it - how many times have you walked up confidently
to the cashier, hoping to only order one single burger, and ended up leaving with a side of
fries and a large soda? Probably too many to count, and that's what the combo industry
is all about. Let's face it; you don't really need to get fries all the time. Your burger
is already pretty impressive in terms of calorie count, and you don't need to add too much
to that. Take Wendy’s Baconator, for example. This bad boy contains 940 calories and 57
grams of fat; that's enough. But, again, as a way to sell as much as possible, fast-food
restaurants will offer you fries and a soda to “make it a meal." And only for just a
couple bucks more. It sounds like a great deal, so you think why not? But here's why
not - you're paying for something you didn't even want in the first place. You didn't change
your mind because you suddenly wanted fries, it's because you saw how "convenient" it would
be. But don't be fooled; it's just marketing. Combo meals at burger joints make up a whopping
31 percent of all purchases, and the average combo packs 1,200 calories - all of which
come with predetermined sides that the chain decides on. So, really, who decides what here?
From Beethoven To Top 40
The next time you're eating at a nice, fancy restaurant, pay attention to the music that's
playing. Is it loud and fast, or more on the low and slow side? Probably the latter, and
there's a very specific reason for it. Most people might not pay attention to the type
of background music restaurants play, but that doesn't mean that they're not affected
by it. Subconsciously, the music can impact what items you buy and how long you're going
to stay in that restaurant. A study from 2012 showed that melodious tones of classical
music and smooth jazz were the perfect fit for a sit-down restaurant. This music encouraged
diners to sit around longer and eat more since they have time to digest. Which is exactly
what fast-food restaurants don't want - loiterers. It's then in their best interest to blast
the music loud and keep the tempo high to ensure a turnover of customers. It instills
a sense of urgency, encouraging you to gobble up your food more quickly than you normally
would. It's probably not the greatest move for the customers' waistlines, but it's the
best for restaurants' budgets. Chances are, you will never - ever - hear anything besides
fast-paced music at your local McD's. If you do, then someone was probably asleep at the
dial, and it was probably the last time that happened.
The Coffee Can Actually Make You Sad
If you're a coffee person, then you know just how much that morning coffee can make you
happy. You were having a rough morning or simply had a bad night; a good old cup of
coffee should do the trick, no biggie. But, did you know that ordering a coffee from a
fast-food joint could actually have the complete opposite effect? It's a simple explanation,
really. First of all, caffeine, in general, isn't the best serotonin booster out there.
Caffeine can make it harder for you to fall asleep, and a lack of sleep can play on your
mood, therefore, cause you to experience random waves of sadness throughout the day. But that's
generally speaking. If you drink a small amount of coffee every now and then, there shouldn't
be any real problem. However, when you order it from those styrofoam cups, that's when
the issue begins. You see, styrofoam can leak styrene, which is a neurotoxin that can cause
depression and a loss of concentration. Highly acidic or hot beverages, like coffee, can
draw the plastic compound out more effectively than regular cold water would. In other words,
instead of making you feel energized and awake, fast-food coffee could actually make you worse,
probably leading you to believe that you need another coffee - and another, and another
to get through the rest of the day.
We’ve got more - just tap or click for another great video, hit that subscribe button and
ring that bell - and hey, leave us a comment.