It's easy to think you know everything there is to know about the Golden Arches, but no
matter how often you frequent Mickey D's, there are likely several facts you're not aware of.
This is what McDonald's employees think customers should know.
Nothing beats a batch of hot, crispy McDonald's fries.
A carton of cold, soggy fries, on the other hand, is a major disappointment.
That's likely what gave rise to the popular McDonald's hack of ordering unsalted fries
to ensure you get the freshest fries possible.
The logic behind this theory is sound; the fries sitting under the heat get a sprinkling of salt.
If you want unsalted fries, the employee can't use any from the batch already made.
Instead, they have to make you fresh fries, which customers can salt afterward.
But it turns out there's a much easier way to accomplish this - one that employees would
prefer you follow: Just ask for fresh fries.
It might not seem like a big difference, but making a batch of unsalted fries requires
significantly more work.
According to former employees on Quora and Reddit, every time an unsalted order comes
in, the staff has to empty the fry tray, then clean and sanitize it.
This ensures salt doesn't get to customers who don't want or can't have it.
Ordering fresh fries, on the other hand, cuts this step out.
Truth be told, either method is generally just giving the employee unnecessary additional work.
French fries are McDonald's most popular item, so new batches are constantly made to keep up with demand.
This means you're likely going to get fresh fries whether you order them that way or not.
It might sound obvious that you should know what you want to order by the time you get
to the counter or drive-thru, but for many customers, it's not.
One of the biggest pet peeves of McDonald's employees is when customers wait until they
get to the front of the line before deciding what they want to eat.
One shift manager on Reddit wrote,
"I absolutely hate when the drive thru has been moving slowly and then people get to
the speaker and take two minutes to decide.
You've been sitting there for at least three minutes so far, why didn't you decide what you wanted then?!"
Being ready to order doesn't mean just knowing what you want to eat — it also includes
being ready to pay.
One employee complained of customers ordering at the counter only to then say they had to
go to their car to get their money.
Others claimed they often have customers paying for their entire meal in change.
It's easier - and faster - for everyone if you have your money ready to go.
McDonald's employees want you to know that they get just as frustrated with the ice cream machine as you do.
According to one former McDonald's employee on Reddit, the machine is poorly designed.
"The ice cream machines are just not cleaned properly and display dumb error codes nobody
but an authorized dude knows - so blame the machine maker because they provide bad instructions
and no troubleshooting help."
A second staff member confirmed this.
It turns out oftentimes the machine isn't actually broken but is instead going through
a several-hour-long cleaning process.
If anything goes wrong during that time, employees have to restart from the beginning.
This also usually involves calling a technician to come fix it, since nobody really knows
how to operate the machine.
So the next time you get to the McDonald's drive-thru window on a hot summer day only
to learn the ice cream machine is down, be disappointed, but know it wasn't the fault
of anybody in the kitchen.
If you're walking home after a late night and you pass a McDonald's that only has its
drive-thru open, you may be tempted to try to turn it into a walk-thru.
Unfortunately, it's not going to work.
McDonald's policy states that,
"[McDonald's] cannot serve pedestrians and vehicles at the same outdoor service point."
"Our apology, this is a drive-thru line." "One second!"
This is mainly due to safety concerns; having pedestrians and cars share the same space
is bound to create some accidents.
But one former employee explained on Quora why the no-pedestrian policy helps McDonald's staff.
There are only so many cars that can fit into a drive-thru lane at one time.
This allows the restaurant to keep up with orders even during the busiest times.
If McDonald's opened up the drive-thru to pedestrians, employees could be bombarded
with dozens of orders.
This would be particularly nightmarish during late nights when fast-food restaurants tend
to have fewer employees working.
Whether it's an Animal Style burger from In-N-Out or the peanut butter and bacon SmokeShack
from Shake Shack, secret menu items have become all the rage.
After all, who wouldn't want to indulge in the outlandish concoctions that staff and
customers have created?
Search all you want, but you won't find any such items at McDonald's.
You may have heard of some secretive items, but they're all just customizations of standard
McDonald's food or creations you have to assemble yourself.
One such item in the latter category is widely known as the Land, Sea, and Air Burger.
It consists of a cheeseburger, McChicken, and Filet-O-Fish purchased individually, then stacked together.
The problem with ordering one of these items by name is that there's a good chance the
employee taking your order won't know what you're referring to.
It's easier to just ask for something on the menu and then customize it yourself.
Although McDonald's lacks a secret menu, there is one off-menu item you can order: a grilled
cheese sandwich.
According to several McDonald's employees, the staff is accustomed to making this culinary
staple even though it's not on the menu.
But it's how they make it that may be different depending on the store you visit.
One employee posted on Reddit that their restaurant,
"put cheese between two backwards buns and grilled it."
A second staffer claimed their store's recipe,
"was to toast 2 middle buns of a big mac, put two slices of cheese, and cook it in the
microwave for 10 [seconds]."
Another employee of the Golden Arches revealed that when a grilled cheese sandwich comes in,
"It goes through our system as a cheeseburger with everything removed, except the bun and cheese."
So, should you ever happen upon a McDonald's that won't serve a grilled cheese, now you
know how to order one: cheeseburger, everything removed except the bun and cheese.
This ingenious hack, courtesy of the professionals, will get you a delectable Big Mac for a delicious discount.
According to a McDonald's employee on Reddit,
"The big mac is just a double cheese burger with 1000 island dressing, lettuce and a[n]
extra piece of bread.
If you order a double add lettuce and big mac sauce, you get the same thing with less
bread and cheaper price."
Another Redditor doubled down on this life-affirming trick.
"The McDouble, add Mac sauce has seriously changed my life.
I've helped change many lives over the years by sharing this and I hope more people learn of this."
There may not be a secret McDonald's menu, but there is at least one way to hack the menu.
So next time, instead of ordering an item not on the menu, just try outsmarting the menu.
We've all been there before -- you place an order at the drive-thru only to reach the
window and be told to park your car.
It might seem like an inconvenience, but employees ask you to do this for a very good reason:
their jobs may depend on it.
Sound extreme?
Maybe.
But McDonald's employees are expected to keep the drive-thru line moving, and even slight
delays can add up to big problems.
One shift manager claimed that,
"Every three seconds you save in drive is equivalent to 1% sales increase."
So even asking you to park for 30 seconds makes a huge difference for the restaurant.
As another Redditor pointed out, McDonald's keeps track of the time it takes for each
car to get its food.
If your McNuggets need two more minutes to cook but the car behind you orders a Big Mac
that's ready to go, it makes more sense to have the other car "pass" you.
Your food won't get to you faster whether you're waiting at the window or in the parking lot.
The employees, however, can show that they kept the line moving, thus earning McDonald's
more money by getting customers in and out quickly.
Be careful what you say while waiting in the drive-thru line; those intercoms work both
ways, meaning the McDonald's drive-thru workers can hear what's being said in your car.
One former manager claimed that employees can hear everything going on the entire time,
even before they greet you.
"When you pull up to the McDonald’s drive thru with your car, a loud beep goes through
the head piece and then we hear your car running the whole time you’re sitting there and
while taking your order."
Another employee on Reddit confirmed as much, stating that the customer always has an open mic.
"If we don't answer you right away - we can hear everything.
If we apologize and say we'll be with you in a minute - you're not on hold, we can hear everything.
If you've ordered but the drive-thru line won't let you pull ahead yet - we can hear
every single thing you're saying."
While McDonald's employees certainly get to overhear some funny and entertaining conversations,
that's not always the case.
The same Redditor claimed,
"I wish I could forget some of the stuff I've heard."
So, unless you want to air personal details of your life to an entire McDonald's kitchen,
hold the conversation until you get home.
"Sorry, could you repeat that please?"
Most people who make it to McDonald's before noon want breakfast, but should you have a
craving for beef at that time of day, you're going to have to find a different fast-food restaurant.
You can't order any non-breakfast menu items at McDonald's until 10:30 AM.
Customers may have thought this policy ended in 2015 when McDonald's unveiled all-day breakfast,
but the same did not apply to the regular menu.
McDonald's claims there simply isn't enough interest in burgers in the morning.
There are also operational issues to consider.
As one former employee explained, workers have to cook breakfast and lunch items on
the same grills, but since they need to be heated at different temperatures, only one
menu can be prepared at a time.
Why would anyone ever ask for a receipt from a fast-food restaurant?
Are you going to return the food?
Probably not.
But there's another reason why it may be a good idea to request proof of that Big Mac.
It turns out asking for a receipt at McDonald's could help ensure you get the best meal.
You can thank McDonald's employees for this helpful hack.
According to one Quora poster who previously worked for the Golden Arches, asking for a
receipt will make employees believe you're a mystery shopper.
These shoppers are paid to visit and rate the store.
Their rating then goes back to restaurant management.
Needless to say, McDonald's employees want to make sure their rating is as high as possible.
So just by asking for a receipt, you'll likely get a fresh burger and fries as quickly as
they can be made.
Flipping burgers is the easiest job in the world, right?
Well, maybe if you're in your backyard and you have a cold drink in your hand.
If you're behind the counter of a fast-food restaurant, it's a different story.
The truth is, McDonald's employees work long, difficult shifts.
In a Quora thread asking if working at McDonald's is difficult, nearly all the respondents agreed that it is.
One restaurant shift manager wrote,
"McDonald's expects you to not only do quality work, but to do it quickly.
There is always something else to do … There is no end of the tunnel.
There is always more orders and more cleaning and more things to do than there is time in the day."
Another worker reminded readers that employees are on their feet for the entire shift.
Additionally, many McDonald's workers have complained of understaffing, which creates
increased workloads and hazardous work environments.
And employees are underpaid.
If this wasn't bad enough, there are the unruly customers.
One employee posted on the same Quora thread,
"The average person tends to treat McDonald's employees like they came out of a garbage can.
They're rude, nasty, sometimes violent."
"You have to order something from the lunch menu."
"I don't want lunch, I want breakfast."
Keep this in mind next time you're at McDonald's and the staff gets your order wrong -– they're
very likely doing the best they can, and saying "please" and "thank you" will go a long way.
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