You know you're not gonna get a gourmet meal when you pull up to the Golden Arches, but
you do expect it to meet certain standards, right?
Well, it might be time to lower your expectations.
These are the most cringeworthy things you need to know before you eat at McDonald's
again.
"Mint.
Wow."
"I had a Shamrock Shake."
"I hate you."
"And I got one for you too."
"I love you."
We are, under no circumstances, telling you not to enjoy your annual Shamrock Shake.
But we do want you to know why they're just called "shakes" and not "milkshakes."
Snopes says there's been a rumor going around that the desserts can't be called milkshakes
because they don't contain dairy products, but that's not true.
They definitely use milk in those shakes… they just don't make them with ice cream.
Instead, they combine reduced fat soft serve, which may or may not be allowed to be called
ice cream, depending on your state, with flavored syrup, along with whipped cream.
It's designed that way to not just be fast, but also consistent across all McDonald's.
So while you're not getting something that's quite as gross as you might think, you're
not getting any real ice cream, either.
This little nasty tidbit comes to us via Reddit on a thread asking:
"Fast food workers of Reddit, what should we NOT order at your restaurant?
Why not?"
One user named Envirometh had all sorts of thoughts on just why you should think twice
about picking up a McCafe beverage, saying that in their experience as an employee, the
machines are rarely cleaned.
"Hey Jack, that was a really good flat white."
"Thanks mate."
"Did you do something different?"
"Uh…"
They also say the machines are horrendously complicated, so much so, that they require
specialized servicing and training to take them apart and really get all the gunk out
of the nooks and crannies.
But another employee chimed to say their McDonald's managers went above and beyond to clean the
McCafe machines, adding that it took an average of 30 to 45 minutes every day to keep them
spic and span.
So, buyer beware!
Sounds like your cuppa joe may come with room for a little… extra.
You've heard the horror stories about how those oddly-textured chicken McNuggets are
made.
Well it turns out McDonald's has been actively trying to clean up the McNugget's reputation.
In 2014 they released a video that shows just how those nuggets are made, and while there's
no pink slime in sight, it's still not exactly appetizing.
"We don't know what it is or where it came from, but it has nothing to do with our chicken
McNuggets."
The video is from McD's Canada, but NPR reported it's the same deal in the U.S.
After the breast meat is removed from the bone, its sent through a grinder with seasoning
and chicken skin.
They're battered twice, par-fried, frozen, and shipped off to stores to finish cooking
them.
If you make your own fries at home, you typically use potatoes, oil, salt, and maybe some seasoning.
But if you think you're getting the same thing at McD's, you're wrong.
Check out their signature recipe and you'll find a whopping 19 ingredients, to be exact.
So what is all that stuff?
The Daily Meal reported that natural beef flavor and citric acid are added to the oil
those potatoes are fried in, and they're coated with a mix of salt, dextrose, and sodium acid
pyrophosphate.
That last one keeps them from turning brown after they've cooked.
"It's the fry show.
McDonald's world famous fries."
But speaking of that so called beef flavoring, if you're a strict vegetarian traveling the
world, you might wanna take a pass on any fries that are labeled vegetarian.
In 2002, McDonald's was the target of a huge uproar amongst Hindus living in India.
In spite of the fact that hash browns and fries were both clearly labeled as being vegetarian
in that country, they were fried in oil that contained, you guessed it, essence of beef.
That's not just a matter of false advertising forcing people to unknowingly break with vegetarianism,
in the Hindu religion, not eating beef is a steadfast spiritual practice for many.
Cows are sacred to some, and not surprisingly, people were outraged.
CBS News reported McDonald's promised to make amends by changing the way their fries are
made in India, and donating $10 million to Hindu groups.
They also added that nowhere in America have they advertised that their fries are vegetarian,
because they're absolutely not.
ThoughtCo.
reached out to McDonald's in 2017, and they responded saying they have no intentions of
changing their recipes or making fries vegetarian in the US.
Exactly why remains a mystery.
In 2017, Buzzfeed spoke to the Louisiana teen at the center of a viral outrage.
Going by just his first name, Nick claimed he was told to clean the ice cream machine
at the McDonald's where he worked: that's when he found trays filled with mold and slime,
so he Tweeted photos.
"I couldn't believe my eyes.
I was like, I've never seen something this disgusting."
Other McDonald's employees and former employees came forward to support him, saying it was
management's job to clean the machines and it was rarely done right.
Nick was fired after his tweets, and McDonald's was quick to clarify that the trays pictured
never come into contact with food… which made it no less gross.
According to The Wall Street Journal, cleaning a McFlurry machine is an 11-step process that
should include a 4-hour heat-cleaning cycle.
That's not counting the time it takes to run the other steps, prep the machine for cleaning,
and get things up and running again.
But here's the rub: McDonald's knows how difficult they are to clean, promising in early 2017
that the machines would be replaced.
FoodBeast checked in eight months later, and nothing had changed.
"Can I try a bite?
"How do I share?"
“I mean I can get my own spoon.”
"…no."
According to a Reddit thread that asked,
"McDonald's employees, what is the worst thing that has [ever] happened in the PlayPlace?"
…it should probably just be called PoopPlace for accuracy's sake.
Employees revealed a ton of stories about kids pooping in the slide, and others sliding
through it, as well as in the crawl tubes, and definitely in the ball pit.
One said there was almost always a layer of forgotten food at the bottom of the ball pit,
and then swore the contents of the pit were 50 percent edible, 25 percent balls, and 25
percent poop.
Tongue-in-cheek, maybe, but were they kind of right?
According to Gizmodo, Erin Carr Jordan, a professor of developmental psychology and
mother-of-four, was understandably concerned about just what her kids were playing in at
McDonald's.
"You name it, if it's a thing you don't want your child being exposed to, we found it inside
these playlands."
She took sample swabs from numerous PlayPlace playgrounds, with Wired reporting they came
back positive for listeria, staph, and tons of other nasty bacteria you wouldn't want
your kids exposed to.
But the story gets even worse.
When Dr. Carr Jordan approached a McDonald's manager after seeing a child lick the equipment
in one particular PlayPlace, she was served with legal documents banning her from McDonald's
for being disruptive.
New touchscreen kiosks make ordering a breeze, but you might want to hose down after you
use them.
"Who wants a Happy Meal?"
"I do!"
In 2018, the UK's Metro swabbed eight McDonald's touchscreens, six in London and two in Birmingham.
Dr. Paul Matewele, a senior lecturer in microbiology from the London Metropolitan University, said
of the findings,
"We were all surprised how much gut and fecal bacteria there was on the touchscreen machines.
These cause the kind of infections that people pick up in hospitals."
The bacteria strains were no joke, either.
One touchscreen showed staphylococcus, a bacteria that's becoming increasingly resistant to
antibiotics.
Listeria was also found at two locations, and three-quarters of the locations tested
positive for proteus, which is typically found in soil, animal, and human feces.
McDonald's claimed the touchscreens are cleaned regularly, but Matewele suggested the disinfectant
might not be strong enough, particularly considering the number of people that use the screen,
then eat their food… without washing their hands.
McDonald's has had some iconic characters doing the heavy lifting when it comes to advertising.
But you might not have noticed that one in particular seemed to drop off the face of
the Earth in 2002.
Yes, the Hamburglar vanished, and according to a McDonald's spokesperson via CNN, he was
actually quote, "lying low" and "living a quiet life."
"That explains so much."
But his return in 2015 had people thinking he was all kinds of creepy.
"Robble robble."
The character got a complete makeover from cute costumed character into an actual adult
man.
While some thought the new look was oddly alluring…
"I'm gonna venture to say, I find him attractive."
"She finds creepy people hot."
"No!"
… AdWeek reported others took to Twitter to state the complete opposite.
Suggestaurant called him:
"… the creepy guy at your high school reunion that makes you wonder what went wrong…"
Which isn't really the vibe you'd expect anyone to be going for.
"That's so you."
"You're rockin that."
There's not much that's creepier than using toys to lure children through the doors of
your establishment.
And according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, that's exactly what McDonald's
is doing with the toys they've been putting in their Happy Meals for years.
CSPI litigation director Stephen Gardner even went as far as to say,
"McDonald's is the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children.
McDonald's use of toys undercuts parental authority and exploits young children's developmental
immaturity, all this to induce children to prefer foods that may harm their health.
It's a creepy and predatory practice that warrants an injunction."
"And the Happy Meal fun goes on and on and on when you ask your parents to download the
McPlay app."
In 2010, CSPI filed a class action lawsuit to stop what they say is effectively bribing
kids to want to go to McDonald's at an age when lifelong eating practices are being shaped.
Reuters reported the suit was ultimately dismissed, without public explanation.
So, that leaves it up to you to decide if one of their major marketing campaigns is
smart or grossly irresponsible.
"It only takes a few seconds to hear what greens lovers want.
The simpler, the better."
McDonald's has joined the nationwide movement to get healthier, by adding a few salads to
their menu.
But CBC News found those salads aren't as healthy as you think.
They reported that McDonald's kale Caesar salad with crispy chicken and Asiago Caesar
dressing is the biggest offender, with the real issue arising when you start adding up
ingredients.
You're paying a price for crispy chicken and dressing, and that price is 730 calories,
53 grams of fat, and 1,400 milligrams of sodium.
Compare that to a Double Big Mac, and you're eating 30 more calories, 15 more grams of
fat, and 60 more milligrams of sodium, in the salad!
And the other options aren't much better.
The bacon ranch salad packs a whopping 28 grams of fat, and the southwest buttermilk
crispy chicken salad clocks in at 25 grams of fat and 520 calories.
If you're going to McDonald's, you might be better off not trying to pretend you're there
for your health.
Looks like a Quarter Pounder might just be the overall better choice.
Let's be honest.
You already know you're getting an insane amount of fat and calories when you head to
McDonald's.
But allow us to make your lunch even grosser by telling you just how much sodium you're
eating, too.
First, let's look to the American Heart Association, who recommends limiting your daily sodium
intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day, with an ideal limit of 1,500 milligrams.
"It's hard to make healthy choices for your family when the food industry adds excessive
amounts of sodium to many of the processed foods you serve each day."
Now, consider the bacon and cheese sirloin Third Pound Burger has a whopping 2,030 milligrams
of sodium, and we're not even talking about the side of fries you always get with it.
Going for breakfast?
Take the Big Breakfast with hotcakes and egg whites, which contains an almost unthinkable
2,150 milligrams of sodium.
But The Balance reported it's getting even worse.
In 2012, the menu contained eight items with more than 50 percent of a person's daily recommended
sodium intake.
By 2017, that number skyrocketed to 24 items, and in 2018, nothing had changed.
Still packing an unhealthy amount of sodium are items like the 6-Piece Buttermilk Crispy
Tenders, the Double Bacon Smokehouse Burger, and an overwhelming number of breakfast items.
With sodium being such a major concern for so many Americans, it's just not worth the
trip to the drive-thru.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite chains are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.