A former McDonald’s crew trainer has revealed some of the fast food giant’s best-kept secrets.
The Sydney man, who wished to remain anonymous, worked at McDonald’s for almost a decade while he was at school and university.
He has now shared the ordering tips every customer needs to know, including how to ensure your burger is fresh and the fries are hot.
FRESH BURGERS
While McDonald’s brags about making burgers “fresh to order,” they fail to inform customers that the meat is pre-cooked and stored in a heated cabinet.
Employees are supposed to throw away meat after the timer goes off.
Customers who request that their meat be prepared without salt and pepper are assured of a fresh burger, as the kitchen staff must put a new run of beef on the grill.
FRESH FRIES
Like hamburger patties, fries can often stay cold if workers don’t keep track of how long each batch has been sitting there.
If you order your fries without salt, you are assured of warm and crispy fries.
Just ask for some salt on the side – a free seasoning at McDonald’s – and add it to your fresh fries (but be warned, you’ll infuriate the staff).
ALLERGIES = FRESH FOOD
Although the staff is supposed to regularly change their gloves, keep the burger counter clean and throw away old meat, things can get out of hand during peak hours.
If you want a flawless burger made correctly, I suggest you are allergic to an ingredient or gluten-free.
The kitchen staff takes allergy requests very seriously – there is a lot of liability if a customer gets sick – so they will wear clean gloves, wipe down the bench and take extra precautions with your order.
NO ICE = FREE SOFT DRINK
An old trick, but a classic: If you’re extra thirsty but don’t have enough money to up your Coke, ask for a soda without ice.
The staff is trained to fill almost a third of the cup with ice to save money on soda.
But be warned: a ‘no-ice’ soft drink is not for everyone: it will not be as cold as you are used to and you will miss that refreshing icy kick.
NEVER ORDER A FILET-O-VIS LATE IN THE EVENING
The Filet-o-Fish is an acquired taste, and as such, demand for it is significantly lower than other burgers like the Big Mac or Quarter Pounder.
As a result, the fish part can often be left on a heated board for hours – despite the policy clearly stating that it should be removed after the timer has expired.
If you’re craving a late-night Filet-o-Fish, I recommend politely asking the manager if you can get a fresh burger.
pickles, tomato sauce, water, salt and pepper are free
Customers are technically entitled to order items such as pickles, tomato sauce and salt and pepper for free.
Try your luck by ordering a large quantity of one of the above products. I’ve seen a customer walk out with an entire bag of pickles for free.
BE POLITE
If you want quality customer service and fresh food, you’d be surprised how much of a difference treating the staff decently makes.
Employees at the counter almost always go out of their way to ensure that customers get fresh burgers when politely requested.
Conversely, customers who treat staff as if they are their slaves will most likely end up with that old Cheeseburger or flat soda.