Food
McDonald’s Menu Items That Even The Staff Won’t Eat
Yeah the kids love their happy meals and the toys that come with it and our walks to the nearest McDonalds to satisfy our hunger during odd hours has become second nature. The McFlurrys have been a part of our indulgences a bit too much for our own good. The prospects of the items on the menu coax us into making those return trips a part of our routine in our hectic life. But did you know that whatever is available at the popular chain is not necessarily a big hit with everyone? Well that’s what the people working there think. So explore those infamous food items as we explore with the top 10 McDonald’s menu items that even the staff won’t eat.
10. The salad undressed
Unlike the customers, the staff of McDonalds get exclusive discounts and they do get to indulge in the items available at the restaurants. Well atleast not all of them. According to one of the revelations made by an employee to Business Insider, the crew members stayed away from the ‘healthier’ salad options. According to the member, the crispy chicken salad alone held 520 calories, with the bacon ranch salad with buttermilk crispy chicken following close behind with 490 calories. The bacon ranch grilled chicken salad contains 320 calories. For a salad that is a lot of calorie count and does not exactly fit within the healthy option category. All hope is not lost as the side salad has about 15 calories. For those that do not want to try out the usual items because they are health conscious, living on side salad alone would not satisfy their appetite. Time for them to smuggle in their own healthy meals and order the side salad to make it seem they are buying atleast something from the restaurant, until some employee reveals the side stuff to be unhealthy as well. For now that would help to avoid those angry looks by the staff for occupying a spot and not purchasing anything. Come on McDonalds, you could surely do better than that.
9. The filet-o-‘fish out of water’
To use the expression that the fish as been out of water far too long would be appropriate for this next food item in the top 10 list. According to a Reddit thread where the restaurant chain workers were asked as to what dish should not be ordered and why, the filet-o fish unfortunately took that spot. The employees shared how usually the item sits in the heating cabinet for hours on end. They adviced that when ordered, it should be confirmed that its fresh and edible. Also the workers and not a fan of the item as it is hard to put together and is sloppy in presentation and in terms of consuming. The tartar sauce, cheese and greasy fish make sure that you are involved in a messy affair when dealing with dish. It was added by the the employees that mostly the fish is not fresh and those chains that do have them ‘fresh out of water,’ have hardworking managers controlling the restaurant and making sure the food is good. But those chains are far too few and rare. So there you have it folks. The next time you visit the nearest McDonalds, make sure that fish is fresh and if the people working at restaurants steer clear of it, we should follow suit as well. Just to add, the Angus burger was also not recommended because like the filet-o-fish, it too stays in the tray for hours.
8. Tea for the sweet tooth
Some of us can’t do without sugar in our tea, but McDonalds takes that a bit too seriously. Atleast that’s what the employees imply when it comes to the sweet tea on the menu. This information was revealed on the realms of Reddit once again and what goes into the tea would surely make one wince an eye. A pound of sugar per gallon is what was succinctly described by the employee. Doing the math and translating the amount of sugar, approximately 113 grams of sugar goes into a large cup. But that does not match with McDonald’s claims of 38 grams in a large sweet tea cup. Whatever the case, that is a lot of sugar but it should not come as a surprise because whatever is being served at the chain, it cannot be considered as ‘healthy’ food. One has to keep in mind that a large Coke has 77 grams of sugar and judging by what has been revealed by the worker, sweet tea would give the pop a run for its money in the distant future. If you have reservations regarding your tea at McDonalds, ordering a small cup would be the safest bet as it contains an estimated 15 grams of sugar. Surely that will keep your conscience sugar free.
7. To be or not to be, healthy?
Now it would be sacrilege to assume that all the so called advertised ‘healthy’ options at a fast food chain should be considered legit. This is next item on the list has come under the scanner for not being healthy afterall. The egg white sandwich was brought up by one of the employees on the Reddit forums once again. The revelation was made that one simply does not get a protein fuelled sandwich to keep the energy rolling. It is accompanied with a lot of butter and ring molds. The combination sure piles up on those calories. Others on the thread also mentioned how the butter spread on the sandwich is more of a substitute than the real deal. If you love your egg whites, better start cracking those boiled eggs or get a bunch from Costco. Atleast these options will not be violated by tons of butter and a whole lot of calories to worry about.
6. The wrath of the McFlurry
Heres another letdown for those who every now and then replenish their sweet cravings at the restaurant. As is customary of this top 10, the ice cream offerings at McDonalds too was not spared by one of the employees who had an ugly truth up his sleeve regarding the drip trays of the ice cream machines.. In 2017, the employee from Louisiana by the name Nick posted a picture of the dip tray, which he said were rarely cleaned. Surely McDonalds came out with a response trying to brush things under the rug. Poor Nick had to face the heat of the food chain and was fired as a result.
To add weight to Nick’s claims, other employees too gave their opinions on Reddit. One of the claims made suggested that the machines were dirty and that people should find other mediums to soothe their ice cream yearnings. Other employees chimed in as well blurting out that workers who were not serious about any part of the job, avoided cleaning the machines as it is a complicated affair just to clean them up. Lets see what the PR and marketing department are going to say this time around to such statements. But we should not wait till then as it is a sign to get our ice cream fix from somewhere else from now on. Also another incentive to move to other places for an icecream is the disclosure made by an employee on one of the threads. Turns out, you are served less icecream than what you pay for in that cup.
5. The McCafe machine conundrums
If you thought the ice cream machine fell victim to lack of hygiene? Think again. As we continue on, on this road of unwanted food/beverages at McDonalds, this one sits nicely within the list as well. As is a habit of Reddit to be a reservoir of anonymity and place to spill the beans, one McDonald’s employee did just that. This kindred soul shared disgust for all things beverage available at the chain. Why you must be thinking and scratching your head? The McCafe machines. Yes they got the blame for not being cleaned and ignored for long periods of time. Usually the staff operating at the restaurants mention the machines taking up around 45 minutes to keep them sparkly clean. Looking at the time demanded by the contraptions to get all spruced up, many employees who are either not trained or do not particularly like cleanliness, simply just ignore the machine. Now there goes another item crossed off the list. To think a hot beverage might soothe your wintery woes at a McDonalds, the image of dirt in those machines smashes that dream for good.
4. Chicken ‘belittle’
Anything grilled for a snack sounds healthy right? Wrong. Not according to this one employee on Reddit. The person advised to stay away from the food item as it is considered “horrible,” “frozen,” and “gelatinous.” That sounds gross and is a red flag indeed. Further adding to insult, some mentioned that the item is not much ordered and sits for long hours. That’s the final nail in the coffin for the grilled chicken and another menu item that the staff is not a fan of. The “delectable” sandwich we think has overstayed its welcome in the heater and deserves retirement.
3. Chicken nuggets and timer manipulation
The employee army has a certain hostility for those chicken nuggets it seems. Probably for some good reason. We don’t have to wait long for answer to the question why according to one Reddit employee. The knowledge of how machines in McDonalds work and behave keep getting elaborated more by the staff in the digital realms of Reddit and this next one should be added to the list. The employee emphasized that pre made nuggets are warmed up by a dual purpose timer and that they are asked to replace the ones done with fresh nuggets. But there is a catch to it as most of the people working at the chain just reset the timer and the old ones keep sitting there. Now that sounds crispy. To us normal folk walking in and grabbing those chicken nuggets, some of us might find them taste just fine but then if we are getting a legit information straight from a McDonald’s employee, it just means one thing. Run. Run! Run from those dastardly nuggets that have not seen much sunlight and are brooding in the dark confines of a heater, burning again and again, and waiting for us to devour them.
2. That side salad though
In the beginning of this list the side salad seemed like the only plausible item to order and remain healthy. Well time to throw that salad out the window as well. Good thing is that side salad seems like the way to go, but according to employees, its not. One has to understand that these popular chains have to use up all the food everyday and keep things fresh and edible. But some managers have other things in mind when it comes to all things fresh. An employee said that the stickers showing the date on the salad are most of the times replaced and tampered. This move is made so that nothing is wasted. Some of them have a job just to replace those stickers and what you are being served for salad, must have been one beyond its expiry date. Heck even McDonalds was advising not to promote salad as a side option in some locations and that customers should ask for it when ordering. Now wonder why that move is being made? The rate at which popular food items are being suggested as unworthy and avoided at all costs for regular customers by workers, we just have to wait and watch as to what is eliminated next. Salad is gone for sure. Looking at the first hand information from the staff members, it would be best to just trash the thing in a garbage bin and call it a day. Who knows where that salad has been and for how long.
1. McDonalds “healthy” food a day might keep the doctor here to stay
Yes by now we all know that the so called healthy options at your fingertips at a McDonalds are not that great. The side salad, the last supposed good thing which a health nut could indulge in has also been given the short end of the stick. So not adding further damage to the not so amazing “healthy” options would be blasphemy. You might think of the salad as leafy greens which are the best thing possible to avoid calories, but thanks to the chain, they still manage to pour in stuff which on all accounts cannot be considered as healthy. As always Reddit has been the proprietary platform for the staff to pour out their heart and enlighten us to help avoid all things bad at the restaurant. One employee mustered up the courage to talk about the fact that the ingredients put in wraps for instance are questionable at best. The chicken is deep fried and for those that go for vegetarian options, you are not in luck as well as the veg patties are fried as too. No matter how much one tries to avoid fried items on the menu, it still somehow ends up on the table and the chicken supposedly is frozen and pre-cooked, so that’s not working in your favour too.
Adding further insult to injury, one employee said that most people working use the restroom and usually don’t wash their hands or wear gloves while handling the food. One never knows then where those hands have been and what food has been touched by them. The imagination runs wild just thinking about that it and it definitely not a pretty image. Furthermore an item like a fish sandwich is stored in dirty cabinets and cooked mere seconds before it is actually ordered. Now that’s that and lets hope there are better alternatives to the stuff available at the chain. Although that shouldn’t be the answer as being a popular food chain, McDonalds should actually start changing things to save their brand image and evolve it in that process for the better.