A former McDonald’s crew trainer has lifted the lid on some of the fast food giant’s best-kept secrets.
The Sydney man, who asked to remain anonymous, worked at McDonald’s for close to a decade while at school and university.
Six years later, the 26-year-old has shared the ordering tips every customer should know – including how to make sure your burger is fresh and chips are hot.
FRESH BURGERS
While McDonald’s boasts about making burgers ‘fresh to order’ – what they don’t let customers know is that the meat is pre-cooked and kept in a heated cabinet.
Workers are supposed to throw away meat after its timer goes off.
Customers who request their meat is made without salt and pepper are guaranteed a fresh burger, as kitchen staff will have to lay a new run of beef down on the grill.
f you’re after a fresh burger, ask for your meat to come without salt and pepper
FRESH FRIES
Like burger patties, fries can often be left to go cold if workers aren’t keeping track of how long each batch has been sitting there.
If you order your fries without salt, you are guaranteed hot and crispy chips.
Simply ask for some salt on the side – a free condiment at McDonald’s – and add it to your fresh fries (but be warned, you’ll infuriate the staff).
To guarantee fresh fries, ask for no salt. You’ll have to wait three and a half minutes while staff put a new batch into the deep fryer
$1.10 McFlurry hack
The McFlurry is considered to be the king of late-night dessert options by many.
But McDonald’s has capitalised on Australia’s love for the ice cream treat by boosting its price up to over $5 in some stores.
For those after ice cream and a topping without the price tag, order a soft serve cone in a lid for $0.60 and then add Oreo or M&Ms for $0.50 extra.
Likewise, if you’re craving a sundae but don’t want to pay the premium – simply order a soft serve cone in a lid and add strawberry, hot fudge or caramel sauce on top.
McDonald’s has capitalised on the popularity of the regular McFlurry (left) by boosting the price of one to almost $5. Order a cone in a lid with Oreo (right) for a fraction of the price
HAPPY MEALS ARE CHEAPER
Desperate for a Cheeseburger or McNuggets meal but not willing to spend top dollar?
Try ordering a Happy Meal for either option, they’re both significantly cheaper. While a small McNugget meal (six piece) will cost you $8.25 – the Happy Meal alternative comes in at $7.55.
That’s a saving of $0.70 for the exact same meal – plus you get a toy for your troubles.
While McDonald’s staff are meant to make sure Happy Meals are only sold to children, there’s no way they can monitor who’s ordering what.
ALLERGIES = FRESH FOOD
While staff are meant to change their gloves regularly, keep the burger-assembling bench clean and waste old meat – things can get out of hand during peak-hour.
If you’re wanting an immaculate burger made properly – I suggest saying you’re allergic to an ingredient or gluten free.
Kitchen staff take allergy requests very seriously – there’s a huge liability if a customer gets sick – so they will wear clean gloves, wipe down the bench and take extra precaution with your order.
Meat, fish, chicken and bacon are all placed in trays that are kept in heating cabinets (pictured above) with timers. Once those timers run out staff are told to waste the product
If you feel strange making the requests to an employee, the process of removing seasoning from your burger and fries is very simple on the self-serve machine. Simply click ‘customise item’ on the screen and follow the prompts
NO ICE = FREE SOFT DRINK
An old trick but a classic, if you’re extra thirsty but don’t have enough money to upsize your coke – ask for a soft drink with no ice.
Staff are trained to fill close to a third of the cup with ice in a bid to save money on soft drink.
But be warned, a ‘no-ice’ soft drink isn’t for everyone – it won’t be as cold as you’re used to and will be missing that refreshing icy kick.
NEVER ORDER A FILET-O-FISH LATE AT NIGHT
The Filet-o-Fish is an acquired taste, and as such the demand for it is significantly lower than other burgers like the Big Mac or Quarter Pounder.
As a result, the fish portion can often be left sitting in a heated shelf for hours – despite policy clearly stating it should be removed after its timer runs out.
If your heart is set on a late-night Filet-o-Fish, I suggest politely asking the manager if you can have a fresh burger.
How to get free Coke: Order a soft drink with ‘no ice’ – staff are trained to fill cups close to a third full with ice
CHEAP CHEESEBURGERS AND MCCHICKENS
A new promotion running at most McDonald’s stores is the $1 hamburger.
Simply add a slice of cheese ($0.60) to the burger and you now have a cheeseburger for $1.60, compared to the $3.05 it’s supposed to cost.
The same goes for a McChicken burger. Try ordering a Chicken N’ Cheese with lettuce added to it for an extra $0.50.
The creation will cost you $4, compared to the $5.70 a McChicken will set you back (plus it means you’ll get an extra half slice of cheese on your burger).
PICKLES, TOMATO SAUCE, WATER, SALT AND PEPPER ARE FREE
Customers are technically entitled to order pickles, tomato sauce and salt and pepper for free – among other things.
Try your luck ordering a bulk amount of any of the above – I’ve seen a customer walk out with an entire bag of pickles for free and no-one battered an eyelid.
Treating McDonald’s employees (stock image) with respect and kindness goes a long way
BE POLITE
If you want quality customer service and fresh food, you’d be surprised how big of a difference it makes treating the staff decently.
Employees working at the counter will almost always go out of their way to ensure customers get fresh burgers if they’re asked nicely.
Conversely, customers who treat staff like they are their slaves will more than likely end up with that old Cheeseburger or flat soft drink.