McDonald's isn't as well-regarded for its hot drinks as Dunkin' or Starbucks might be, but it still has a huge range of McCafé coffees available at its stores. But McDonald's employees advise getting your caffeine fix elsewhere due to the lack of cleanliness of its coffee machines.
For many people, a slice of tomato is non-negotiable in a burger. And while burgers on the American McDonald's menus opt for tomato ketchup instead of fresh tomatoes, limited-edition items like the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe feature them, and McDonald's' around the world do as well.
The Filet-O-Fish is one of the only concessions McDonald's offers to people who prefer fish, and it's by far the most famous seafood item on the menu. But because it's not ordered nearly as much as the other burgers on the menu, it tends to be one that employees advise skipping.
It's no exaggeration to say that people love the McRib. Arguably the best example of McDonald's' ability to cause a stir with time-limited seasonal menu items, the sandwich has gained a cult following, with fan pages set up to honor its combination of pork and sticky BBQ sauce.
Getting a drink with your meal is all part of the experience at McDonald's. But employees are pretty discerning about which drinks they go for, and they skip sweet tea pretty routinely due to its sugar content.
The milkshakes at McDonald's are pretty popular and are the sweet spot between a drink and a dessert. But once you know how they're made, you'll understand why employees avoid ordering them.
To many people, McDonald's chicken nuggets are a cut above the rest and warrant their own trip to the store. But workers tend to skip them entirely. It isn't, however, due to their ingredients and the infamous "pink slime" picture that has been circulated widely on the internet and which McDonald's itself dispels on its website.
We generally don't think ice poses a health risk beyond getting stuck to our tongues or fingertips. But in McDonald's, it may be a different story. Ordering your drinks with ice may be bad, says one worker on Reddit, "Usually because no restaurant ever has cleaned out the ice machine.
Your McDonald's meal may not be complete without a McFlurry to finish things off. But once you know what the McDonald's employees do, you'll never order one again.
Many of the burgers at McDonald's are made with the restaurant's smallest patty size, including the Big Mac, McDouble, cheeseburger, and the classic McDonald's hamburger. But with all of those burgers, things may not be as cooked as you'd like.