McDonald’s is a pretty ubiquitous chain here in the states. They’re everywhere, you can get pretty much the exact same meal anywhere you travel, and they’re a quick stop if you’re on the road.
19-year-old Ashton has been a McDonald’s crew member for over a year. About a week ago, she went viral on TikTok for spilling secrets about the fast-food chain. You can check out her TikTok profile here and make sure you stick to the end and catch the actual video!
Meanwhile, let’s dive right into all her tips, tricks, secrets, and revealing notables from the video.
1. Custom food
“The secret menu doesn’t exist. The only ‘secret’ is that you can customize any item on the menu, and we’ll do it.”
2. It’s not broken
“99.9% of the time, the ice cream machine is not broken. There are three reasons why we tell you it’s broken. One: It’s being cleaned. It’s cleaned on the clock. Two: It’s in Heat Mode, so for whatever reason the ice cream is hot in there. Three: If we’re extremely busy, and we’re understaffed, and we’re backed up with cars, a lot of the time, we’ll just not serve ice cream until the rush is over.”
3. Just ask for it
“That life hack ‘Get a fry with no salt. Just ask for salt at the window. You’ll get a fry made fresh.’ It’s bullshit. First of all, you can just ask for the fry made fresh, and they’ll make it fresh.”
4. One change a week
“The oil in the frier gets changed once a week.”
5. Ice cream money saving
“The cone is significantly less expensive than a sundae. So if you want a sundae, get a cone, and ask for it in a cup. It’s less money for the same amount of ice cream, and you get a cone.”
6. It’s fresh!
“Quarter meat is fresh. It’s in a fridge. It’s not frozen. We drop it in every time we get an order. So, if you want something fresh, order a quarter pounder.”
7. Come late
“Also, if you want something fresh, after 10 or 11 o’clock, everything is cook-to-order. So, if you want fresh, come later.”
8. Make the cookies fresh
“If you want cookies, and you want them to taste good, ask them to make them fresh. They literally take two minutes, and they’re delicious when they’re fresh. If they’re not fresh, they’re fucking horrible.”
9. Tip them
“We’re technically not allowed to accept tips. But genuinely, tip your service workers. It will literally make our day. A fucking dollar will make our day. Tip us!”
10. Ask for extra mixing
“Don’t ask for extra M&Ms or Oreos in your McFlurry. It’s a waste of money. The reason they’re at the bottom is because some workers don’t mix it well. Ask them to mix it well.”
11. Get a cup
“The water bottle is such a waste of money. You can get a large cup of water for free.”
12. No refunds?
“Never ask for a refund. Ask for a free meal card. You can get anything on the menu — the most expensive thing too. Sometimes, they give you two free meal cards.”
13. Don’t use points
“Points on the mobile app are stupid. They’re stupid. You have to spend like $60 to get, like, one Big Mac. Just use the rewards they give you.”