Confessions of a Former Fast Food Manager: McDonald's Secrets
By Sunnyglitter
Everything You Want to Know, But Are Too Scared to Ask
Do employees really spit in food? How fresh are the burgers? Does McDonald's hire just about anybody? What's in the Big Mac sauce? Is it hard to work there?
There are hundreds of McDonald's secrets that the general public is blissfully unaware of. The things I'm about to tell you will shock, anger, and maybe even disgust you. From the mild to the wild, I'll tell you all the dirty little secrets of McDonald's.
A Bit of Background Before I Start Spilling My Fast Food Secrets
I was a McDonald's Manager for over 7 years.
As a manager, you are often required to help at different locations. I worked at about 10 stores during this time, although most of my time (about 5 years) was spent at the same store. All of my stores were franchised, and I worked for 3 or 4 different owners.
One owner was absolutely wonderful. He gave us Christmas cards and offered Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance (maybe that's the norm now, but it wasn't back then). Another owner was a nightmare. She was just a total witch, and that's putting it nicely. I was shocked by the terrible things she said and did. We'll talk about her later.
Training classes were often held in corporate stores, and it was obvious that corporate McDonald's were part of an entirely different ballpark. I'm not saying only good things happen at corporate stores, and I'm not saying all franchises are terrible. I'm just letting you know that some franchises have the opportunity to get away with more. They aren't constantly under the corporate eye.
Are You Ready to Hear the Secrets of McDonald's?
Not all secrets are bad. Some of them are shockingly bad, though.
I've told people some of the secrets about McDonald's in the past, and many of them just laughed. Others were completely appalled. Some people didn't believe what I was saying, insisting that a restaurant would get shut down if those things were really happening.
Oh really? If most of the managers and owners are all corrupt, who's going to shut the store down? Think about that for a minute.
That goes for any job, by the way. Not just McDonald's. Every company has their own set of secrets. Company scandals are nothing new.
McDonald's Secrets About Food
Just a reminder that not all secrets about McDonald's are bad. Many of them are, though.
For easy reading, I'll put all of the food-related secrets in one big list:
- Employees really do spit in the food. Be very, very nice to the person taking your order. Especially if you're in the drive thru. Why people are stupid enough to be rude to the people who make their food is beyond me, but consider yourself warned.
- Spit isn't the worst thing people do to the food at McDonald's. Food is thrown on the ground, stomped on, and a few other things I won't mention. Use your imagination.
- The owner of one franchise I worked at threatened to fire me once. My offense? Refusing to use a case of lettuce that had expired TEN DAYS AGO. The lettuce was brown and just plain nasty. I threw it away anyway. I knew that legally, she couldn't fire me for that- and if she did, I would have reported her the second I received my termination notice.
- Demanding that you are served "fresh food right off the grill" will not really get you fresh food. It'll get you a dried up hamburger patty dunked in grease so that it looks fresh. It's insulting to ask for fresh food at a store where the food is actually fresh.
- There's nothing McDonald's employees hate more than customers who come in and ask for fries with no salt or insist that their fries are cold even though they were just removed from the fryer. When you do this, it's the same as asking for a fresh hamburger- you'll get old fries dunked in the oil for 15 seconds. Enjoy!
- Burgers and sandwiches are made to order. They do not just sit in a heating tray. Stop acting like you know what goes on behind the scenes. Some customers order burgers without ketchup or with extra pickles just so they don't get "one of those burgers that are already made". None of the burgers are already made, okay? You're wasting your time with the special requests. Unless you truly want no ketchup.
- McDonald's french fries are not vegan or vegetarian. They contain natural beef flavor. Seriously. Look it up on the official McDonald's website.
- Your food isn't extra sanitary just because the grill workers wear gloves. Those same employees take out trash and even go to the bathroom without removing their gloves. I've also seen them scratch a few special places on their body while wearing gloves.
- McRibs aren't always McRibs. McRibs take forever to cook, and orders have to be filled quickly (more on that later). In a pinch, employees throw hamburger patties in the McRib container and drench them with sauce. I never saw a customer return one, so I guess nobody notices.
- Everybody wants to know what's in the Big Mac sauce. It's basically just thousand island dressing, pickles, and onions.
- Never order breakfast at 10:29a.m. unless you want them to dig your food out of the waste trays. At the end of breakfast (and throughout the morning), all of the extra food is thrown in a special trash can that is used only for expired products. A crew person or manager counts the waste at the end of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unless they're shorthanded. Then they count it at the end of the day or just make up numbers.
- Never say, "and you idiots better not mess it up this time like you always do" after placing your order. Just trust me on this one.
- It takes 38 seconds to cook one hamburger patty, and you can cook 8 or 9 at a time.
- Each order must be assembled in a certain amount of time. I know that the entire order-taking process for drive thru orders, from start to finish, is 90 seconds or less. I can't remember how long the grill team has to make each order, but I think it's around 25-35 seconds. I'll doublecheck with some friends who still work at McDonald's and update this article soon.
Would you ever spit in somebody's food?
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McDonald's Secrets About Customer Service - And A Few Crazy Things Customers Do
The customer isn't always right, especially at McDonald's.
- If you scream at us, we will make fun of you as soon as you leave. The minute you raise your voice or call us names, we stop caring about your experience.
- McDonald's managers can call the police on unruly customers. Avoid screaming, refusing to leave, or throwing things. You can get kicked out- and arrested. Would you like fries with your handcuffs?
- 9 times out of 10, it's YOUR fault the order is wrong. You can watch the security cameras if you think I'm joking. It's not the cashier's fault that you didn't know a Big Mac came with pickles. It's not the girl in the Drive Thru's problem that you were too busy yapping on your cell phone to pay attention when she repeated your order. What sucks is that even though they know you were the person who screwed up your own order, the employees still have to stand there and apologize while you rant and rave about how stupid they are.
- One night, a woman jumped out of her car, bashed the windshield in of the car behind her, and jumped back in her car like nothing had even happened. When the police came, they arrested her and her boyfriend -turns out he had a warrant out.
- I once had a man throw a milkshake at me because his order was wrong. I didn't even make his order. I was the cashier.
- A man was stabbed in our parking lot by another customer. They both went to jail.
- Do you have any idea how many drunk customers break the Drive Thru window by beating on it? Ugh.
- We can't open the window or doors after we close - it's a safety precaution. It doesn't matter how badly you have to go to the bathroom or want a medium Coke. We're closed. Get over it. Come back tomorrow.
- McDonald's is not Applebee's, Friday's, Chevy's or any other restaurant of that nature. Unless you're going to leave a tip on the table, pick your tray up and throw your trash away. The same people who say, "Well, that's what the employees get paid to do" are the same people who can't understand why nobody is at the counter, ready to take their order. It's because they're all busy cleaning the dining room so slobs like you can eat at a clean table.
- We don't care what you think about us. Save your lectures for somebody else. We don't care what you have to say about our pregnancy, educational background, piercings, or lack of religious beliefs. Oh, and when you try to make fun of us and accuse us of being on welfare, you just look like an idiot. If we were on welfare, we wouldn't be sweating to death, serving ungrateful brats like you.
- Not all customers are bad. Some of the regulars bring Christmas cards, cookies, photos of their kids, and anything else they think we'll like. You are awesome, and your kind acts do not go unnoticed.
Have you ever brought gifts or cards to the employees at a restaurant?
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McDonald's Secrets About Employees
How many people work at McDonald's? Last time I checked, approximately 1 in 8 people have worked, or currently work, at McDonald's. That's a lot - more than one billion, to be exact.
McDonald's employees are an interesting bunch. It takes a special personality to handle a fast food job - which is why the turnover rate is incredibly high. Not only are the customers stressful, dealing with your coworkers and managers is an experience unlike any other.
- Many of the employees are on probation or fresh out of prison. Ankle bracelets and monitors are not uncommon. These people are usually very nice and better employees than some of their coworkers, though, so don't be scared.
- The last McDonald's I worked at hired a known sexual offender.
- Labor laws...what are those? Oh, the things that guarantee 14 year olds get a break and don't work in the grill. Yeah, half of the managers totally ignore those.
- Nobody gets breaks, unless you're underage and the manager cares about the law. You're lucky if you get 2 minutes to cram some food down your throat.
- Benefits? Ha.
- Sexual harassment is worse at McDonald's than any other job I've ever had. Reporting it is usually pointless, since the main managers tend to be the ones hitting on underage girls and "accidentally" brushing up against them.
- Most crew members and managers are sleeping with somebody at the store. Even if they're already in a relationship.
- Employees have sex at the store. I know some of them have done it on the dining room tables, in the grill, in the stockroom, and in the play area at closing time. Oh, and let's not forget about the bathroom.
- Most employees smoke weed. Any employee who begs to take out the trash or stock the freezer is probably going to get high.
- Many employees also use other drugs...on the clock. I'll never forget the time I walked in the bathroom and saw several lines of coke neatly lined up on the sink. A lot of employees also roll (use Ecstasy) on the clock.
- Many of the managers have college degrees, so don't assume you're smarter than them.
- Managers don't always verify your documents or Social Security Card. We had several illegal immigrants working at one of my stores. They were the best employees there, so it's not like anybody was going to say anything about it.
- My interview process was extremely easy: I showed up, and they asked when I wanted to start. I'm not joking.
- Many employees show up drunk. When I was 17 or 18, my manager used to buy us all alcohol each day. Whether you drank it before, after, or during your shift was your own choice.
- Theft is common, and it usually occurs by the managers. One guy stole $35,000 and went on a drug binge before they caught him.
- Years later, I'm still friends with many of my former coworkers. You develop some incredible friendships when you work in a crazy, drama-filled fast food restaurant.
What's the worst thing you've ever done at your job?
See results without votingThere Are Thousands of Other McDonald's Secrets...
McDonald's has more secrets than you could ever possibly imagine - enough to fill 10 or 20 articles, maybe more.
If you like this article, let me know - I'll be happy to create another article and reveal more secrets about America's favorite fast food restaurant.
Oh, and if I forgot anything, feel free to share your own secrets in the Comments section below.
Additional McDonald's Articles You May Enjoy
- Everything You Want to Know About Being a McDonald's Manager
It's not easy to be a McDonald's manager. Find out if a career in fast food is right for you.
Other Popular Articles From This Author
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Are you sick of hearing people make fun of food stamp recipients? Why do people hate folks on food stamps so much? What's up with the stigma of being on food stamps? - I Found Mold in My Son's Baby Food: Is Baby Food Safe?
How safe is baby food? Would you be surprised to know that this author found mold in her son's jar of baby food - and the company didn't even care?
Do you have something to say about this article? Go for it.
This is really awesome. I work at KFC/Taco Bell, you should read my article! Honestly though, I haven't, and nobody I've ever worked with has ever spit in anyone's food. I still find that really really disgusting, even if it's the customer from hell.
I'm so glad I gave up on McDonald's years ago. Just all the grease disgusted me. This was a great Hub and would love to hear more about your experiences. Thanks!
This is one of the best hubs I've read since I've been using Hubpages. I only worked at McDonald's for a short time, but I've also worked at numerous other customer service positions. Everything in this is so true! Voted up, interesting, and awesome!
I use to be in the restaurant business and I heard stuff like this went on, though I never witnessed it. Though I could never spit in someone's food, no matter how rude they are, I do know it's done.
I make sure I am always courteous as a customer :)
Great hub!
As a high school student worker at McDonalds we used to drop bugs in the french fry deep fryer. They would pop and look like little bitty crusty fries so we would scoop them up and serve them. No one ever brought them back.
One guy ordered a fish sandwich with catsup. It takes 4 minutes to cook a fish and we didn't like that so we loaded it up with so much catsup the sandwich had to be wrapped in 3 wrappers. The guy ate it and wanted another one just like it!
Remember never mess with anyone that cooks or serves your food.
Thank you for all of the comments, guys. I'll respond in order:
Kriti- Yes, I would take my daughter to McD's...but I only take her to certain ones. I still have a few friends that work at McDonald's, and generally feel safe eating there. However, we're kind of organic health nuts anyway, so we don't eat fast food very often. She probably gets a Happy Meal once every few months.
Perfumen - I'll definitely check your article out, too. Sounds like you have a lot of self-control - more than most fast food workers. :)
ColmbnQn - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, and I'm definitely planning on publishing another one before the end of August.
Jeannie - Thank you! That really means a lot. I've checked your stuff out before, and you have some awesome hubs.
Teri - It's always good to behave when you're a customer! I'm glad you understand the importance of being courteous.
Hiccupp - This totally made me crack up, because people used to throw Happy Meal toys in the fryers. I'll admit that I had a weird obsession with hiding them in the tea containers...not sure what my deal was back then lol. I just liked to leave them as a little surprise for whoever had to close dishes that night. Oh, and the fish thing - that brought back a few fond memories as well. I'll save that for the next McDonald's article, though. :)
I worked at McDs here in Canada eons ago when I was 15 for my first job. While I was only there for a few short months before I quit(sexually harassed by manager), I did move on to go to donut shops and a few other small restaurants where they all had their own set of secrets(I worked as a prep cook at one restaurant and helped out one of the waitresses one day when I was 17 or 18. Some cops came in and asked me to serve them alcohol even though I was under age. The manager on duty said it was ok because they wouldn't tell on me. Then the boss came in and fired me!)
I am always nice to the workers when I go to McDs or any other place now, I have heard a lot of similar stories and would die if I had spit in my food or worse.
awesome hub I knew that the food spitting thing did happen but all the other things you mentioned would never even have crossed my mind.
Wow, loved this hub, also working at fast food, I;m glad to see more people gettign the word out there, some of those things even shocked me and I thought I had seen it all.
We mostly cook at home (we can afford to eat out) to avoid the scary parts of eating out. Maybe that's also the reason we have sex only with each other. Yes, it's a little less exciting. But a whole lot safer.
I worked at a McDonalds once back in the early 90's. I worked day shift where most of the crew were 30 +, many middle aged. We had a wonderful owner but the store manager was not a nice person. Our practices on the dayshift were sanitary, we were respectful to mean customers and did not seek revenge, and we gave quality product. We worked like a well oiled machine, great team work with high efficiency. But the night shift and weekend shifts with all the young kids was another story.
Many of the things you tell here are universal in food service. Personal inappropritate relationships, unsanitary practices, rude customers, etc. In fact most every business has inappropriate stuff going on.
I would caution you about writing articles like this. I have been tempted to do so myself, but future employers or current employers who might find this article may not be too happy that you are so willing to bad mouth former employers when they could be next in line.
On the other hand, if there are some really heinous things going on in McDonalds that the public really needs to know, then people need to know. Thanks
ebookshack - Sorry to hear about the harassment and the termination - sounds like you really got the bad end of the stick. :(
DRobinson - Thank you! Yeah, it's crazy what goes on at McD's.
Jennuhlee - Thank you! By the way, you are very pretty and I love your hair.
Nooyawka - Sex with the same partner is only less exciting if you let it become that way. :P
Lambservant - Thank you for your comment. To be honest, I could care less if future or current employers find this article. In fact, I shared it on my website, http://howmuchdoesafreelancewritermake.com/ - a site which many of my employers know about.
I'm a freelance writer, and I only work for clients who value honesty. I refuse to hide things just to make someone happy. I've found that life is much better now that I refuse to compromise my values or keep secrets that shouldn't be kept.
Things were worse on the night shift and weekends at my stores as well, but that's only because so many people were unavailable to work those shifts. Do you know how many nights I closed the store alone or with one other crew member? Probably at least 100. After 7pm each night, it wasn't uncommon to only have 1 or 2 employees left - even though we were doing hours (earnings-wise) that rivaled the day shift. Our owner paid less than the other McDonald's in the area and offered no benefits, so nobody wanted to work at our store. I only stayed for as long as I did because I was stupid and insanely loyal back then.
Very interesting. I worked at McD's for 6 years as a teen/early college student. I see some of this as true, some not, in our store. Truth is I learned a lot at McD's. I still love a Big Mac, Filet o' Fish, or soft serve cone from time to time, regardless of anything else! thanks for the post--nice to reminiscence.
@sunnyglitter Thanx for the sex advice. Except you didn't notice my tongue in my cheek when I wrote my post. I have zero zip nada no nein nyet problem in the sack with the Love of My Life, so the issue of blissful coexistence with her and only her seems delightful to me thank you. And that goes with or without fries.
Victoria - You're welcome. It's always fun to reminisce. :)
Nooyawka - I noticed - I was just teasing you back. :) The internet can be tricky at times - it's hard to read other people.
Maybe some of this stuff is just a McDonald's thing- I worked at various restaurants of various sizes for about seven years and never saw anything like this at all. I was actually told that I was "unprofessional" and "on the edge of termination" at a restaurant once because I sang softly to myself while getting a food order. Every restaurant I've worked for, and there were at least four that I can think of, were strict as hell, even at night. At Burger King, there was always a manager there and I can't see any way anyone could have spit on anything.
Beaks- My sister went from McDonald's to Burger King, and said things were very different there.
Hi,
Since you have acquaintances there, you feel safe... what abt us?? lols
the article really gives me creeps. And ya !! I feel very happy that I have always been polite when placing orders at MacD
Very interesting indeed and I vote up/useful/interesting.
Take care
Eiddwen.
This. Is. Awesome. And fascinating. Thanks for sharing your behind-the-scenes secrets!
Honestly, none of that surprised me. I will still eat at McDonalds because the fries rock. You don't have any friends who work at Chic-Fil-A do you? In my fast food experiences, they seem to have the absolute best customer service and professionalism in the industry.
This was a very informative hub, I'm sure McDonald's will thank you:)
I really didn't realize by ordering just fries when my friends want McDonalds I was still eating animal byproduct - damn. Thankfully I've only had them once in the past five years. That was such an interesting - awesome - useful - and funny hub. Write more, I live for secrets - Voted Up!
Thank you, guys! And Cooldad, I don't have any friends at Chick-Fil-A, but I love that place. We just recently got one here, and they are the nicest people I've ever met! Whenever I thank them for my order, they always say, "My pleasure". I love it!
This confirmed my worse fears..aren't you concerned about a lawsuit?
I used to be upset that no McDonalds would hire me when I was unemployed....now, I guess I am glad.
A lawsuit? No, I wasn't at work doing drugs or anything too crazy, and I quit a couple of years ago...so why would they sue me? Besides, I have no car and live in a crappy apartment - what would they get even if they tried? LOL
Horror stories are a given when working any job the deals with the general public. Spent quite a few years in food service myself, mainly Pizza Hut. And many more years in retail. WhileI could still the last few years I always tried getting on at a mom and pop outfit. Don't make as much money but they appreciate a good employee a lot more and never run on the idea the customer is always. Working for mom and pop stores I was able to respond to customers in ways that would have easily got me fired in a chain or corproate store.
My favorite memory was dealing with a slobbering drunk. He was refusing to leave then started verbally assaulting me. I grabbed him and yanked him half way across the coutner. Told him had about 30 seconds to leave the store on his own or I would drag him out. My co-worker stopped and sent me into the back. I was mad and got stupid and punched a wall, breaking a bone in my hand. When I told the boss what happenedf he advised me the next time I was dealing with a drunk to punch the drunk instead.
LOL KC, your story made me giggle. I love it! Thanks for sharing!
This sure does not say much for you as a manager to let stuff happen that you see going on. You must really be proud of yourself to let it happen. And for your information they can be shutdown.
I wasn't the main manager, vietnamvet. Most of the stuff I mentioned was done by my bosses, and I reported stuff all the time. Nothing happened, though- and then I was on the bad list for snitching. After awhile, you stop caring. I'm sure you've had at least one job where things happened that shouldn't have. This behavior is not exclusive to McDonald's.
You can tell who has not worked at any restaurant by the comments they make. I have worked in food and beverage in casinos and things go on there as well.
Maybe it is better for some to continue to live in ignorant bliss than to wonder what happened to their food? lol
One tip: never send your food back because it wasn't cooked right. lol
Very interesting article!! Ever thought about writing a book?
Hiccup - I agree with never sending your food back lol.
Mbrownauthor - Thank you. I have, actually, but have no clue how to get started. I've started researching publishing options - not just for this topic, but others that I enjoy discussing - but haven't found one that feels right for me just yet. I've got notebooks filled with ideas...
I have also reported things over the years to the “authorities”. Never got any kind of rational response. Had a boss that would have the night crew put any deli food left over in the cooler and he would keep doing that until everything sold. Sometimes a few corndogs could be put back in five or six days. He “repaired a condiment tray with steel screws. The condensation from the ice caused the screws to rust and that dripped into the condiments. When too much had dripped that it stained the condiment he would just mix it in with the spoon. He had a fly strip right over food prep areas. He allowed people to buy beer and cigarettes on food stamps. We had gas pumps and he would set the pumps to charge a penny or two more than the advertised price.
I called on all these violations and every time the rep of the office I called said they this was not a priority and that eventually people would catch on and quit shopping there. Then a couple suggested if I didn’t like it to get another job.
I have reported people trying to scam with food stamps. Again it was not a priority. Yet when a food stamp recipient called in a complaint, no matter how outrageous, they had an investigator at the store in a heart beat.
I worked for a chains store once. Was supposed to get paid every Monday. I worked five weeks without a paycheck. Went to the labor board and again not a priority and maybe I should talk to a lawyer about suing. Darn it all I did not have a loose 10 grand laying around to retain an attorney with.
Most of these safety organization in the federal government like the labor board, and health department are sham. Had one health inspector come into a little store I spent four years at. He would write up a list of violations, yet never could show actual statutes that were being violated. He would threaten the boss with closing the store if these violations were not fixed in a week. They never fixed anything, and he never came back to check up. Then six months later he would make up a list of more violations, not saying anything about the last list which had been ignored, make the same threats, and not come back for another six months and it would start all over again.
Oh my goodness KC, we had similar problems with the health inspector. I was just telling my bf how the health inspector was friends with the owner of the store, so we passed with flying colors every single time...despite the fact that we had MICE RUNNING THROUGH OUR LOBBY when he was there and mold in our ice machine. I think a lot of people fail to realize that reporting things is really just a joke, because most business owners network with other important people who can get them out of any bind.
I used to work for a doctor who got high in the bathroom every morning. Guess who he was all buddy buddy with? All the lawyers in town. Convenient, eh?
This hub is INDEED eye opening and shocking. Thank you SO MUCH for letting us know this info!!
I worked at McDonalds when I was in high school...good times!! lol...a majority of what u said I did witness at the location I worked!!
Just got done reading this....net thing you know my boyfriend said " hey when I come home want to go out for dinner?" I said no thank you I already have dinner goig....
Interesting....I'm happy to say I'm one of the friendly customers who know better then to make a special request and hardly eat fast food. I hope some franchise owners read this and learn a lesson or two or TEN! Fantastic hub!!
What a very interesting post! This was a real eye opener about what really goes on at McDonalds.
kriti dugar 9 months ago
A real eye opener !!
I am now at a loss whether I would eat at MacD.. lols !
Can you tell me one thing frankly... Plz an honest answer- If u do not feel it is appropriate to reply here, kindly send me a pvt msg -
WILL YOU TAKE YOUR KID TO MAC DONALDS ??
awaiting ur reply.
My head is spinning with more questions. Will ask in due course.
Thanks