Ever wonder what the people making your fast food actually think about the menu? McDonald’s workers spend hours every day around those fryers, grills, and warming stations. They see exactly how everything gets made, how long it sits there, and which items nobody ever orders. Turns out, there are quite a few things they’d never touch themselves. Some items sit around way too long, others have cleaning issues with the machines, and a few just smell so bad that employees can’t stand them. Here’s what McDonald’s workers are saying about the menu items they avoid.
The McRib gets seriously gross behind the scenes
McDonald’s brings back the McRib every year like it’s some kind of special treat, but workers absolutely hate it. One employee described seeing those weird-looking pork patties sitting in old barbecue sauce for hours without anyone cleaning or changing it. The sauce apparently gets everywhere too, like it has a mind of its own. Workers say it sticks to trays so badly that they have to run them through the dishwasher multiple times just to get it off. Some employees mentioned the smell is so strong and unpleasant that it’s turned them off barbecue sauce completely.
The whole thing becomes a nightmare when the McRib is available because that sauce spreads around the kitchen like crazy. Multiple workers on Reddit said they actually feel bad having to serve it to customers because they know what goes on behind the scenes. The patties themselves don’t look appetizing before they’re covered in sauce, and watching them sit there all day doesn’t make anyone want to eat one. When your own employees won’t touch something and actively complain about making it, that’s probably a sign to skip it on your next visit.
Filet-O-Fish sandwiches sit around way too long
Here’s the problem with ordering a Filet-O-Fish: basically nobody else orders them. McDonald’s employees keep saying the same thing over and over about this sandwich. It sits in the warming cabinet way past when it should be thrown out because so few people actually buy it. One worker explained it’s not that the fish itself is bad quality, but it just sits there getting dried out and nasty while waiting for someone to order it. Think about how long that could be during slow periods. Your fish sandwich might have been sitting there for hours.
Even if you think you’re being smart by asking for a fresh one, workers say they’ve got that figured out too. They’ll just toss the old patty back in the fryer for a few seconds to warm it up and make it seem fresh. So you’re still getting that same old fish that’s been hanging around. Some employees also mentioned that the sandwich seems smaller than it used to be, even though McDonald’s says they haven’t changed it. Between the long wait times and the sneaky reheating tricks, this sandwich just isn’t worth ordering.
Soda machines hide some disgusting secrets
You probably don’t think twice about ordering a Coke or Sprite with your meal, but maybe you should. Workers at various fast food places, including McDonald’s, have some pretty gross stories about what happens inside those soda machines. The lines, guns, and dispensers are supposed to be cleaned regularly, but that doesn’t always happen. One bartender who also worked with soda machines said they’ve seen what they called “soda gun snakes” – basically tube-shaped growths that look absolutely horrifying. They think it comes from sugar, yeast, moisture, and nobody bothering to clean it properly.
The problem gets even worse at pizza places where there’s active yeast floating around in the air, which can get into the machines. Some employees said they only clean the machines when they remember to or when someone actually trained them how to do it. Other workers admitted they had no idea the machines needed special cleaning until someone finally showed them. Those slushie machines for frozen drinks are even harder to clean, and workers say they often get neglected because they’re so complicated to take apart and put back together.
The folded eggs aren’t actually fresh
Not all eggs at McDonald’s are created equal, and the workers know exactly which ones to avoid. A former corporate chef explained that the round eggs you get on the McMuffin are the best option because they come from actual fresh-cracked eggs. Someone in the kitchen literally cracks a real egg and cooks it right there. But those folded eggs you see on biscuits and bagel sandwiches? Those are a completely different story. They arrive at the restaurant as frozen, fully cooked egg squares that just get heated up before landing on your sandwich.
The scrambled eggs used in the Big Breakfast aren’t great either because they come from liquid eggs rather than fresh ones. So if you’re going to order breakfast at McDonald’s, stick with anything that has the round egg on it. The McMuffin is your best bet for getting something that was actually prepared from a real egg instead of reconstituted from frozen or liquid form. It’s kind of weird that the same restaurant uses three completely different types of eggs, but now you know which one is worth your money.
Sweet tea has an insane amount of sugar
McDonald’s really doesn’t mess around when they say “sweet tea.” According to workers who’ve made it, the recipe is pretty shocking. They start with five gallons of water, throw in an industrial-sized tea bag, then add a full four-pound bag of sugar and a gallon of ice. Yes, you read that right – four entire pounds of sugar for one batch. When you actually break down the numbers, a small cup of sweet tea ends up having 40 grams of sugar in it. That’s more sugar than a lot of sodas have.
At that point, you might as well just order a regular Coke because you’re getting about the same amount of sugar anyway. The sweet tea really lives up to its name, maybe a little too well. Some people love super sweet tea, but it’s worth knowing just how much sugar you’re actually drinking. If you’re trying to cut back on sugar at all, this is definitely one to skip. The amount they use seems excessive even by Southern sweet tea standards.
Ice cream machines break down at the worst times
Everyone jokes about McDonald’s ice cream machines always being broken, and there’s actually a website called McBroken where you can check which locations near you have working machines. But why does this happen so much? A former corporate chef explained that the machines are actually really complicated pieces of equipment that need to be taken apart and deep cleaned regularly. The problem is that only certain employees get trained on how to do this, and the cleaning process takes a long time.
Sometimes the machine needs to be cleaned right during busy hours when everyone wants a McFlurry or milkshake. So the machine isn’t technically broken – it’s just being cleaned or waiting for someone who knows how to clean it to come in for their shift. The ice cream machines are actually more sanitary than you might think because of all this required maintenance. It’s annoying when you can’t get your dessert, but at least you know the machine gets properly cleaned instead of just running continuously without maintenance like some restaurant equipment does.
Subway chicken strips smell absolutely horrible
This one comes from Subway rather than McDonald’s, but it’s too gross not to mention. A worker in New Zealand said their location was super strict about food safety and cleanliness, but they still wouldn’t eat the plain chicken strips. Why? Because the moment you open the bag, it hits you with a smell like a fart that’s been vacuum-sealed for freshness. Those are their exact words, and now you’ll never forget it either. It’s apparently not just one bad batch or one location – other employees chimed in saying their managers warned them about the smell on their first day.
The managers actually told new workers that yes, the chicken smells terrible, but it’s supposedly normal and safe to eat. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence though. If the people making your food are being warned ahead of time about how bad something smells, and they’re told it’s normal, maybe that item shouldn’t be on the menu at all. When multiple workers across different locations all mention the same disgusting smell, it’s probably best to order something else.
Those famous fries aren’t actually vegetarian
You’d think french fries would be vegetarian by default since they’re just potatoes, oil, and salt, right? Wrong. McDonald’s fries in the United States actually contain natural beef flavoring and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients. So if you’re vegetarian or vegan and you’ve been ordering these thinking they’re safe, they’re not. The beef flavoring is added to give the fries that distinctive McDonald’s taste that people recognize. It’s pretty sneaky because most people assume fried potatoes would automatically be plant-based.
This is specific to U.S. locations though – McDonald’s fries in other countries might have different ingredients. But if you’re in America and avoiding meat products, you need to skip the fries entirely. The milk ingredient also makes them not suitable for people with dairy allergies. It’s weird that such a simple-seeming menu item has hidden animal products in it, but that’s why it’s always worth checking ingredient lists even for things that seem obviously vegetarian. Those fries taste so good partly because of ingredients you probably didn’t know were in there.
Milkshake duty is absolutely miserable for workers
Steak ‘n Shake is known for hand-dipped milkshakes made with strict guidelines, which sounds great until you hear what workers have to say about making them. The ice cream base is so hard to scoop that it’s basically back-breaking work. Employees say it’s almost impossible to scoop out, and they only have two to three minutes to get each shake made. When you’ve got a line of shake orders backing up and you’re already short-staffed, cleanliness becomes the last thing anyone’s thinking about.
One worker explained that literally nobody wants to be assigned to milkshake duty because it’s such hard physical work and the time pressure is intense. When employees are rushing that badly to keep up with orders, corners get cut. The equipment might not get cleaned as well as it should, or proper procedures get skipped to save time. Hand-dipped shakes sound premium and fancy, but behind the scenes it’s creating a situation where workers are too rushed and stressed to maintain the quality standards they’re supposed to follow.
Working at fast food restaurants is harder than most people realize, and employees see things that customers never think about. When workers themselves won’t eat certain menu items, that’s valuable information worth paying attention to. Whether it’s food sitting around too long, machines that don’t get cleaned properly, or ingredients that aren’t what you’d expect, knowing these inside details helps you make better choices. Next time you’re at McDonald’s or any fast food place, maybe think twice before ordering that Filet-O-Fish or McRib.
