There’s no doubt in our mind that McDonald’s employees are more familiar with the company’s food than anyone else. After all, they spend all day cooking and handling the food we order and as a result have a pretty good idea of which menu items are great and which ones are best avoided. There are four things McDonald’s employees will happily serve you, but they would never eat it themselves.
Our friends at Business Insider quizzed several McDonald’s US staff members (both former and current) to find out which menu items they personally avoided. Most of their preferences came down to personal taste, although nutrition also played a part.
While the survey was conducted in the US — and was entirely subjective — it’s still interesting to see which products Macca’s staff aren’t crazy about. Here are four examples that your local fry jockey probably won’t be scoffing on her lunch break:
Fillet-O-Fish
Fish often raises alarm bells in restaurants, but the main reason for this product’s unpopularity is actually generational: It just isn’t ‘cool’ enough for Macca’s younger staff.
One former crew member said they viewed the filet-o-fish as a meal popular with older customers. “I assume it’s easy for them to chew,” they added. Nobody in Business Insider‘s survey was a fan of the Fillet-O-Fish. (Life hack: they taste much better if you eschew the tartar sauce and add Nando’s Peri Peri instead.)
The Most Revealing Responses From McDonald's 'Our Food Your Questions' Campaign
For the past few years, McDonald's Australia has been inviting customers to grill the company about its products on the Our Food Your Questions website. No question is off-limits, including whether Quarter Pounders have shrunk in size (they have) and whether McMuffins use free-range eggs (they don't). While this was obviously a PR stunt designed to engage customers and their wallets, the amount of transparency still surprised us. Here are 15 of the most revealing -- and weirdest -- responses from the campaign so far.
Read moreMcDonald’s Salads
Some McDonald’s staff members said they steer clear of the chain’s salad options due to the drab taste and “astronomical” calories. While McDonald’s Australia does not sell the exact same salads, the caveat definitely still applies: Adding crispy chicken and/or noodles to your salad ramps up the kilojoule count considerably – and that’s before you add any dressing.
Sugary drinks
One McDonald’s employee said the chain’s sweet tea was too sugary for their taste. Again, the sweet tea options in Australia are quite different to the US, but the advice still holds: If you care about your waistline, go for a sugar-free soft drink (or better yet, water.) Adding a scoop of ice cream to your frozen Coke is an indulgence you don’t need.
Limited-edition menu items
Curiously, many of the McDonald’s staff that Business Insider spoke to weren’t fans of the company’s fabled limited-edition McRib sandwich.
“The way it looks before we put the sauce on it is absolutely revolting,” one former crew member said. “It doesn’t look like meat at all, it looks like a scab.”
We’d argue that its faddish, overrated nature applies to many of McDonald’s limited-edition items. If it’s not on the regular menu, maybe it’s not that great, eh?
[Via Business Insider]
This story has been updated since its original publication.
#BringBackTheMcRib
End of the year, not long
There is nothing on their menu that looks appetising.
Get hammered, and go to a Maccas at 2am, and reassess their menu. You may find your inner food critic is more welcoming under such conditions.
“recently quizzed SEVERAL McDonald’s US staff members”.
How many was it really? 3 or 5?
On the other hand, I hear the McSad children’s meal is quite the hit. Packed with McMildrew chips, a macdump burger, flat cola and dead puppy toy.
A filet-o-fish and double cheesburger washed down with a strawberry thickshake, breakfast of kings.
No way!
Just send it completely and get a large quarter pounder meal with a chocolate shake.
Quiet news day? Why is this even showing as a November article?
My experience with “fast food” over the last few years has been:
– it’s not fast
– it’s not convenient (mainly because it’s no longer fast)
– it’s not cheap
– it’s unreliable (if you order more than three items)
– it’s of variable quality (fries in particular, depending on how busy they are the cooking times don’t seem to be consistent)
It doesn’t have anything going for it anymore. It’s lost it’s core value propositions because it’s trying to cater to too many options.
Completely!
You have to provide 2 of the triangle (Cost, Speed and Quality). At this point they struggle to provide any!
Best option, in my opinion, is don’t eat any McCrap at all, simple.
This article is absurd. Filet o’Fish “not cool”? Pathetic.
This article is re-used from previous postings. I have seen this at least 3 times now. Lazy!
This is ridiculously false. To the point where several people i worked with would ONLY get some of the items listed, especially the filet and the salad. People got the seasonal and specialty items constantly, and the amount of crew that rang in a coke or a frappe for themselves was a daily double dozen.