Menu hacks and secret menus have become common, and in some cases not so secret.
What are the hacks? People share how to "beat" Chipotle (CMG) by ordering a certain way to get more food for less money; or how to order Starbucks (SBUX) drinks that baristas may not how to make.
And these efforts have caused some problems at those restaurants and coffee bars.
Those Chipotle workers know exactly what you're doing and they're not amused, but you're not really slowing anyone down. But when you order something off the menu at Starbucks, you may indeed be delaying the operation.
Some secret-menu drinks are well-known to baristas or even have been previously on the menu. Those drinks have established recipes and baristas can generally make them.
The issue arises when someone orders a secret-menu item that somebody on TikTok may order at his local store but your barista at your store does not know how to make. That could lead to your order being rejected or you getting a beverage you're not happy with.
To deal with this, some chains have taken steps to formalize their secret menus (which makes them much less secret) while others have tightened their ordering rules.
McDonald's (MCD) has landed somewhere in the middle. It has run promotions where certain secret-menu items appeared on the regular menu -- though you have to assemble them yourself.
Now, a McDonald's secret-menu item has become so popular that some locations will make it for you, while it's easy enough to order at the ones that don't.
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How to Order a McFloat (or Even a McRoot Beer Float)
The idea that floats aren't on the McDonald's menu seems a little off. The chain sells Coke and vanilla ice cream, which are the only two ingredients in a Coke Float. Some of the chain's stores also sell root beer, which should make selling a root-beer float easy enough.
For some reason, though, floats have never been a standard menu item for McDonald's. That means to order one, you need to use what's actually a simple menu hack.
To make a float you have a few options. First, you need your soda. Order a medium or large Coke or root beer with no ice. After that, you have a choice. You can order an ice cream cone -- that would be the cheapest option -- or an ice cream sundae with no toppings (which is just a bowl of ice cream).
If your order a cone, it's a little messier, while a sundae with no toppings makes it a little easier to control your ice cream-to-soda ratio without having to worry about melting/mess.
And be careful when you add the ice cream because the soda will foam up. Make sure you have created room in your cup.
It's a simple hack that still offers an affordable take on a beverage/dessert classic. In some cases, individual McDonald's locations have unofficially added the Coke Float to their menus, or at least they might make you one if you ask nicely.
More McDonald's Secret Menu Ideas
Much of the McDonald's secret menu involves ordering a few items that can be combined into something else. These are some of the most famous ones, which the chain has promoted at times.
- Surf + Turf: a sandwich with both the Filet-O-Fish and cheeseburger patties;
- Hash Brown McMuffin: an Egg McMuffin with the chain's hash brown in between the egg and sausage;
- Crunchy Double: chicken nuggets over a burger; and,
- Land, Air & Sea: a McChicken, a Big Mac, and a Filet-O-Fish stacked up.
The chain also embraced another dessert-menu hack as part of its Camp McDonald's promotion this past summer.
"[With] the weather heating up, we're dishing out deals on two menu hacks with peak summertime vibes -- an Apple Pie McFlurry and a McFlurry Sandwich -- which fans can build themselves," the company said.
A McFlurry Sandwich is created by taking the frozen treat and putting it between two chocolate chip cookies.
An Apple Pie McFlurry is a McDonald's Apple Pie blended into a McFlurry -- except the company won't do the blending. You have to do that yourself.
