An ex McDonald's worker has lifted the lid on what goes on the other side of the counter inside the well known fast food chain.
Emily Johnson spent two years as a member of staff there and said there are a lot of common misconceptions about what goes on there, reports BirminghamLive.
Now a HullLive reporter, she lays to rest queries and urban myths about the infamous milkshake machine and rumours of secret menu items that often do the rounds on social media.
Read more: The food hygiene ratings for every McDonald’s in the North East
Here are Emily's replies to the most asked questions about McDonald's.
Is the milkshake machine really not working?
It has become a running joke over the years that the McDonald's milkshake machine is never working - but is this actually true?
There wasn't a single answer to this question, however the following reasons are mostly to blame:
* Someone forgot to put the cleaning cycle on at the right time so it automatically starts itself
* Someone putting McFlurry mix in the milkshake section or vice versa as they both look the same
* During Covid no supplies were delivered to UK stores
* And it is just more annoying and time consuming to make them. Drive thru's are on a timer to get the food out asap, so in come cases it is just easier to say it is broken!
Emily has said there isn't actually a secret menu - but there are a couple of unusual requests that aren't on the menu. Sometimes customers will ask for a pot of pickles and depending on who is serving they may be refused or given the item for 99p. Or if they're lucky some give them out for free.
And although there is no 'secret menu', she recommends a hack that will get customers a Big Mac for half the price. All people need to do is ask for a double cheeseburger dressed as a Big Mac, all the additions are free and it is the same amount of meat.
Do you get to eat the leftover breakfast items after 11am?
No. After 11am all of the breakfast leftovers are thrown away. To avoid too much waste, employees try their best to accurately cook what they think they will need in the morning.
What is the worst thing to order on the menu?
Emily says that the Filet O'Fish is the worst order to get in. She states that as it is not a popular item, they often do not have them ready to go, so it takes much longer to get them out to customers. As the fish needs to be fried from frozen and the buns need to be steamed, putting out a fresh Filet O'Fish holds up the queue.
Is there a three-second rule?
No. As any food service, cleanliness is important, any food that is dropped or touched accidentally is thrown away.
Why is service much faster at the drive-thru?
The answer to this question is that the drive-thru is on a timer that measures the time from the moment the car pulls up, until the moment they get their food. There is a leader board up in the store that compares the times of restaurants all over the UK, so employees tend to care more about drive-thru service to stay on top of the boards!
Best and worst customers?
Unsurprisingly, the best customers are ones who know exactly what they want and are polite. The worst ones for the former employee were customers who record themselves at the drive-thru doing silly voices - there is a camera on the intercom that they watch you from!
Do staff get free food?
Yes, staff get free food on their lunch breaks - however they aren't allowed to use the straws for their drink to save money.
