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 the items 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 U.S. — 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 their 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.)
McDonald’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 same salads, the caveat 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 tea options in Australia are quite different to the US, but the advice still holds: If you want a healthier option, go for a sugar-free soft drink (or better yet, water.)
Limited-edition menu items
Curiously, many of the McDonald’s staff that Business Insider spoke to weren’t fans of the company’s limited-edition dishes.
Speaking of the McRib sandwich a few years back, one staff member said:
“The way it looks before we put the sauce on it is absolutely revolting.
“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.
Lead image credit: iStock/Canva
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