Fast Food Workers Tell Us What We Should Never Order at Their Restaurant

When a Redditor posted the following question on Reddit, it brought about a deluge of responses, surprising even the person who posted it:

“Fast food workers of Reddit, what should we NOT order at your restaurant? Why not?”

The post quickly became viral and was picked up by several media outlets, including the Huffington Post and USA Today.

Although there’s no way to tell whether there’s actually any truth to any of it, here’s a sampling of what Redditors say you should definitely avoid at their fast-food restaurant:

The Starbucks “Secret Menu”

"Former starbucks worker here. Please don't order anything off the "Secret Menu". It doesn't exist.

If you want a snickerdoodle, nuttella, or captain crunch frappuchino (or whatever other overly sugery thing someone has since come out with), know the base drink and the modifications, and order that. If you just say the name, it's up to the barista to come up with what's in the drink, and it may not be what the last barista you ordered from put in there."

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} – Stac52

Ice and lemons (pretty much anywhere)

"I've worked at 4 restaurants in my life and lemons and ice are by far the most disgusting things you can get."

The pasta at Panera

"Panera- pasta; it's all microwaved, this includes Mac and cheese. Smoothies/frozen drinks- nasty base crap that smells and it's sticky. Cupcakes/coffee cakes- all come frozen. Best items are the real sandwhich/ salads. Real ingredients and usually fresh."

Milkshakes at Jack in the Box

"Milkshakes at jack in the box if you're allergic to fruit.
We do not clean the mixer very well, and it's used for smoothies and milkshakes. Like, we're TOLD to just half ass it. In the training video. It's -------- ridiculous."

Hotdogs at baseball park concession stands

"I used to work in a baseball park concession stand. The short answer is not to order anything, but if you absolutely have to buy something, don't buy the hotdogs.

Health

Health & Wellness Mar 27

Ozempic, Mounjaro negative impacts: Drug shortages and black market

Health & Wellness Nov 21, 2023

What to know as cold-flu-COVID season has arrived

Do not. Buy. The Hot Dogs."

Anything from the McCafe machine

"I work for Mcdonald's and make sure everyone that matters to me never orders anything that comes out of the "McCafe" machine as these are routinely neglected, in practically all the McDonalds. Not only are staff not properly trained in its cleaning and maintenance, at almost every McDonalds I've had experience with, the managers in charge of training them don't know ---- all either … A couple of times I stuck my hand in the machine to pull out a literal fist-full of black soot to show to the managers that it's not in proper condition, and nothing has come of it."

The Chipotle quesorito (because employees will hate you if you do)

"Every redditor who works at Chipotle has the same consensus; Don't order the quesorito.

I've never ordered it and it never seemed appealing to me to begin with, but apparently when customers order them, every employee in the restaurant hates you."

It’s not all bad news though.

"In-N-Out fans, if you were worried about your favorite fast food spot, fear not for here’s what a former In-N-Out employee had to say:

"As a former In-N-Out employee, I will vouch for their procedures and product 100%.

They don't cut corners, have their own QA inspection team, and nothing is ever frozen. It's seriously good quality for fast food."

Fast Food Workers Tell Us What We Should Never Order at Their Restaurant

By Riya Bhattacharjee • Published March 13, 2014 • Updated on March 13, 2014 at 2:26 pm

Health

Ozempic, Mounjaro negative impacts: Drug shortages and black market

What to know as cold-flu-COVID season has arrived

Follow Us