This year, McDonald's is celebrating its 70th birthday—no small feat given that many other popular chain restaurants have met their demise in recent years. In fact, McD's seems to have veered in the complete opposite direction of some of its competitors. As of this year, McDonald's has the highest brand value of any restaurant in the world, clocking in at over 40 billion dollars. Okay!! We see you!
Today, the famous chain has over 40,000 restaurant locations worldwide, but just because it holds a prominent spot in our hearts (and stomachs), that doesn't mean we know all there is to know about the popular chain. In fact, there are plenty of secrets the chain has managed to keep under wraps over the decades it has been in business.
Luckily, a former corporate chef at McDonald's is spilling the sweet tea on some behind-the-scenes intel that McDonald's employees don't want customers to know. We gathered some primo information from chef Mike Haracz, whose cult following on TikTok has amassed him millions of followers.
So, what does the fast-food behemoth not want you to know? Well, let's find out.
1. The Best Eggs Are On The McMuffin
The round eggs on the McMuffin come from fresh-cracked eggs, Haracz informs us. “The round egg is the freshest, best quality from the consumer standpoint,” he says. Meanwhile, his least favorite is the folded egg, which is stocked as a frozen, fully cooked egg square and heated up before it's placed on the chain's biscuit and bagel sandwiches. McDonald’s also uses liquid eggs for its “Big Breakfast,” which is made of scrambled eggs served with a biscuit, hash browns, and sausage patty.
2. Some McDonald's Locations Sell Birthday Cakes
While not as common as they once were, birthday bashes still take place at McDonald’s Play Places—you know, if you can find a location that still has one. But even if you aren’t throwing a party at Micky D’s, you might be able to pick up a birthday cake featuring Ronald McDonald from the fast-food restaurant. Who knew?!
Some McDonald’s locations sell chocolate and vanilla birthday cakes. Owner-operators have a big list of approved items they can order for the restaurant, and some regions, where there are lots of kids, may stock up on the cakes, Haracz says. His pro tip: Check in with your local McDonald’s ahead of time to see if they carry cakes. Even if they don’t, they might order some so you can have one for your special occasion.
3. The Straws Are Likely What Makes McDonald’s Coke Taste So Good
If you swear McDonald’s Coke or Diet Coke is just better than anywhere else, you’re not imagining it. The fast-food chain says it follows the guidelines set forth by Coca-Cola, however, the water and syrup are pre-chilled before entering the fountain dispensers, with the ratio of syrup set to allow for ice melt. But the straws served with the soft drinks are wider than a typical straw, so your sip is “inherently more flavorful,” Haracz says.
4. The Truth About the Ice Cream Machines
McDonald’s catches a lot of flack for its ice cream machines. Time and again, the chain gets pummeled by people complaining that the machines are broken. (There’s even a site called McBroken to check ahead of time which ice cream machines near you are out of service). So what gives? The machine that churns out your McFlurries and milkshakes is a complicated piece of equipment that needs to be broken down and cleaned frequently, and only some employees are trained for the task, Haracz explains. Sometimes, that disassembly has to be done during prime hours. So even though your local machine might be out of order when you want your treat, at least you can rest assured it's being properly cleaned.
5. You Can Make McDonald's Burger Seasoning At Home
As it turns out, McDonald’s burger seasoning is super simple to make and doesn't involve anything fancy. It’s just salt and pepper! But to get it right, you’ll want to nail the 86-14 proportions, Haracz says. To be precise, get out a food scale and weigh out 8.6 grams of salt and 1.4 grams of cracked pepper before smothering it all over your burger.
6. A Popular Trader Joe’s Item Can Help Replicate McGriddles
There’s no true replica for the McDonald’s McGriddle, a popular breakfast sandwich with bacon, eggs, and processed cheddar cheese placed between two maple-flavored griddle cakes. But the closest you could get to a copycat recipe would be with the Dutch Griddle Cakes from Trader Joe's. Package instructions suggest putting them in a toaster oven, but if you love the McGriddle from McDonald's, just pop the griddle cakes in the microwave, Haracz suggests. You can also try DIY-ing at home with our McGriddle recipe. You're welcome.
7. McDonald's Sweet Tea Is Filled With A Ton Of Sugar
McDonald's really puts the "sweet" in "sweet tea." According to employees on Reddit, the chain makes its sweet tea by combining 5 gallons of water, an industrial-sized tea bag, a 4-pound bag of sugar, and a gallon of ice. For someone who's not a math major, I sprinted to the McDonald's website—that's a whopping 40 grams of sugar per small cup of tea. Might as well get a soda.
8. There’s No Ketchup In Big Mac Sauce
Ketchup may be a popular burger topping, but it’s nowhere to be found in the recipe for Big Mac sauce. Paprika is what gives the sauce its color, Haracz explains. The sauce is a blend of mayo, sweet pickle relish, Dusseldorf mustard, white wine vinegar, paprika, onion powder, granulated garlic, and white pepper, as Haracz reveals in a TikTok video.
9. McDonald’s Doesn’t Have A Secret Menu—But There Are Some Ordering Secrets
Micky D’s doesn’t have a secret menu, per se. That's because the restaurant wants to make sure it has an ingredient statement for everything that it sells, with all the nutritional information that comes with it. However, there are some ways to switch up your order, Haracz says, to create your own new menu item. Two of his favorite hacks are:
- Adding Big Mac sauce to the Filet-O-Fish and subbing the bun for an English muffin
- Subbing out the patties for bacon slices on the Big Mac and adding tomato to make a BLT sandwich
10. McDonald’s French Fries Aren’t Vegan
It's quite shocking to learn that a dish made solely out of potatoes is, in fact, not vegan, but if you take a look at McDonald’s ingredient list—at least in the United States—you’ll notice that the fries contain “natural beef flavor” and “hydrolyzed milk” as starting ingredients. So, best think twice before adding this "vegetarian" dish to your cart.
