Have you ever felt like you suddenly really wanted to eat fast food because it makes you happy? It’s really convenient, and when you’re starving, it’s irresistible. Have you ever wondered what secrets are hidden behind it? Only the employees know what goes on inside.
As it turns out, food manufacturers know exactly what you should avoid. They keep a close eye on everything, from ice machine cleaning to the disposal of expired food.
Employees share these secrets online, where they can freely discuss them. Staff members reveal the items they avoid purchasing, and the reasons might surprise you. Now, let’s take a look at the items employees most frequently flag.
Let’s start with pizza fast food, with a special reminder to pay attention to Little Caesar’s Pizza. While their regular crust is made from fresh dough, the thin crust is different. Not all crusts are the same here, as it appears.
An online staff member stated that the thin crust is not made there. Instead, you receive a crust that has already been quickly prepared. The staff member informed us that these crusts are stored in open boxes for several weeks. This is clearly not the fresh dough you would expect.
There’s also the chain store Chick-fil-A; an employee shared some surprising news about their drinks. Although their food looks fresh, the prices of drinks from the vending machine are simply too high. Choosing drinks from the self-service vending machine is not the wisest spending choice.
The employee stated that, from an economic perspective, purchasing beverages at a gas station is more cost-effective. Their reasoning is that, compared to other locations, the value for money here is completely lacking. A large Coke has only half the volume of a large Coke at McDonald’s, yet it costs two dollars. To save on beverage expenses, it is advisable to choose the gas station convenience store.
Taco Bell is also a very popular Mexican restaurant, and there are some menu items that even the staff avoid, such as the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. One employee specifically mentioned to avoid this famous pizza. Although many customers love it, staff typically avoid fried foods.
The issue with this pizza and other fried foods is “storage time.” It is claimed that these foods can only be stored for 8 to 24 hours. Food should only be stored for a limited time, but employees indicate that the actual storage time may be longer.
What happens when fried foods are stored for too long? Employees state that the resulting food quality is poor. They lose their intended texture and flavor, potentially becoming unpalatable. This serves as a significant warning for these crispy foods.
Mexican Meat-zza: Mexican Deep-Dish Pan Pizza
Equipment
- 1 Large Oven-Safe Skillet 10-12 inch
- 1 Second Skillet For browning meat
- 2 Mixing Bowls One for batter, one for toppings if prepping ahead
- 1 Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 Spatula or wooden spoon For mixing batter and browning meat
Ingredients
Main
- 2 boxes corn muffin mix 8 1/2 ounces each (recommended: Jiffy)
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- Extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin or vegetable oil 2 turns of the pan
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons cayenne sauce
- Salt
- 2 1/2 cups 10-ounce sack from dairy aisle shredded Cheddar or jack cheese
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 small can 2 1/4 ounces sliced chillies or jalapenos, drained
- 2 scallions chopped
- 2 small vine ripe tomatoes seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons drained sliced green olives salad olives
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves optional garnish
- Mild to medium taco sauce to pass at table 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mix together 2 packages muffin mix with 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons melted butter (melt in microwave 30 seconds), 1 1/2 cups milk and frozen corn kernels. Wipe a nonstick skillet with a little extra or vegetable oil and pour in the muffin mix. Use a large skillet, 10 to 12 inch. Choose a pan with oven safe handle or, double-wrap handle with foil to protect it in the oven. Place pan in oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes in center of the oven until light golden in color.
- Brown the meat over medium high heat in a second skillet in extra or vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add onions and spices and cook meat 5 minutes more.
- Remove cornbread from oven and top with meat, cheese, and veggies. Add pan back to oven and cook 5 minutes more to melt cheese. Garnish with cilantro, optional. Cut into 8 wedges and serve the deep dish pan pizza from the skillet. Pass taco sauce at the table to sprinkle on top.
Notes
Has anyone been to Wingstop Wings (during the Super Bowl)? It seems like big events mean the fast food quality goes down. One employee mentioned that you should avoid going during the Wingstop Wings (during the Super Bowl) rush, okay? The wings are popular, but busy times lead to bad shortcuts.
An employee revealed that the boss requires 20 boxes of chicken wings to be pre-cooked the day before. The wings have been cooked all day before being served, which is a bit off-putting. This suggests that chicken wings should not be ordered during peak hours.
The cooked chicken wings look like dog toys, and employees say they smell terrible. The wings look like dog chew toys and smell awful. This photo explains why chicken wings should not be ordered during peak hours.
Buffalo Wings
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan with steamer basket
- 1 Kitchen Shears or Knife
- 1 Cooling Rack Set in a half sheet pan
- 1 Half sheet pan
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl For tossing wings in sauce
Ingredients
Main
- 12 whole chicken wings
- 3 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
- Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
- While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.
- Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.
Notes
At the popular chain restaurant McDonald’s, an employee said he avoids ordering the Filet O’Fish sandwich. However, this fish sandwich is always a favorite among many people. Based on his experience working in the kitchen, he pointed out that the quality of this sandwich is poor. The ice machine is also disgusting, which is a common complaint in the fast food industry.
The issue lies in how they prepare and store the sandwich. They make it at 11 a.m. and leave it out all day. It’s exposed to warm bacteria all day long.
This indicates poor conditions for fresh preparation. If you want it fresh, request it be made at 11 a.m.; otherwise, assume it’s not good.
The Ultimate Filet O Fish Sammie
Equipment
- 1 Sheet Tray
- 3 Containers For breading station (flour, egg mixture, panko)
- 1 Mixing Bowl For mayonnaise
- 1 Sharp Knife For slicing fish, vegetables, and baguette
- 1 Cutting Board
Ingredients
Main
- 1 whole tail piece fresh halibut 1 1/4 inches thick, by about 1 foot long
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup mayonnaise store-bought
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 handful fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves finely chopped
- 1 handful chives finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 foot long sourdough baguette
- 1 cup lightly packed hydroponic arugula leafy variety, with stems
- 1 ripe avocado cut in thick slices
- 1 beefsteak tomato cut in thick slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Put a large sheet tray in oven and heat it for 1/2 hour.
- Begin by patting the halibut fillet dry. If you have a tail end piece cut the fillet down the middle so you can invert the 2 pieces next to each other to form a nice rectangular shape that matches the bread. Set up a breading station with flour, beaten egg and milk, and bread crumbs in separate containers. Season with salt and pepper. Dip each fillet into the flour, egg mixture, and then panko. Set aside on a tray at room temperature to let the coating set.
- Pull out sheet tray from oven, add a 2-count of oil and transfer breaded fish to tray. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Combine lemon herb mayonnaise ingredients in a bowl and blend until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Split the baguette in half horizontally. Open it up and toast it in a hot oven until just warmed through. Smear each half with lemon herb mayonnaise and stack up arugula, tomato and avocado on 1 half. Top with crispy panko fish fillets and top with the other half of bread. Skewer in 2 places and cut across the middle. Serve with more lemon-herb mayonnaise on the side.
Notes
Back to Taco Bell, let’s discuss their coffee drink options. If you like good coffee, please pay attention to this employee’s reminder. Their coffee-making method may be different from what you imagine.
The employee explained that their coffee initially exists in the form of coffee concentrate. They used to use a Keurig coffee machine, but made changes about a year ago. Now, the concentrate is mixed with water and stored in a container next to the soda machine.
This method may be acceptable to some, but not to others. The employee still wanted to share this detail with you. Knowing that the concentrate is stored in a container might change your perception of fresh coffee.
Next, let’s take a look at Pizza Hut, whose employees have many concerns about this product. Pizza Hut’s cheese-edge pizza is one of their more popular items, promising cheese added to the edges of the pizza. However, employees are dissatisfied with the way the cheese edges are made.
Employees have discussed the process of making cheese-edge pizza online. One employee revealed that the cheese edges are actually made by stuffing frozen cheese sticks into the pizza crust. Although the method is simple, this simplicity has caused issues. Frozen cheese strips often fail to reach the necessary temperature during baking. Even if they melt, their strip-like shape fails to fill the crust properly. If the cheese is stored improperly, its texture becomes more like mashed potatoes. This is not the rich, creamy cheese effect you would expect.
Now you have learned the truth about these foods from some employees. This in-depth investigation revealed the foods that employees avoid choosing based on their internal conditions. From the freshness of the food, the way it is handled, the quality of the oil, to unexpected situations, these findings are very interesting. Next time you want to eat fast food, this knowledge may help you make a different choice.
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