Food quality standards exist for a reason. Not only because you could get really, really sick if you ingest something a sleazy restaurant owner deems edible but it’s actually way past the expiration date, but also because it’s kinda gross. There are more reasons, but you get the point.
Well, whether a restaurant is trying to maximize profits by balancing on the fence between fresh and not-so-fresh food, or it’s straight up company policy to use expired food or to price-gouge its patrons or it’s super unhealthy because the client won’t notice, trying to hide it is nearly impossible because the staff knows, and if they know, everyone else might too.
And now they do, as people on Reddit have been discussing food items that people should absolutely stop ordering from their restaurants because reasons, man.
Scroll your way down to read through the best answers, and while you’re down there, vote and comment on the submissions you enjoyed the most.
More Info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
Customer: I'll have a .
Me: I have no idea what that is.
Customer: It's on your secret menu.
Me: We don't have a secret menu.
Customer: But I read online that you have a secret menu.
Me: Don't believe everything you read on the internet
Worked for 8 years at In-n-Out...
If this thread is wanting to expose gross stuff: Nothing. I swear, the quality standard that they have, which became my standard, was nuts. Food quality, cleaning routines, regular inspections. It makes it hard for me to eat anywhere else. 8 years of a free burger every day worked and I still crave them.
But if you want to slow the growth of your gut, cut the shakes. They're real ice cream mix, not a typical watered down shake mix. I actually prefer the watered down taste of a McDonalds or Wendy's shake, but an In-n-Out shake is like eating liquid Ice Cream. You're already getting a burger and fries... skip dessert this time.
When you order a pizza, look for the specials.
On Pizza Hut's website, you could order a large pizza with two toppings for $18. But if you go to the "Deals" tab, that same pizza could be had for $8.
They won't apply the discounts for you automatically. Sometimes you gotta look for them.
This is the same in the UK, when ordering you have to select the deal in a special section for the discount no matter how many times you order from your local store
I worked in a local coffee and donut shop and nobody ever cleaned the soda machines. They were so gross the first time I cleaned them. I asked if anyone knew how to do it and nobody knew, nobody had ever done it
lots of people are wondering why there is soda. Because I live in a highly mormon populated area and they can’t drink coffee. And apparently a lot of people like Mountain Dew with their apple fritters. And apparently Mormons can drink Mountain Dew??
Don’t get decaf coffee at Burger King. Maybe this was just the one I worked at, but we didn’t actually brew any decaf. Whenever someone ordered it, my manager would just have me water down the regular coffee
I worked in several Tim Hortons as a teenager.. The Ice Capp machine never gets cleaned. Never ever.
One of the girls I worked with went into anaphylaxis after making herself an Ice Capp at the end of her shift. She had a severe penicillin allergy.
This was approx. 16yrs ago in a few locations around Southern Ontario. Obviously YMMV depending on when and where you worked, but my experience was that they never got cleaned.
Dominos worker here. Nothing gross really that we do, but for the love of god stop ordering our bread twists. (Unless you want the cinnamon ones). You can order the Parmesan bread bites. It’s the same amount of dough in total for like 3 bucks cheaper.
But I do not like Parmesan? This is a bit stupid - if it was only about the amount of dough for the money then I would better buy my own flour and bake myself...
Worked at Krispy Kreme for 2 years.
Just so you know, the doughnuts are absolutely fresh- brought in twice a day.
Don't order any of the Coffee Bean drinks, though- they never ever change the ice chest.
Doughnuts are most fresh at 6 am and 3 pm; least fresh at 2pm & 10pm
Not fast food per se but if it’s at Applebee’s it’s been microwaved.
Used to work at Panda Express, no real complaints about the ingredients and food prep, but don't buy any shrimp entrees if you actually want to a full meal. They purposely use a smaller serving spoon to make it appear you're getting a lot of food. I believe it was 6 shrimps per serving max was the the policy.
Funny thing is shrimp is the cheapest meat you can buy, but restaurants have made it prestigious and charge more for it. The profit margins for shrimp are insane.
Raisin canes-
Yes everything is made to order. Yes they had insane cleaning standards. Believe me my a** was there cleaning the store till 5 in the morning after 3rd shift.
My go to is box no slaw extra toast. Slaw is good but the toast is where it's at.
Waffle House cook:
If we are talking health reasons... everything. There is nothing remotely healthy on the menu.
Otherwise I say grits because they can sit for hours and managers will try to keep them looking fresh even though they cost next to nothing to buy.
Yeah ... but my guess is that, at 2am, you don't really care all that much about "healthy", amiright?
Used to work as a server at outback.
The bloomin onion costs around 70 cents to make and they sell it for like 8 bucks
That's how markups work. Aside from the fact that the bloomin' onion is relatively labor intensive to make on your own. I'd rather just pay the $8.
The North Atlantic cod fillet from Culvers, it’s not from the North Atlantic, it’s from those s***ty Vietnam fish farm waters
Long John Silvers, 2006, baked cod on a bed of rice. We would microwave it in a paper dish.
If you order any of the all day breakfast items at McDonalds after around 1:00, it will most likely be a few hours old.
I worked at Starbucks. Nobody who values their health should order a white mocha anything. That white mocha shit is absurdly unhealthy and disgusting to work with.
Jack in the Box. I don't know why anyone orders the bacon cheddar potato wedges. It's fake cheese with fake bacon on fried potatoes. I'm trying to remember the ingredient list on the cheese but I distinctly recall nowhere on the packaging did it say it contained dairy. It also smells like feet.
Worked at an AMC theater for 2 years. Do not buy the coffee unless it's early morning when we first open. Otherwise you're gonna drink coffee that's been sitting out for a solid 5 hours, at least.
I did, once, when I went to an early morning showing of the first Star Trek movie. My friend and I staggered in and sat sipping in an almost empty auditorium except for the cheering AOL geeks in the front row. It was actually nice coffee, went well with chocolate.
Load More Replies...I don't know about that coffee at AMC, but having fresh coffee from an empty glass carafe is almost impossible. Even when the company requests that the coffee be brewed at specific time intervals, employees routinely dump the old coffee into the fresh one. I had to threaten dismissal regarding this issue, end even then, they did on my back. Stainless steel vacuum thermal dispensers can hold hot and fresh coffee for up to four hours when being used or for up to eight hours when kept full. I can vouch for them; I never had a complaint from guests when properly used. two-gallon...57f33c.jpg
Lol. Murica, I guess. In Australia most cinemas have espresso machines. Although that doesn't always guarantee good coffee.
I used to work at Papa Johns.
Everything.
But in particular the f**king garlic knots. Full of f**king salt and dripping with faux butter.
Worked at “blue headgehog drive in”. Stop ordering food. No glove or hand washing policy for anyone. Pretty sure I’m the only one who ever did.
Arby's
If you order the secret menu item that shall not be named, not only are you Satan but you are also eating a nasty a** sandwich.
Burgers from Sheetz are microwaved. The grill marks are fake. Bacon is microwaved too.
Also, don't drink the f**king Peanut Butter shakes. One particular peanut butter shake has nearly 2,000 calories in it.
Yes, Sheetz food isn't gourmet, but when you are driving hundreds of miles and need a fill up for car and persons, it can be a lifesaver. My son likes the chicken strips and we both eat the mac and cheese, and we will do a breakfast or lunch sandwich depending upon what time we roll in there. Cold case usually has cheese and fruit.
Not technically fast food but don't order room service at small hotels. You're getting charged really high prices for pre-prepared, often times frozen food that is heated up in what is basically a toaster oven.
Cold cut sandwiches are the only real exception. BLT your brains out but don't order the burger.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe- All of the smoothies, except the detox ones, have SO much sugar in them. You’re not being healthy by going there.
The sugar isn’t just from the fruit. Sugar is added to most smoothies, and they claim it’s good because it’s turbinado. Also: fruit is healthy.
Sbarro, and while it's all pretty "meh" food for the price, I have to say the spaghetti is probably the worst value. Not because it's particularly bad, but it's just bulk buy spaghetti, too much salt, and some oil for almost as much as any of the other, actually complicated pastas.
Don't order crab from a Planet Sub in the midwest. This seems like common sense but there is alwats that guy
I work at Taco Bell.
Y’all need to stop ordering the rolled chicken tacos. I’m begging you. I’ve tried them, without sauce, and they are 100% flavorless. The flavor comes from whatever shorty side sauce you order.
I can’t believe these are limited time offer. They’re garbage, everyone I work with agrees but they’re so overwhelmingly popular for some reason
Sonic - small sonic blasts. They break the cup every time
That has nothing to do with customers ordering them, or their nutritional value, that’s the cheap cups they use.
I swear to god if one person says a McChicken I will jump out my bedroom window.
Note: this post originally had 33 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Every single person who works in fast food establishments - The place was dirty..everyone there was dirty ..I was the only one clean ...
This whole article is about food service employees who were either too f*****g lazy or entitled to fix the problem they are referring to. Seriously, clean the f*****g dirty s**t. It's your job . Throw old food away, it's your job. If you can't handle the most basic of jobs, don't complain when you can't do something better.
In these types of jobs there usually isn't a lot of extra time that could be spend on cleaning such machines. You have a manager that orders the employees around, the manager should decide someone needs to clean the machine
Load More Replies...Also, the teriyaki burger at McDonald's. It's a b**** to make and also gets dropped on the floor at a much higher frequency than other items.
In most countries this sort of hygiene or food descriptions would be illegal
Most of the cleanliness posts are more so a picture of the people who run the restaurant. The place I worked in high school had soda and beer taps. Each night they were what I came to call maintenance cleaned and once a quarter the lines were flushed from the source. The ice machine was broken down and cleaned twice a year. I worked in the one store for 4 years and we never failed a health inspection. The owners were local and they would swing by without notice to make sure everything was up to their standards and they had 25 stores in the area. All were treated the same.
Like the other comments, just stop pretending there’s anything good about any fast food (maybe the side salad with vinegar and oil, maybe) If it’s convenient, and you enjoy it, hey, “freedom”. But don’t lie to yourself or your family about “better” fast food.
I worked at a Dutch McD about 15 years ago. It was a very clean place. We actually had awards for that and there are timers that go off when we needed to wash our hands. There was always someone supervising so you have to go wash your hands if they saw you touch you hair or something. The oil is changed multiple times per day. There are a lot of myths about McD only changing the oil which is not true. The only thing is.. dont order the old school veggie burger. We have a lot of veggie chicken in the country for a bit now, those look fine. But when i worked there there was 1 veggie burger which we almost never sold. During busy times we didnt make things to order cause it sells within 2 minutes anyway but not the veggie burger. Those stay in the warmer for way to long. Theyre horrible anyway but worse when theyre kept 30 minutes....
I worked in a cafe for about six months.Everything was pre prepared offsite except the chips and anything crispy fried or with salads. Days old and actually not that nice.
We know some of these things aren't healthy. Sometimes a calorie splurge is a nice treat.
My husband is a refrigeration engineer & has an entire list of places I am not allowed to eat in. El Pollo Loco has some of the worst kitchens he's ever seen. Planet Hollywood is apparently just as bad.
I work at DQ. It's more the supplies, understaffing, and how much we're paid that is the problem. People come in expecting we can finish 50 burgers in 3 minutes. We clean everything plenty, we're respectful and all, but fun fact, the high schooler and legal immigrant in the kitchen are actually human. We just do what we can with what we have.
Here's the thing: I know what I'm ordering at a fast food place isn't as healthy, can easily be made at home sometimes for cheaper, and is full of sugar. You could tell you spit in the Coke at McDonalds and guess what? It is still the best Coke I've ever had. You're not the first people to work at fast food establishments, we know and sometimes damnit I just want some gross ass food.
I am lucky - apart from McDonald's none of these even exists in a radius of driving 45 minutes or more by car...
So ya, don't every eat anything at fast food because everything is unhealthy, unclean and out for your money. My pennies are saved... i am saving up to but ingredients and make my own stuff at home..
Or maybe, you know, stop eating fast food and get your s**t together and start living healthier.
Or maybe mind your own business and stop being so condescending?
Load More Replies...Every single person who works in fast food establishments - The place was dirty..everyone there was dirty ..I was the only one clean ...
This whole article is about food service employees who were either too f*****g lazy or entitled to fix the problem they are referring to. Seriously, clean the f*****g dirty s**t. It's your job . Throw old food away, it's your job. If you can't handle the most basic of jobs, don't complain when you can't do something better.
In these types of jobs there usually isn't a lot of extra time that could be spend on cleaning such machines. You have a manager that orders the employees around, the manager should decide someone needs to clean the machine
Load More Replies...Also, the teriyaki burger at McDonald's. It's a b**** to make and also gets dropped on the floor at a much higher frequency than other items.
In most countries this sort of hygiene or food descriptions would be illegal
Most of the cleanliness posts are more so a picture of the people who run the restaurant. The place I worked in high school had soda and beer taps. Each night they were what I came to call maintenance cleaned and once a quarter the lines were flushed from the source. The ice machine was broken down and cleaned twice a year. I worked in the one store for 4 years and we never failed a health inspection. The owners were local and they would swing by without notice to make sure everything was up to their standards and they had 25 stores in the area. All were treated the same.
Like the other comments, just stop pretending there’s anything good about any fast food (maybe the side salad with vinegar and oil, maybe) If it’s convenient, and you enjoy it, hey, “freedom”. But don’t lie to yourself or your family about “better” fast food.
I worked at a Dutch McD about 15 years ago. It was a very clean place. We actually had awards for that and there are timers that go off when we needed to wash our hands. There was always someone supervising so you have to go wash your hands if they saw you touch you hair or something. The oil is changed multiple times per day. There are a lot of myths about McD only changing the oil which is not true. The only thing is.. dont order the old school veggie burger. We have a lot of veggie chicken in the country for a bit now, those look fine. But when i worked there there was 1 veggie burger which we almost never sold. During busy times we didnt make things to order cause it sells within 2 minutes anyway but not the veggie burger. Those stay in the warmer for way to long. Theyre horrible anyway but worse when theyre kept 30 minutes....
I worked in a cafe for about six months.Everything was pre prepared offsite except the chips and anything crispy fried or with salads. Days old and actually not that nice.
We know some of these things aren't healthy. Sometimes a calorie splurge is a nice treat.
My husband is a refrigeration engineer & has an entire list of places I am not allowed to eat in. El Pollo Loco has some of the worst kitchens he's ever seen. Planet Hollywood is apparently just as bad.
I work at DQ. It's more the supplies, understaffing, and how much we're paid that is the problem. People come in expecting we can finish 50 burgers in 3 minutes. We clean everything plenty, we're respectful and all, but fun fact, the high schooler and legal immigrant in the kitchen are actually human. We just do what we can with what we have.
Here's the thing: I know what I'm ordering at a fast food place isn't as healthy, can easily be made at home sometimes for cheaper, and is full of sugar. You could tell you spit in the Coke at McDonalds and guess what? It is still the best Coke I've ever had. You're not the first people to work at fast food establishments, we know and sometimes damnit I just want some gross ass food.
I am lucky - apart from McDonald's none of these even exists in a radius of driving 45 minutes or more by car...
So ya, don't every eat anything at fast food because everything is unhealthy, unclean and out for your money. My pennies are saved... i am saving up to but ingredients and make my own stuff at home..
Or maybe, you know, stop eating fast food and get your s**t together and start living healthier.
Or maybe mind your own business and stop being so condescending?
Load More Replies...