Gross Things All McDonald’s Workers Do
By Anna Collins
2 months ago
1. Rush out of the toilets WITHOUT washing their hands
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Hygiene standards at McDonald's may not always be maintained! And, rushing out of the toilet without even having washed their hands could be a regular occurrence within McDonald's, as it has been claimed by several ex-employees who said they had witnessed it on a number of occasions.2. Reset the timer so that food that should be thrown out, isn't!
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There's a timer on all of the food that is kept under the heater, and when the timer goes off, the food is supposed to be placed in the trash. This is because when food stays under heat, it can collect bacteria. But according to ex-McDonald's staff frequently reset the food so that it goes out to be served later than it should be!3. Not change their plastic gloves after each food preparation
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Another thing that McDonald's staff might be guilty of is not switching up those plastic gloves after each food prep. If you think about it, there's a lot of germs being picked up every time the gloves are used. Raw meat for example carries a lot of dangerous bacteria, then these same gloves might be handling our lettuce...gross.4. Pick things off the floor: 5-second rule!
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One thing we don't to hear is that the hypothetical '5-second rule' applies to our McDonald's order. But, food being dropped on the floor in such a busy environment happens a lot....and unfortunately, it may be picked right back up by somebody and served straight to our plates.5. Having to scrape off thousands of burger's grease from the grills
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For McDonald's workers, the task of scraping off thousands of burgers' grease from the grills is a daily reality. The sizzling patties leave behind a residue of grease that gradually builds up on the grills. When it comes time to clean, employees find themselves faced with the unenviable challenge of scraping off this amalgamation of fats and oils.6. Leave spillages on the floor until somebody notices
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Now, working at McDonald's can get super stressful, and nobody wants to have to tackle all of the mess that comes along with it. But, someone's got to do it. Only, some workers ignore the spills they make, hoping that nobody will notice it and they won't actually have to clear it up at all.7. Pretend to clean the drinks machine...but don't
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Cleaning the drinks machine is, according to workers, one of their least favorite jobs. So, among the many gross things that might happen at McDonald's, the drinks machine not being cleaned very often is among them. They may pretend to clean them, but whether they will is another question entirely!8. Blame someone else for the mess
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Blaming someone else for the mess could be a common occurrence at McDonald's and many restaurant chains, 'it wasn't me, I don't know anything about it'. It shifts the blame onto somebody else meaning that hopefully, someone else will end up clearing it all up and the evidence of your mess will vanish!9. Deal with clogged-up toilets daily
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It's really not the most glamorous part of a McDonald's employee's job —plungers in hand, ready to face the (very gross) world of clogged toilets! It's a daily necessity, yet when McDonald's has so much foot traffic, you can only imagine the state of the toilets after a busy day with thousands of customers.10. Wipe pee off the toilet floors
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Occasionally, accidents or oversights may result in liquid spills, including the unfortunate - urine, on the toilet floors. Employees are tasked with the unfortunate job of clearing up these misguided spillages. Workers have faced countless spills which have reluctantly needed cleaning up!11. Clean puddles of oil off the floors
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You see when you're dealing with the frantic pace of a fast-food joint, spills happen. Oil might escape the fryer, creating these little puddles that need attention. According to workers, you'd be surprised at just how much oil gets onto the kitchen floors!12. Forget to wash their hands regularly
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The protocol at McDonald's tells workers to wash their hands SUPER frequently. Does that happen? Perhaps not always. Some workers may forget the hand cleaning routine and forget to wash them regularly at all. This, considering they are handling food is gross, to say the least.13. See hairs on food and pick them off again
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In the fast-paced world of McDonald's, where the kitchen is a cacophony of sizzling and frying chaos, the occasional stray hair making its way onto the scene is something that happens from time to time. The gross part is the fact that workers may see it and simply pick it off again so that they don't have to remake the meal!14. Put super wilted lettuce onto the burger hoping nobody will notice
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The thought process here is definitely 'who will notice what the lettuce looks like on their burger?'. And so, some workers might put the wilted old lettuce on the burger to save them the time of having to prepare a new batch. Maybe check next time just how fresh it seems...15. Eat McDonald's every day
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An occasional McDonald's is a treat, and it's not going to cause any real harm. But every day? It's not exactly an advertisement for a healthy lifestyle. But, when workers get given free meals it seems an impossible decision to turn it down! It is free after all!16. Touch toilet door handles before serving food - it's inevitable!
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What are workers supposed to do? Not touch the toilet door handles after they've been to the bathroom? No. But, this is where the gloves come in. Yet workers may not always wear gloves. So you've got the germs from the toilet door handles being passed from their hands, right to your chicken nuggets.17. Smell the grease on their uniform, and then wear it for another day
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'Eu de grease' isn't a perfume that anyone wants. But, McDonald's workers are surrounded by cooking fats and oils all day, so inevitably they come home smelling of grease. Many workers don't have multiple uniforms and so they reuse the same grease-soaked outfit the very next morning.18. Spill things, and have to clean them up ALL of the time
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It's a super busy kitchen, with a lot of workers all rushing around the place bumping into one another and causing accidents. But things get a little bit gross when accidents and spillages are happening all over the place and someone's got to go around cleaning it all up.19. Use utensils from the meat frying for the veg prep
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Now, while it might seem like a quick kitchen shortcut, this crossover act between meat and veggies can raise some concerns. In the culinary world, maintaining separation between utensils for meat and veggies is usually a standard practice to prevent cross-contamination.20. Use their fingers instead of a spatula
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There's something to be said for 'being hands-on in the kitchen', but using fingers to touch our food isn't exactly what we meant. If they're using their fingers to flip, toss, and plate dishes, the concern about spreading germs comes to mind! It's something workers may do to save time when they're in a rush.21. Scratch a body part, and not wash their hands
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Scratching is normal, you get an itch, and you scratch it! But, it depends on where you scratch. If you're scratching your bottom or you're sticking your finger in your itchy ear, it's not the kind of hygiene practice that we want to have our food prepared by.22. Know that sometimes the quality isn't good enough, but serve it anyway
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When we go to McDonald's we're not expecting the quality of a fine dining restaurant, but we are expecting some basic hygiene standards. But sometimes workers may take shortcuts and serve us food that's definitely not up to scratch and is below the standard quality line.23. Wipe sauce that people have smeared off the windows
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No worker wants to have to tackle the artistry of people's window paintings...with ketchup, barbecue, and curry sauce. But wiping off dirty fingerprints from the windows is sadly a very common (and highly resented) practice amongst the McDonald's workers.24. Forget if they've salted the fries...so salt them again to be sure
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Nappy can remember thousands of orders perfectly. In any food chain, mistakes can happen. There have been instances where employees haven't remembered whether they've salted the fries or not. So, just to be sure they've sprinkled them again; a double dose of sodium.25. Leave the grills a little bit too long before cleaning them
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Regular and thorough cleaning of grills is a standard practice to ensure the safety and quality of the food served to customers. Does that mean that it always happens? Apparently not. Workers may leave those grills as long as they can before tackling the thick layers of grease.26. Use the same deep-fat frying oil over and over without changing it
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Imagine your favorite fries tasting like yesterday's fish—using the same deep-frying oil over and over at McDonald's sadly could be a common practice. Usually, it's not something the customer will notice. But in terms of health and safety, oil should be changed frequently!27. Forget to clean the touch screens daily
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If touch screens aren't cleaned daily, they can become a breeding ground for bacteria and germs, especially considering the high volume of customer interactions. And if you think about how many hands are touching those screens, they seriously need cleaning every day or more.28. Avoid cleaning the ice cream machine at all costs
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The ice cream machines at McDonald's are notoriously difficult to clean as they are tricky and complicated contraptions. Nobody wants this job, and if somebody can avoid it...then hey, why not? We all know how temperamental the ice cream machines are after all!29. Put unused sauce sachets back in the pot without wiping them down
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This probably isn't the perfect picture of sanitary hygiene, but it's surely better than wasting unused sachets. Otherwise, there would be thousands of ketchup and barbecue sachets wasted every day. But, wiping them down would be even better!30. Throw all of the waste in the same trash can
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In the world of responsible fast food, that's a big no-no. Sure, it might seem like a quick shortcut, but putting all of the waste into the same bin means that nothing is being recycled. And with how big McDonald's is all over the globe, this would be a massive issue for the environment!31. Use a mop bucket to clean floors AND tables
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This definitely isn't a cleaning protocol, and there have been accounts of a couple of people doing this at some food chains. Instead of using different cleaning products for the place we eat and the place we walk, they used the mop to clean them all to save on time!32. And clean all the surfaces with one cloth
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While it might seem like a time-saving strategy, using one cloth for all surfaces can present hygiene challenges. Different surfaces harbor varying levels of germs and contaminants, and a catch-all cloth could spread these around instead of providing the thorough cleaning each area requires.33. Clean mold from the machines
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Machinery when it's not been cleaned in a while will go moldy due to moisture and particles of foods and sugars. Whether it's in ice cream dispensers, beverage machines, or any equipment that comes into contact with food, addressing mold promptly is crucial....but gross all the same!34. Pile more and more rubbish onto the garbage heap
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In the fast-paced context of a bustling shift, workers might occasionally find themselves piling more and more rubbish onto the growing garbage heap outside. While it might seem like a practical solution in the midst of a busy shift, an overflowing garbage heap could pose challenges to cleanliness.35. Handling food and then taking orders without washing their hands
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This is definitely not something that all McDonald's employees do, but some ex-employees have suggested that there are workers out there without the most rigorous hygiene routines. One of these being that they will handle food and take orders without having washed them.36. Throw food together as quickly as possible for the drive-thru
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The goal is to balance speed with precision, ensuring that each order meets the expected taste and presentation. Workers in the drive-thru work as quickly as possible, and sometimes that may require throwing orders together as quickly as possible to beat the timer!37. Leave hygiene duties if it's the end of their shift
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Some McDonald's workers (by no means the majority) may get to the end of their shift and leave some of their work for the next person. But, neglecting hygiene duties at the end of a shift could lead to various issues, such as the risk of cross-contamination, the growth of bacteria, and a decline in overall cleanliness standards.38. Go to work with a cold or virus
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How many times do you go to an office or a workplace and hear people sneeze and cough? You automatically think, ''please don't let me catch it''. But, turning up to work at a food chain is even more gross, however, some workers find themselves unable to take time off because they need the money!39. Witness things that put them off eating McDonald's
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It's only natural in a food place that over time you witness occasional things that make you think...YUCK. After working there for some time, many McDonald's workers may find that the novelty of eating it regularly soon wears off. Especially if they've witnessed something gross.40. Deal with children's accidents
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McDonald's is every kid's favorite place to go to eat. The marketing and the food are aimed at children so it's no surprise that they get a lot of child customers, and kids' parties! And with children, inevitably, come the accidents. Which, workers have to deal with!41. And some adults...
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Dealing with children's accidents is one thing...but for adults, that's another thing entirely. But, workers may find themselves having to deal with a plethora of things, and sometimes this can include adults who have had a mishap in one way, shape, or form!42. Deal with VERY rude customers
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When they encounter very rude customers, navigating the fast-food frontlines turns into a game of staying cool and collected. It's a hard task when some customers will shout, get angry, and in some cases they will even get violent toward McDonald's workers!43. Touch their hair, followed by the food
44. Reheat old chips for the people who ask for 'fresh' fries
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Many customers ask McDonald's workers one of the most-hated questions of all, 'can I have fresh fries', just so that they get the latest batch, rather than old and soggy fries. But, workers may simply reheat the old fries so that they feel hot and fresh!45. Handling cash and food without washing their hands
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One McDonald's customer had claimed that he witnessed a worker handling food and immediately after, handling the cash. This, if this is the case means that there's a risk of transferring germs and bacteria onto different surfaces and therefore, different people.46. Find rats or cockroaches outside the building
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Restaurants have to be super careful about the cleanliness of the outside of the building because if there is food waste left around, it can inevitably attract rats. Discovering rats or cockroaches outside of McDonald's would be the last thing you want to see before you eat your Big Mac.47. Cook some meats from liquid emulsion
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Most of the product's meat, especially now is what you think it is. But, there could be a couple of products on the menu that are formed by some less-than-appealing meat emulsion. The McRibs may be one of these choices, the boneless 'rib' is apparently formed of a smooth meat puree.48. Put chemicals in the food
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According to some sauces, there are present in some of the foods that can't be good for our health. One person claimed that there was the equivalent chemical to antifreeze found in some of the products which makes you question what you really are eating!49. Serve old food that's been sitting around for hours
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Generally, the turnover at McDonald's is so high that food is made, and it's out before you know it. But there are a couple of less popular options that workers may tell you aren't so fresh, and due to not being the most popular on the menu, they may find them sitting around for some time.50. Find gross things and tell nobody!
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Some ex-workers have claimed that they found some seriously gross things whilst working at McDonalds. Sometimes, they'll flag it up. And sometimes, they'll deal with it and let it go under the radar so that they can manage it themselves without getting anybody else involved.What To Read Next
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