McDonald’s is the iconic fast-food chain that has been with us since 1955. Although most things on the menu are beautiful articles of wonderful beige saltiness, there are some items that are totally gross. You should definitely skip out on these next time you’re at the drive-thru…
1. Ice cream
This is if you even get the chance to order one, bearing in mind that they always seem to be out of order. One employee of the popular fast-food chain disclosed that the ice-cream machines are often switched off for cleaning due to mold build-up. This should come as no surprise, as gallons of thick condensed milk are poured into these machines every single day.
2. Soda
Hopefully you’re not sipping on a nice cola right now because, in alarming 2010 study, nearly 50 percent of the 90 soda fountain beverages taken from Virginia restaurants “tested positive for coliform,” a bacteria indicating possible fecal contamination. Maybe just opt for a water with your Happy Meal next time…
3. Shamrock shake
You shouldn’t have to be told that a drink that is literally dyed green is bad for you, but here it is. This drink is literally full of sugar, with a whopping 63 grams of sugar. This is the equivalent to 16 packets of sugar and nearly 3 times the recommended daily amount. Yikes.
4. Fries
If you make your own french fries at home, you’ll know you typically use potatoes, oil, salt, and maybe another type of seasoning. Think you’re getting the same thing at McD’s? Not so fast. Check out their ingredient list and you’ll find a shocking number of things on there — 19 ingredients, to be exact. Why do you need to do 19 things to potatoes?
5. McCafe frappe
These drinks are sugary, sweet and give you a caffeine kick – what’s not to love? Well, according to former McDonald’s employees, the McCafe machines are seriously neglected and rarely cleaned, which means that you could end up with something nasty in your cup besides an extra shot of coffee.
6. Fillet O’ Fish
Not sure why you would want to order fish at McDonald’s, but if you do, be warned. Because these items are not that popular, they are often cooked and then left to go cold and stale. On top of this, if you order one, they won’t make you a fresh one, they’ll just re-fry the old one that’s gone cold. Gross.
7. McRib
This is a popular and elusive item at McDonald’s, however, there’s a dark side. According to some employees on Reddit, the McRib is just spam in a rib-shaped mould. And to make it even worse, McRibs only appear on the menu when pork-side-products market charts reach yearly lowest. Just think about that for a minute and then decide if you want to know what’s in your burger.
8. Sausage
The humble sausage may be a delicious addition to your McMuffin or Big Breakfast, but just think for a minute about the shape that sausages usually come in, is it a circle? No. There’s your first red flag. On top of this, these sausages have been criticized for being dry and tasteless too.
9. Sweet tea
Sweet Tea is an American staple, so it’s no surprise that you might think that McDonald’s would know how to make a good cup of the stuff. However, it literally tastes like pouring a bag of sugar into your mouth. One large serving of a McDonald’s sweet contains a crazy 40 grams of sugar. They’ve taken the ‘sweet’ part a little too literally.
10. Water bottle
Undoubtedly, water is the healthiest beverage choice at McDonald’s, however, you’re better sitting in for your meal and asking for a free cup of water. This is because a bottle of water at the fast-food chain could cost you up to $3.00. You can get a 24 bottle multipack for pretty much the same price.
11. Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich
This one is mainly just because of the ridiculous price point. According to GrubHub, the price of the Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich is $7.54. But the difference between the deluxe and the regular Crispy Chicken Sandwich is that the deluxe adds lettuce, tomato, and a scoop of mayo. Yet, the deluxe is more than a dollar more.
12. Anything with onions
Although the diced onions on your McDonald’s burger may add a nice crunchy bite, there’s a reason that they come diced. These onions actually come dehydrated and need to be soaked in water so that they can be eaten. Although there’s nothing wrong with eating onions like this, it’s not very nice to think about…
13. Chicken nuggets
Nuggets are great when you’re five years old because their mushy texture means that your teeth don’t have to do any work. But, if you’re an adult and you’re still ordering these, you gotta wonder how they make them so unlike any chicken you’ve ever eaten before. Here’s a hint, it requires an awful lot of processing before it even makes it to your favorite drive-thru location.
14. Big Mac
You might think you’re getting a filling meal by ordering a burger with two patties, however, these smaller patties are cooked differently. According to former employees, they are cooked so that they are still bloody in the middle and then left to ‘dry out’ under heat lamps for hours…
15. Grilled chicken
They’re literally tricking you, it’s not grilled at all. This stuff comes in frozen (as most stuff does at McDonald’s) but is then steam boiled to removed a gelatinous layer that forms around the chicken. You obviously don’t see any of this when it comes out on your burger, but you know now…
16. McPlant
As far as vegan burgers go, this one is actually pretty tasty and doesn’t cost a fortune. However, if you think about the vegan cheese too much, you’ll probably be put off it. The cheese is made from coconut extract and is a frighteningly artificial yellow color, and it definitely doesn’t melt like normal cheese.
17. McSpaghetti
Spaghetti? From a McDonalds? Yeah, if you ever find yourself in the Philippines, don’t order this; mainly because McDonald’s has no right ruining a delicious Italian meal. This item was served in the US in the 1980s but was a major flop and can now only be ordered internationally.
18. McLobster
McLobster is another elusive McDonald’s item that is sold periodically throughout New England and Canada. Although people go mad for this sandwich, please don’t order it. If you think frozen chicken is bad, think of how McDonald’s make a high-end item like lobster affordable… If it even is real lobster…
19. Shrimp burger
If you ever find yourself in Japan, you could be tempted to try their weird and wonderful menu items. Maybe steer clear of the shrimp burger that’s available in Japan though, because any fish from McDonald’s seems kind of sketchy, especially when it’s all mashed up in a burger.
20. Poutine
This dish is iconic in Canada, so it’s no surprise that The Golden Arches have put their own spin on it. The thought of poutine can be pretty gross to some people anyway because it’s made of curdled cheese, so the fast-food equivalent of this dish might be enough to turn your stomach!
21. McCurry Pan
If you ever find yourself in India and you want to try some of the authentic cuisine, McDonald’s should be the last place you would go. This item supposedly features a crispy breaded exterior filled with a rich and spicy curry sauce, accompanied by vegetables. You should probably avoid though, because McDonald’s is really not the place to get a proper curry…
22. Smoothies
Some former McDonald’s employees had reported that the smoothie machine had been cleaned with glass cleaner… Of course, this varies branch to branch, but, just to stay on the safe side, maybe you should enjoy your fruit fresh and whole instead of all whizzed up with chemicals.
23. Black burger
If you find yourself in Japan at Halloween, you might be tempted to try a McDonald’s burger, however, steer clear of the black one. This is just a regular burger with all the usual fillings, but the bun is infused with charcoal. Why? Who can say, but it feels like a bit of a gimmick, so you should probably just avoid this one.
24. Bubur Ayam
This is an Indonesian treat from McDonald’s, but if you’re used to burgers and fries, this dish could seem a little odd. This warm and comforting dish consists of creamy rice porridge, tender chicken pieces, and an array of toppings like fried shallots and scallions.
25. McArabia
Although this is a favorite in Arab countries and Pakistan, a flatbread from McDonald’s sounds kind of like a sorry excuse for actually nice food from The Middle East. If you’re ever in that part of the world, try some authentic food instead of eating at McDonald’s!
26. Vegemite and cheese toastie
Love it or hate it, McDonald’s has Vegemite too. Marmite/Vegemite is a yeast extract spread that has a nice umami flavor that’s kind of like beef. If you don’t like that sort of thing (which a lot of people don’t) maybe you should save yourself the trouble and not order this.
27. Big Xtra Sandwich
A man in Vancouver was grabbing a bite to eat with some colleagues and found that his Big Xtra Sandwich tasted suspiciously of peppermint. About halfway through his meal, he found that a big wad of gum had been fried into his burger. Maybe don’t order this one if you don’t like sharing gum, or value any form of cleanliness.
28. Cheeseburger
A girl in England ordered a cheeseburger and heard a mysterious buzzing from inside the bag. She claims that a fly flew out of the wrapper and left a little pile of maggots under the burger’s pickles. Pretty gross right? Maybe you just shouldn’t order a cheeseburger next time you’re at McDonald’s…
29. Coffee
If you do want to order a coffee, go ahead, but make sure you check the bottom of the cup. Why, you might ask? Because a Canadian man once got to the very end of his coffee before realizing that there was a dead mouse in the cup. Somebody call pest control!
30. Regular Quarter Pounder
You’re not only getting hefty amounts of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat with this McDonald’s burger, but you’re also consuming 11 grams of sugar—eight of which are added sugar from the ketchup and buns. Skip out on this one if you don’t want your body to hate you for eating it.
31. Hash browns
McDonald’s hash browns are pretty bomb. The golden fried and flaky potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to breakfast. Unless you find a cockroach inside the potatoey goodness like one Reddit user claimed. With this in mind, maybe you should just stick to your oatmeal in the morning…
32. Chicken Legend
Unless you want a five-inch piece of wire brush lodged in your mouth, you shouldn’t order this delicious meal from UK McDonald’s. A teen in England bit into his chicken to find that he was getting more than he bargained for. According to reports, McDonalds’ employees just laughed and gave him a new one.
33. Hamburger
If you do order a hamburger from McDonald’s, just be careful when you’re eating it because one woman in Kentucky actually found a needle inside her patty. This sounds pretty crazy, but it is true. With that in mind, maybe you should steer clear of ordering any hamburgers…
34. Wings
McDonald’s had wings all throughout the 90s and they bring them back periodically through the US. This may sound exciting, but one woman got a little more than she asked for when she found a chicken’s head in with her wings. Obviously, the wings come from a whole chicken, but no one needs reminded of that.
35. Salad
You shouldn’t order a salad from McDonald’s because, well, if you’re going to McDonald’s, at least get some fries! If this isn’t enough to convince you not to order a salad, you should think about the fact that not a lot of people order salads at McDonald’s so the lettuce is always gross and wilted…
36. Breakfast burrito
What do you usually get in a burrito? Beans, eggs, maybe some sausage…And a nose ring? Well, this is what one woman in Nevada found in her breakfast burrito from McDonald’s. Not the best way to kick off your day so definitely skip over this one next time you’re at the drive-thru.
37. Seaweed shaker fries
These are just regular McDonald’s french fries served with a separate sachet of seaweed flavor seasoning. Although they are popular in some asian countries, if you’re not a big fan of the taste of seaweed them you’d probably prefer to skip out on this one and just have regular salt with your fries.
38. Cheese tea
Yep, you read that right. Cheese tea is a popular drink in a lot of Asian countries, but if you’re going to try it, maybe don’t go to McDonald’s for your first taste. It consists of a base tea, often green or black tea, topped with a frothy layer of whipped cheese or cream cheese.
39. McRice burger
This is trendy burger that you can get in a lot of McDonald’s stores in Asia. Although this may sound like a fun menu item to try, some things are better left as they are. Rice and burger patties don’t really work as well as good old bread and meat, maybe skip out on ordering this one.
40. Pickles
This one is pretty simple. Pineapple doesn’t go on pizza and pickles don’t go on burgers. Well, there are some exceptions to this rule, but McDonald’s pickles tend to be really salty for absolutely no reason at all. Bottom line: They aren’t good and you shouldn’t order them.