35 McDonald’s Hacks That Can Help Visitors Start Lovin’ It All Over Again

McDonald’s is a best friend of many when they need to satisfy cravings day or night. The fast-food chain has built restaurants practically every two steps to meet the demand for its yummy food. Unfortunately, some people might think about taking a break because the menu becomes dull and boring. According to consumers, McDonald’s also has slightly higher prices than other chains. With the right approach, you can get specials on the menu, create new meals, and get better services whenever you visit. This piece explores 35 McDonald’s tips and tricks that will serve you better on National Fast-Food Day (November 16th) and other days. On this day, McDonald’s and other players in the fast-food industry introduce items on their menu and give various discounts, among other provisions, to attract new clients. You may leave the premises disappointed by dismal services without the right approach. The 35 hacks listed above will help you get the most from McDonald’s with each visit, even if you skip national Fast-Food Day.

Eating On-the-Go

One may argue that you must be a creative engineer to make work easier. At times, you may visit McDonald’s with plans for a full meal without eating at the restaurant. With this hack, you can enjoy the meal without fear of confinement to a table or the hassle of holding your drink, fries, and burger while eating.

TikTok users can help you save time and energy as you get a full meal on the go. Begin by unfolding the burger box and perching it strategically atop the drink. You can add fries or an extra snack into the burger box for easier access to the food as you dig into either side while sipping your beverage. The result allows you to enjoy the meal while on the move.

Fresher Food

When visiting a restaurant during off-peak hours, you may get dismal services and lower food quality. Some clients have complained about non-fresh burgers at McDonald’s. Before placing an order, you can ask for receipts for a deeper insight into when the food was prepared.

Without considering mystery shoppers, any restaurant can lose a large customer base. Mystery shoppers are known to assess and rate a restaurant’s quality of goods and services before placing an order. Most times, they ask for receipts allowing their reimbursement. Asking for a receipt may classify you under mystery shoppers and win you fresher food.

Fries Container-Part 1

What do you like most about fries at McDonald’s? Their fries are popular for their unique taste and saltiness. You can make every bite sweeter by dipping each piece into the sauce. Eating your fast food treat can be hectic if you can’t get a table.

If you don’t have the right container for your fries, you might drop them everywhere. McDonald’s has made several tweaks to its boxes to make your dining experience less annoying. It involves folding down the edge of the container for your sauce. This lets you hold the sauce and fries in one hand.

Best of Both Worlds

McDonald’s is renowned for its excellent breakfast meals. If you choose to explore this menu, we highly recommend the hash browns. Breakfast at McDonald’s can make you an early bird since it is only available until 10:30 am. For the best experience, set your alarm and wait for the most suitable time.

Brunch lovers take advantage of McDonald’s breakfast to lunch conversion between 10:30 am and 11:00 am. When combining breakfast and lunch, we recommend hash browns alongside a cheeseburger. It gives you something a little different than the norm without skimping on taste.

Fries Container-Part 2

As we mentioned before, without the right container, you can easily lose some of your fries. Then, you are highly vulnerable to spillages that could stain your clothes or car. Sauce stains do not look cute on anyone, folks. Here is another hack.

You can avoid the stains by using the fries container above. How, you ask? Ask for a second box and use it for your sandwich. The container lets you enjoy a burger and fries without fear of dripping sauce and grease on your clothes.

Getting the Best Service

If your first visit to McDonald’s is at rush hour, you may regret going to the restaurant and probably vow never to return. Amid the rush, confusion may kick in among the staff, resulting in the neglect of your special requests.

For an exclusive experience, visit the establishment long after rush hour. According to mystery shoppers, the best services are available between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. You may also take advantage of another opening between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm when the staff is extra cautious.

Happy Meal Boxes

If your family prefers eating at McDonald’s regularly, you may have come across the happy meal boxes. When your order the Happy Meal for the first time, you may be stranded as you seek a plate to hold the food. McDonald’s saves the day.

You can transform the McDonald’s Happy Meal Boxes into an instant plate. There is a hidden tab on the box; just pull it. As soon as you tear off the top, you are left with a multipurpose dish to eat from.

Hot Fries

The next hack can help you avoid the disappointing taste of cold fries served long after being prepared. Most people agree that McDonald’s has the best fries. Unfortunately, some have complained about the cold leftovers. This tip is simple and always works.

Order fries without salt and watch the staff prepare a whole new batch. The cost of salted and unsalted fries is the same, with the only difference being the level of freshness. Adding the salt by yourself ensures that you get the quantity you prefer.

McFlurry Lid

McDonald’s fries are specifically prepared to sweep you off your feet. Eating the fries while driving should be out of the question because you may cause a mess if you love using sauce. If you must eat, you will need a lid that reduces spilling.

Holding on to the fries until you reach your destination may not be an option, especially when hungry. You can ask the McDonald staff for a McFlurry lid, free of charge. Put your sauce in the cover and find an ideal point like a cup holder to enjoy your meal.

Skipping Queues

Most folks confirm that long lines are among the most annoying things to deal with. Most McDonald’s restaurants’ drive-thrus are congested and sluggish during rush hour. Common reasons behind this include customers not having a list of what they want and the ensuing scramble to decide.

What if you could spend the least time waiting for your order? You can avoid the long lines by placing an order directly at the counter. At times, congestion at the counter is less than how long you spend at the drive-thru station.

Decoy Effect Strategy

Most companies use the decoy effect to encourage you to spend more on selected products. At McDonald’s, the decoy effect uses medium drink going for $1.29 to trick you into buying the larger one at $1.49 instead of the small one at $1. With this hack, you can save some cash.

To save, you can evade price decoys by getting one large drink and dividing it into smaller cups available for free. This could serve you better when dining with a group. Each purchase saves you about fifty-one cents. Remember to dispose of the cups as recommended.

Milkshake Combo

Do you have a specific milkshake flavor in mind, or do you choose according to the mood and occasion? According to most people, McDonald’s milkshakes stand tall among options provided by competitors. Considering that each flavor is remarkable, it’s hard to choose.

Maybe you are the type that will stand at the counter and take forever to decide. McDonald’s has introduced a solution: combining the three flavors to create the Neapolitan milkshake. If you share our love for milkshakes, you won’t be disappointed by this amazing upgrade.

Getting More of McFlurry

What is the most outstanding feature of McFlurry? The candy or cookies bits, of course. Unfortunately, the taste and quality of each bite may deteriorate if there is excess ice cream and fewer candy or cookie bits in the dessert. The top may be fine, but the toppings are gone as you approach the bottom half.

McDonald’s has provisions to ensure that you enjoy every bite of your McFlurry. For an extra 50 cents, you can get unlimited spoons of chocolate pieces and spouts of sauce. Instead of getting worked up because of the missing ingredients, you can get enough ice cream toppings for the best experience.

Multiples of 4

Most McDonald’s foods are great party foods that can serve you right. If you need large quantities of McNuggets, hold your horses and check the prices. Some locations charge about $1.19 or less for a box of four McNuggets and $3.60 or more for boxes that can hold ten.

There is a negligible price difference when ordering McDonald’s delicacies in bulk. Fortunately, the more you order, the more sauce you receive. To save the most money when purchasing the McNuggets, order multiple four-piece nuggets to avoid digging deeper into your pockets.

Oreo McFlurry Twist

Can you imagine preparing an Oreo McFlurry Twist to your specifications? As previously stated, the quality depends on the ice cream-to-toppings ratio. Rather than overpaying for unlimited sauce and chocolate pieces, consider this. We must warn you that Oreo McFlurry Twist is life-changing and very addictive.

When you place an order, remind the McDonald’s staff serving you to add hot fudge and caramel sauce into the Oreo McFlurry. The combination of fudge, Oreos, and caramel makes it ideal for most folks as it gives a unique experience of a trip to the afterlife.

Saving Big on Mac

Many of us think of burgers when we think of McDonald’s. The Big Mac is delicious but may send you away once you notice that it’s more expensive than most burgers. Play your cards right, and you can get one at practically half the usual price.

Ask for a McDouble minus the mustard and ketchup and trade it with the Big Mac sauce. They taste the same, but the double burger is cheaper (it’s just missing the third bun). Fortunately, your meal will also be a little healthier as you consume fewer carbs.

Saving on Drinks

The next hack is reserved for whenever you want to sample promotional drinks at McDonald’s without paying more than $2. You can purchase a hot beverage of your choice and request a refill of any promotional drink you’d wish to taste before leaving the establishment.

A viable alternative to the free drinks is finding out days reserved by McDonald’s McCafe for half-price drinks at various locations. Visit the nearest restaurant and enjoy the drink at half price alongside your preferred item on the menu. On most Wednesdays, most McDonald’s locations offer various beverages at half price from 8:00 am.

Saving on Hash Browns

A popular item on the McDonald’s menu is the hash browns. They are so good that most customers order an extra portion. McDonald’s charges an extra buck for each. There are loopholes for saving on this delectable item, and we bet you’ll take advantage of them, especially if you love those potatoes.

When you purchase any meal at McDonald’s, the “Uplift Hash Brown” button on the till machine charges 50 cents for each piece. Meanwhile, McDonald’s employees are instructed to charge the full price for the hash browns unless you inquire about this button.

Saving on Sausage Egg McMuffin

The Sausage Egg McMuffin is a popular breakfast item. Sadly, it is quite pricey compared to other food at McDonald’s. If you look closely, there’s a simple substitution that will save you money and make your next trip to McDonald’s more worthwhile.

This is our favorite hack because it saves money on our favorite dish. Order a standard Sausage McMuffin with an extra portion of eggs to save some cash. Sausage McMuffins and Sausage Egg McMuffins are similar, with cost being the key difference. When you order add-ons, you get the delicious sandwich at a cheaper cost.

Vanilla Milkshakes

The legendary McDonald’s milkshake is a favorite, and most people can demolish them in less than a minute. You may wish to get one alongside every meal. You may really want dessert but are also craving the caffeine missing in regular milkshakes.

This hack can help you upgrade the ordinary milkshake to get a caffeine kick. At the counter, request for one expresso and your preferred milkshake. If you mix the two, you get a caffeinated milkshake that will you active for more hours at the office or house.

Mocha Frappes

Our next hack is reserved for strong coffee lovers who love trying different coffee types other than the normal old americano. Readily available options like mochas, lattes, and cappuccinos aren’t quite strong enough for some folks, and we have a solution to your sleepiness.

You don’t need mixology skills to make your Mocha Frappe caffeinated. At McDonald’s, you can make your coffee stronger by adding more caffeine. You can add shots of espresso into you’re your drink to get the desired caffeine content.

Apple Pies

If you love apple pies, try out the McDonald’s classic pies that have been present on the menu for years. Some pie lovers may also attest that ordering the regular apple flavor can be monotonous and bland. McDonald’s taps into the available niche by introducing novel pie flavors.

This hack ensures that you get a mouthwatering pie flavor every time you visit. You can mix two classic McDonald’s desserts: vanilla ice cream and apple pie for an amazing taste with an out of this word experience. The combination of ice cream and pies never goes wrong.

Buffalo Ranch Fries

Some people aren’t open to the idea of fries as a side unless they’re something special. If you are one of these types, you shouldn’t feel guilty because fries don’t fall on everybody’s favorites list. You can compensate by elevating ordinary fries to create a better product using readily available ingredients.

The next time you visit McDonald’s, you can order fries alongside a cup of buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. Add the ingredients into a takeaway bag and shake well to make your buffalo ranch fries ready to eat. We must warn you about how addictive the buffalo ranch fries are.

Crepes

McDonald’s has a list of entries among breakfast items. McDonald’s pancakes may be fluffy, but they’re not the most popular choice. If you learn to change the pancake into crepes, you’ll have more reasons to wake up before your alarm.

While ordering, you can ask for a kid’s fruit bag and make DIY crepes by mixing the two. The result is a delicious breakfast that you can devour to the last bite. The simple move can help you have a variety to choose from when getting a meal at any McDonald’s branch.

Chicken Salad

Don’t be quick to assume that every fast food restaurant serves only fattening food. McDonald’s menu has provisions allowing you to find something healthy. You may consider one of our favorite salads for the best experience at any McDonald’s branch without compromising your diet.

If you prefer a chicken salad, McDonald’s offers various items to mix and match to produce a quality salad. You can order the salad alongside your McNuggets. Slash the McNuggets into tiny pieces that you can combine with the salad for a perfect meal.

Floats

When you visit McDonald’s with children, you may want to order something special. Unfortunately, you may have difficulty choosing a delicious and budget-friendly combo. Ordering your ice cream and your child’s favorite soda may create a refreshing dessert is a great option.

This hack lets you create your float easily. You can order McDonald’s legendary vanilla ice cream alongside your child’s preferred soft drink. Put the ice cream in the cup, mix thoroughly, and recline your seat and watch the kids enjoying the float.

Fries as Desert

Have you ever tried fries as dessert? You may be quick to dismiss the thought, but we highly recommend it. You can order vanilla ice cream and a single serving of unsalted fries to get them while hot and fresh to change your attitude towards fries as an ideal dessert.

You can choose to salt the fries yourself or forego it. Proceed to dip your fries in the ice cream and take a bite. The result is a combination of salty, sweet, and crispy fries in every bite. We believe it’s a great way to change savory snacks into sweetened desserts that are unique every time.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Most folks spend the summer hunting for cold desserts like ice cream to cool down. Finding something new and exciting can be a challenge. This hack involves upgrading regular ice cream to a higher level with just a little effort on your part.

You can create an ice cream sandwich by mixing an Oreo McFlurry and soft-baked cookies. Unfortunately, your delicacy can get messier soon as the ice cream starts to melt and fall onto nearby surfaces. For the best experience, eat speedily.

Iced Lattes

Over the last decade, online platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Likee have built platforms for creative ideas. For instance, TikTok users have discovered an awesome hack for affogatos, which are coffee-based and prepared by combining a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a hot espresso shot. Unfortunately, affogatos are absent from the McDonald’s menu.

If you need an affogato fix on your next visit to McDonald’s, begin by ordering an iced latte. Based on your preferences, you can add shots of espresso and a scoop of plain vanilla ice cream. Mix the vanilla ice cream and iced latte to end up with an affogato to make your day brighter with every gulp.

Milk Teas

Most people around the world are crazy about boba milk teas. Unfortunately, you may be disappointed because McDonald’s has not included milk teas on its menus yet. But those who are huge fans of milk should not despair. We have a hack for you!

This simple hack helps you make it (without boba) from two items on the McDonald’s menu. You can order a cup of sweet tea and request creamer. If you mix the two, you get a delicious cup of milk tea to drink.

Buns Alternative

Most original burger buns have a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Picky children and adults may steer clear of original burger buns since the sesame seeds will be present in every bite. Picking out the seeds may be time-consuming, especially if you’re super hungry.

You don’t have to worry about the sesame seeds hidden inside your burger with this hack. McDonald’s has another kind of bun for you. You can request a change of buns to swap the regular seeded one with the steamed buns.

Nasi Lemak Burger

The Nasi Lemak burger falls among popular Malaysian foods. McDonald’s has recently added the legendary burger to its menu temporarily to win more clients. Unfortunately, the removal of the Nasi Lemak from the menu came unannounced leaving most lovers with broken hearts and intense hunger for the Malaysian delicacy.

If you are among the heartbroken lovers of the Nasi Lemak burger, you can take advantage of loopholes used by others. Order extra sambal (if they have it) and get a banana pie and burger at $9.40. The Nasi Lemak may open doors for you to seek other menu mixing options.

Caesar Salad

Most people aren’t aware of the healthier meals available on the McDonald’s menu even after visiting the restaurant several times. This second salad option can blow your mind. Even if you are trying to avoid most of McDonald’s menu, you can still visit the restaurant.

At your nearest location, ask for a side Caesar with two grilled chicken breasts. You can eat the chicken breasts as mains with a salad on the side or rip the chicken breasts into tiny sizes of your preference. This might end up being your new go-to meal.

Eggs Alternative

Eggs are delicious and ideal meal additions. But many people are not fans of fast-food eggs. If you detest a peculiarly folded pre-cooked egg patty that is reheated, rubbery, and rich in odd flavors, this hack can make your future visits more worthwhile.

For a better experience, request the staff to replace the eggs with round eggs, which are specifically reserved for breakfast in most cases, except for special requests. Those serving you will cater to your needs by replacing your eggs without charging you extra.

Land, Sea, and Air Burger

McDonald’s offers a wide collection of burgers that you may choose from. We have also faced the challenge of choosing the best patties for your burger. If you can’t choose between Filet-O-Fish, McChicken, and a beef patty, consider this burger on your next visit.

McDonald’s offers the Land, Sea, and Air Burger as an exclusive burger with McChicken, a beef patty, and a Filet-O-Fish squeezed together with buns in between. Each burger is huge enough to feed two or three light eaters craving McDonald’s burgers. You will likely seek an additional burger after tasting the first.