"McDonald's, Put This On The Menu Immediately": Fast-Food Workers Eat These Secret Menu Items All The Time, And This TikToker Proved That They're Worth Trying For Yourself
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If you've ever wondered what fast-food employees eat on the job with an entire menu of possibilities at their disposal, this post is for you. Meet Alexis Frost, a food-obsessed digital creator who's become wildly popular on TikTok for her Eating What Employees Would Order series. In the series, she tries employee-approved custom creations from well-known fast-food chains and restaurants — and weighs in on whether they're worth ordering for yourself.
To date, she's shared almost 90 droolworthy (and occasionally questionable) employee orders with her 2.3 million followers. Basically, if you can think of a popular chain restaurant, she's probably tried an employee order or two from them. She's covered everything from classic fast-food spots like McDonald's and Taco Bell to fast-casual restaurants like Panera Bread and Chipotle.
Alexis Frost / Via tiktok.com
Alexis shared that initially, the series was really intended as a means for her to connect with her followers. Since she already had a ton of fast-food employees in her community, it felt like a natural way to highlight their experiences. "I was in education for 15 years, and building rapport was my thing," Alexis told BuzzFeed, "so I'm always trying to think of new ways to build that sense of community."
But for the hundreds of suggestions and positive reactions she's received, there's always a commenter or two who likes to point out that ordering off-menu items might annoy the workers who have to assemble them. But Alexis's kindness-first approach hasn't failed her yet.
"The way I look at it, the employees are doing me a favor, and I treat them accordingly," Alexis told BuzzFeed. And when an employee's suggestions involve simply mixing two or more food items, like in this Neapolitan milkshake, she'll frequently order the items separately and combine them herself to spare the workers the unnecessary stress. "I really try to take into consideration that I'm coming into someone's place of employment and potentially making their job more difficult," she added.
Of all the custom orders she's tried to date, some have certainly stood out more than others. These 12 are a combination of her all-time favorites, plus the ones that I'm personally just dying to try for myself.
(And remember: If you try any of these at your local fast-food restaurant, be kind and tip accordingly.)
1.Chick-fil-A — DIY Lemon Pepper Nuggets
HOW TO ORDER: To try this one yourself, all you'll have to order from Chick-fil-A is the Chick-fil-A nuggets. The rest can come together in your own kitchen. To the nugget container, add a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a healthy dose of Texas Pete hot sauce, and some cracked black pepper, then shake to combine. (And dip them in ranch, obviously.)
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "I love that lemon on there. The mixture is perfect."
2.Chipotle — "Cheesy Gordita Crunch" (but Fresher)
HOW TO ORDER: Ask for hard-shell tacos with the protein, toppings, and sauces of your choosing — Alexis's order was for barbacoa, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, and red-hot sauce. Then order three Kid's Quesadillas, which are simply made with melted cheese in the middle. You'll unfold the quesadillas, place each taco into the middle, fold, and devour. Think of it as a fresher, more customizable version of Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "Absolutely delicious. A little bit messy, but a 10."
3.McDonald's — Even-Better Chicken McNuggets
HOW TO ORDER: You'll ask for a six-piece order of Chicken McNuggets with a side of their crinkle-cut pickles and some ranch dipping sauce. Then you'll stack each nugget with a slice of pickle and dip them together into the ranch.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "I was not expecting that — 10. Ooh, that's good."
4.Wendy's — Chicken Sandwich x Burger
HOW TO ORDER: It might seem a little extra, but Alexis swears it's delicious. And I believe her. Ask for the Classic Chicken Sandwich with an added beef patty. If your local Wendy's can't accommodate that customization, you can easily order a Jr. Hamburger (plain!) for less than $2 and add the beef patty to the chicken sandwich yourself.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "That is...absolutely delicious."
5.Starbucks — "Cheesecake" Frappuccino
HOW TO ORDER: Ask your barista (nicely) for a Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino with the following customizations: strawberry puree walls, three pumps of raspberry syrup, sweet cream, and one pump of white mocha. According to Alexis, as well as the Starbucks barista who suggested it, it truly tastes just like a slice of strawberry cheesecake.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "Delicious. A 10."
6.Panera Bread — Creamy Tomato Mac 'n' Cheese
HOW TO ORDER: No "off-menu" orders necessary here. Just order a You Pick Two with their Mac 'n' Cheese + Creamy Tomato Soup, then carefully pour the tomato soup over the mac as you eat it.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "Oh my god. What the hell? So creamy and so delicious."
7.Dairy Queen — "Cookie Jar" Blizzard
HOW TO ORDER: If you've never had a Blizzard, it's basically soft-serve blended with toppings of your choice...and it's delicious. While this particular Blizzard actually used to be on DQ's official menu, that's no longer the case. That said, it's still pretty easy to order: Just ask for a Blizzard made with vanilla ice cream with Oreos, cookie dough, and hot fudge mixed in.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "The most delicious thing I've ever had."
8.Carl's Jr. — Hacked Jalapeño Chicken Tenders
HOW TO ORDER: This is a "DIY" hack, so to speak, so you'll grab the menu items you need to make it happen and mix them in the comfort of your own home or car. Just order the three-piece chicken tenders and a side of waffle fries, and ask for some "fiery sauce" and pickled jalapeños on the side. Cut the tenders into bite-size pieces, then shake everything together in the box.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "The chicken, the sauce, the jalapeños...everything is a 10."
9.Dunkin' — Blueberry Pancake Iced Latte
HOW TO ORDER: Ask for an iced latte (the size is up to you) with oat milk in lieu of traditional dairy. Instead of the traditional sweetener, ask them to add French vanilla swirl and blueberry syrup. As the TikTok commenter and Dunkin' employee suggests, "It tastes like a blueberry pancake."
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "If you know me, you know that I don't love Dunkin'. But this, I might be able to deal with!"
10.Subway — Pepperoni Pizza Flatbread
HOW TO ORDER: You'll order the Pizza Sub, which is just pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and their marinara sauce. But instead of putting it on a traditional roll, ask them to use their flatbread instead — and importantly, request for it to be double-toasted for that optimal pizza crust–esque crunch.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "The pepperoni is really good! I give it like an 8."
11.McDonald's — "Ultimate" Spicy Chicken Sandwich
HOW TO ORDER: McDonald's Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich is undeniably delicious, yet pretty barebones as is (à la the Chick-fil-A version it's inherently similar to). You can make it even better by ordering the sandwich with extra spicy pepper sauce and extra crinkle-cut pickles and adding cheese and bacon — likely for an up-charge.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "This is probably the best idea any employee has ever had. McDonald's: Put this on the menu immediately."
12.KFC — Famous Bowl With Mac 'n' Cheese
HOW TO ORDER: According to an actual KFC manager, you'll order a Famous Bowl but ask for half mashed potatoes and half mac 'n' cheese instead of all potatoes. If they're unable to modify it, you can also order a side of mac and mix it up at home, as Alexis did.
ALEXIS'S TAKE: "This bite has mashed potatoes and gravy, cheese, chicken, corn, and mac 'n' cheese. Delicious."
