25 Chain Restaurant Employees Reveal Industry Secrets Customers Wouldn’t Know

From McDonald’s golden arches to KFC’s colonel, chain restaurants operate all around the world. However, there are still plenty of things we don’t know about them—every business wants to get ahead of the competition, and to do so, they might try practices they want to keep on the down-low.

#1

Image source: SlimJD, Batteman87

I used to work for Chick-Fil-A back in high school. Practically everything but the waffle fries and maybe the chicken salad (someone else confirm this) were made in the store. We breaded the chicken, we assembled the cool wraps, and I would cut countless boxes of fresh lemons, squeeze them in a machine and add sugar every shift. There is not a thing on the menu that I would not eat. Moreover, the employees would get to take home the cool wraps if there were any at the end of the night.

#2

Image source: oh_okay_, Louis Hansel

Protip: When you ask your server for something, add “when you have a second”. E.g. “Can I have a refill when you have a second?” 9 times out of 10 the basic human empathy you showed by acknowledging that you personally are not the centre of this very busy, very stressed worker’s existence, will prompt them to put your needs as high up on their list as they can. It always worked on me. F*****g witchcraft.

#3

Image source: themicahnator

Not a restaurant, but we serve food too. The $7 tub of popcorn you buy at a movie theater costs about 9¢ to make.

#4

Image source: VictoryVino, mamaonfire

I used to work at Romano’s Macaroni Grill and their delicious Rosemary Herb Bread comes in frozen and is stored at room temperature. It must be loaded with a million kinds of preservatives to last sitting two weeks in a storage closet.

#5

Image source: burnswuff

At Chipotle, the servers usually put more ingredients into the bowl version rather than the burrito version. However, you can ask for the wrap on the side when you order the bowl version for no extra cost. This way, you can make your own burrito with more ingredients for the same price.

#6

Image source: furlonium, summerstormh

Worked at Red Lobster as a stocker. The biscuits are baked then brushed with an oily coating to give them most of their flavor. Also you have no idea how God d**n good those things are the second they’re outta the oven.

#7

Panera is pretty much just as bad for you as McDonald’s. People come in thinking they’re eating healthy, but they’re really not.

The Italian Combo used to have more than a thousand calories, but they took some stuff off so it’s 980 now. All the soups have >1000mg of sodium (Italian Combo has >2000mg or a day’s worth). A You Pick Two with Broccoli Cheddar, Frontega, and bread on the side is not significantly different from a McDouble with medium fries.

EDIT: And the “fresh-squeezed lemonade” is made from cartons of concentrate and regular old faucet water. Green tea is the same.

Image source: capgras_delusion

#8

Image source: Ospov, Getty Images

I used to be a waiter and it wasn’t my fault that it’s taking forever for your food to come out. That’s the kitchen’s fault. Yelling at me won’t make it come out any faster. You’re just making me sad and ruining my night :( I’m a person too.

#9

Image source: foreverataglance, Getty Images

How slippery floors in the kitchen can be, and how f*****g hot plates can be when running food. Forever more I will always tip my waitstaff well.

#10

Image source: BIG_JUICY_TITTIEZ, Daniel Reche

Not a chain, but I work at a burger joint with a few locations around the area.

1) I can’t do S**T about our prices. I’m a cashier, I don’t decide the prices individually.

2) Nobody spits in food unless you’re ordering at the trashiest restaurant in the most ghetto area of town. Not only would I not want that done to me, but if someone found out then I would get my a*s canned faster than you can say “horse testicles”. We’ll just complain about you out back.

#11

Image source: PaulMcGannsShoes, mcslippinz

Former Starbucks employee here and here’s a secret:

*No one cares if you don’t like the price or the coffee.* They still make millions without you. Go be hipster someplace else.

#12

Image source: KirchoffRegime, ewarner3002

I work at a Papa John’s and as you may know Papa John’s brags about never frozen ingredients. Well, that’s a big lie. Every time that we get a truck with food all the meats are frozen. The apple pie topping also comes frozen. The only things that don’t come frozen are the dough and the vegetables.

#13

Image source: BridgetteBane, JK1104

Chipotle’s deep, dark secret… It’s 50/50 lemon lime juice in the rice. Oh no! Seriously, that place was above-board all around.

#14

Image source: missmaryalice, nevvsoul

I also used to work at Applebees, and can confirm that steaks are microwaved. At the location I was at the cooks threw them on the grill after the microwave to get char marks on them. Seriously guys, don’t order steaks there.

#15

The better question might be—who has worked at a restaurant and would still happily eat there? I used to work at Paragary’s restaurants in Sacramento (for 3 years) and they are still one of my favourite places to eat. seems to me that is a mark of a good restaurant.

Image source: lennui

#16

Image source: GODDAMNFOOL, RevDrDeLeon

Don’t eat at Golden Corral. Ever.

DON’T.

F*****G.

**EAT.**

***AT GOLDEN CORRAL***.

#17

Image source: BigGreenYamo, Aashish Singh

Worked at Burger King in the 1990s. Aside from the half the crew being permanently s****d, there were no real shenanigans. We wouldn’t serve anything that hit the ground, made most things to order, threw out old and stale s**t.

Hell, we even threw out the frozen meat we played frisbee with.

#18

I worked at a Culver’s a few years ago, and some people know, but I don’t think many do, the burgers are fresh. They are portioned out hamburger, not pre-made patties. They take a cube of hamburger and press it on the grill as soon as you say you want a Butterburger. Also, chicken salad is made fresh every Wednesday morning.

So unlike Wendy’s that says they have fresh, never frozen burgers (I find it hard to believe), Culver’s actually does. And for those that don’t know Culver’s, it’s a “fast food” burger/ice cream restaurant. After eating there for a year, I still am not sick of it.

Image source: anon

#19

Image source: MechanicalBird, Rauf Allahverdiyev

Former Domino’s Employee here. Something that I didn’t realize was that your delivery driver gets paid $3.15 an hour for all the time spent on the road. Please tip well. They do not get reimbursed for gas and are using their personal cars. If your pizza was late, it is much, much more likely that it was the manager’s fault (the managers are the only ones allowed to make the pizzas). You work s****y hours and there is absolutely no way you are getting a Friday or Saturday night off because that’s when everyone wants pizza. They will most likely be working from 5 PM to 2 or 3 AM on those nights and then if you’re opening the store on Sunday, you’ll be back at 11 AM. Domino’s isn’t even good.

#20

Image source: mannequinsmile, Visual Karsa

I work at McDonald’s. I’m f*****g sick of people asking me if I can make a suggestion that we should have the Big Tasty all year round, or that we should try and bring in a new type of McFlurry. I’m like ‘Yeah, I’ll just go give Ronald a call and let him know..’. The only person I can tell is my manager and he won’t give a c**p.

#21

Image source: Invisllama, DIYrrr

The servers are in charge of making bread sticks at Olive Garden. I can’t remember exactly how it worked but all the soup/salad/bread sticks were done by the servers. Two servers would usually be scheduled to be in charge of those things. I can’t remember if the breadsticks were frozen or fresh…but I think they were fresh. As soon as they came out of the oven they were slathered in butter and salted, and they usually didn’t last long. So chances are the breadsticks you get at Olive Garden are gonna be fresh and tasty. We were told that a table gets one bread stick per person and then one extra…this did not help curb massive consumption of bread sticks.

Once we had to throw out a bunch of old boxes…one of which I managed to take home. I ate bread sticks for at least a month…it was glorious.

#22

Image source: straightclownin, Robi Pastores

I work at mcdonalds: if you ever want to get fresh fries cooked hot for you order them with no salt. The normal fries can get old and if you order no salt then we have to make a new batch and not add salt. It will take 3 extra minutes but you will get freshass fries and you can salt them yourself.

#23

Image source: anon, Zhuo Cheng you

The “delivery fee” is not a tip that goes to delivery drivers.

#24

Image source: UnderD4Donut, dragonwhisp3rer

Chili’s

The molten cake that everyone seems to love is frozen. The paradise pie is frozen. If you complain that your food isn’t hot enough, it just goes into the microwave. Oh, and people used to ask for the queso recipe all the time…it’s delivered to the restaurant in a bag. The cooks would just heat it up and dump it in a skillet.

When the dishes came out of wash, there would still be wet lettuce and food particles stuck on the plates and silverware, and we’d just wipe it off. Makes me want to use plastic ware at every restaurant now.

Most of these things probably aren’t secrets though.

#25

Image source: lauralouhoo, Christopher Stites

When you complain that the coffee isn’t fresh, we take your cup, add hot water to it, and give it back to you. no one has ever been able to tell the difference and usually go on about how much better it tastes now.