Neil Patrick Harris' McDonald's trick leaves people divided
Neil Patrick Harris has shared his McDonald’s order hack but, as with all fast-food wisdom, not everyone is convinced.
The former How I Met Your Mother star is clearly a fan of Maccies fries, and, frankly, who can blame him? During a recent Jolly interview, Harris was asked about his go-to McDonald’s order when the conversation turned to fries.
“McDonald’s probably has the best of the fast food fries,” Harris declared.
But there’s a catch. The YouTuber pointed out that the beloved fries ‘age very badly’.
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That prompted Harris to reveal his own ‘pro tip’ for securing a fresher batch.
“If you order fries, order them fresh,” he said.
He then revealed his usual order: “I get the two cheeseburger meal and I say no onions. That means that they have to make them fresh and then as long as they’re there I say get the fresh fries.”
The tip soon sparked a flurry of discussion online, with fellow McDonald’s fans sharing their own tips and tricks.
One popular suggestion? Asking for fries without salt. The logic is that because McDonald’s normally salts fries after they come out of the fryer, a no-salt request can mean staff need to cook a fresh batch rather than hand over fries that have already been made.
One former McDonald’s worker on X responded to Harris’ order and confirmed the rumour about fries.
They said: “Pro tip from a past McDonald’s worker. Ask for no salt on your fries and they have to wipe down the bay so there’s none on it and then they have to cook them fresh.”
A McDonald’s customer claims they have a simple way to guarantee their fries are as fresh as possible and it doesn’t involve asking for them 'fresh' at all.
Instead, they always order their fries without salt, before adding their own seasoning once they get them.
“I always order my fries with no salt on, then they’re literally as fresh as they possibly ever be, and then get some salt packs from there and put your own on,” they explained.
Another foodie backed up the tactic, suggesting it could be an easy way to get a piping-hot batch without making a complicated request.
“Or my hack is just tell them no salt on the fries and they will give you fries fresh and you can just sprinkle salt after,” they wrote.
But when it comes to Harris’ burger trick, the internet was considerably less convinced.
One former McDonald’s employee took to TikTok to challenge the idea that asking for no onions automatically means a fresh batch of beef.
“‘No onions’ doesn't mean you'll get fresh 9:1 patties,” they claimed. “You would need to say no seasoning for the meat to make it fresh. The queuing cabinet has or at least had a 15 minute timer before they had to be tossed, whenever I worked there.”
Another alleged former employee offered a similarly sceptical take, writing: “I worked at McDonald's. Ordering no onions doesn't mean you get them fresh, it means you get them out of the warmer that says no onions.”
Others, meanwhile, had their own suggestions for getting the freshest possible meal. One customer recommended ordering the patties without seasoning alongside the no-salt fries, writing: “You can get the burger patties no seasoning and have fresh patties made along with no salt on the fries to have hot fries.”
Still, there is something slightly ironic about ordering fast food only to add extra steps and potentially slow the whole process down, unless, of course, there’s an allergy or dietary reason for the request.
“My mum asks for fresh fries at her local Maccies every time and she's convinced everyone working there hates her for it,” one commenter remarked.
One social media user summed up that side of the debate, saying: “I'm not going to burden the poor McDonald's workers in the US with a special order.”
The ‘no salt on fries’ hack has been discussed on the internet before but this is perhaps the first time a celebrity has said they also do it.
A Reddit comment from 13 years ago posted by an alleged former colleague who left the job four years prior confirmed the ‘no salt on fries’ request.
“If you order a burger or fries, always ask them without salt or the seasoning on the burger, they will have to make them fresh since they always put each on them, that is if you don't mind waiting five minutes.”
Topics: McDonalds , Fast Food, Social Media
Greg Harris