These 15 Menu Items Should Be Avoided At All Costs, According To Workers At Popular Fast-Food Restaurants

Fast food is tasty and super convenient, but if you're looking for high-quality eats, it's no secret that the drive-thru probably isn't your best bet.

A man gagging
Paramount

Reddit user u/Skylion72 wanted to know the dirty secrets about some of the most popular types of fast food, so they asked current and former employees to share the menu items "people should absolutely stop ordering" from their restaurants.

Woman saying "Oh no"
NBC

Here are some of the most shocking — and gagworthy — replies:

1."I worked at Einstein Bros. Bagels, which is basically fast food. Don't order anything with eggs — they aren't real eggs, and if business is slow, they could have been sitting in a container for hours after they were microwaved."

Sandra Oh saying "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

2."Don’t get decaf coffee at Burger King. Maybe this was just the one I worked at, but we didn’t actually brew any decaf. Whenever someone ordered it, my manager would just have me water down the regular coffee."

u/halnation

3."Waffle House cook here. The grits can sit for hours, and managers will try to keep them looking fresh even though they cost next to nothing to buy."

u/TCSongun

4."The cupcakes/coffee cakes at Panera all come frozen. The best items are the real sandwiches and salads. They have real ingredients and are usually fresh."

u/President_Pancake

5."I used to work at Jack in the Box. I don't know why anyone orders the bacon cheddar potato wedges. It's fake cheese with fake bacon on fried potatoes. I'm trying to remember the ingredients list on the cheese, but I distinctly recall that the packaging did not say it contained dairy. It also smelled like feet."

Jimmy Fallon wearing a long, blonde wig and tube top and saying "EW!"

6."Don't order any of the Coffee Bean drinks at Krispy Kreme. They never, ever change the ice chest."

u/borednangsty

7."I used to work at Panda Express. Don't buy any shrimp entrées if you actually want a full meal. They purposely use a smaller serving spoon to make it appear as if you're getting a lot of food. I believe six shrimps per serving max was the policy."

u/noodlez5120

8."Tropical Smoothie Cafe. All of the smoothies, except the detox ones, have SO much sugar in them."

u/serpentmurphin

9."I worked at Long John Silver's in 2006. We microwaved the 'baked cod on a bed of rice' on a paper plate."

Amy Poehler looking grossed out in Parks and Rec

10."Burgers from Sheetz are microwaved. The grill marks are fake. Bacon is microwaved too. Also, don't drink the fucking peanut butter shakes. One particular peanut butter shake had nearly 2,000 calories in it."

u/Charbarzz

11."I worked at an AMC theater for two years. Do not buy the coffee unless it's early morning, when we first open. Otherwise you're gonna drink coffee that's been sitting out for a solid five hours at least."

u/cleversystem

12."Former Applebee's employee here. It's not quite fast food, but fast and casual dining. So much of the food is in frozen, vacuum-sealed packages that are thawed in vats of boiling water or microwaved. The things that need to look nice spend one to two minutes on each side on a grill for appearance, but they are NOT fresh (think steaks, burgers, and chicken breasts)."

u/Releigh17

13."I used to work as a server at Outback Steakhouse. The Bloomin' Onion costs around 70 cents to make, and they sell it for like $8."

Woman saying "it's a rip-off"

14."I worked at Starbucks. Nobody who values their health should order a white mocha anything. That white mocha shit is also disgusting to work with."

u/majortom12

15."I work at Chick-fil-A. The only thing I would be iffy about is the chicken salad sandwich. We cool some of the chicken once its hold time is up, de-bread it, and use it in the chicken salad."

u/toxlab

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.