The TikTok Series That Uncovers Employee Menu Suggestions

When you work at a restaurant, you get to know the ins and outs of the menu pretty quickly, especially if you often eat food from your workplace. But eating the same menu items over and over can get old quickly, so you might start to experiment by combining different ingredients with your dish (per BuzzFeed).

Even for customers, most restaurants make it easy to customize your meal — especially when ordering online. Many apps allow customers to select the base item and add or remove individual ingredients. Insider reports that restaurants featuring customizable food options have even seen an increase in popularity over the last few years. Restaurants that use an assembly line method of ordering — like Chipotle, Subway, or Mod Pizza — allow customers to be directly involved in the creation of their meals.

Former and current employees of restaurant chains can make some great suggestions of what to try for your next meal out. One TikTok user takes suggestions from employees about what to order from restaurants and documents them.

Self-described "Bay Area Foodie," TikTok user Alexis Frost shares videos with her 2.3 million followers in a series called "Eating What Employees Would Order." In her videos, Frost shares tips and tricks for maximizing your meal at your favorite fast food restaurants like Taco Bell, often submitted through comments by either employees or former employees of the chains. She tries the suggestions and rates them on a scale from one to 10, with 10 being must-try delicious.

In one video featuring food from Chipotle, she orders a burrito bowl with specific toppings, and three flour tortillas on the side to DIY multiple burritos by scooping the filling into the tortillas. In a video filmed at Red Robin, one employee suggests ordering French fries with a side of cheddar cheese, cheese sauce, and bacon to create your own loaded fries.

For Chick-Fil-A fans, one trick takes a little extra effort (per TikTok). She starts by ordering an eight-piece box of nuggets but brings her own lemon juice and ground pepper to sprinkle on top. She then adds a packet of Texas Pete hot sauce, closes the box, and shakes it to combine everything. When done, she enjoys her lemon pepper nuggets dipped in ranch.

Customizing foods can be an easy way for customers to enjoy a fully personalized dining experience. Forbes reports that restaurants see the benefits of customization, too. If consumers are allowed to fully enjoy their meal by adding an ingredient they love or removing one they dislike, they will be more likely to revisit that restaurant in the future.

Frequent personalization in restaurant apps can also help businesses learn what customers like. Forbes states that rewards apps will often save frequent orders, and provide loyalty-based rewards specific to each customer.

Alexis Frost often takes employee suggestions for what to eat, but she also posts her own reviews of foods at various restaurants, tries new menu items, and checks out viral food trends. She films herself enjoying meals at restaurants as part of her "Everything I Tried" series. The inside intel she gathers on how to customize beloved menu items might even provide inspiration for the next great proprietary food hack.