The McDonald's Breakfast Hack For Sweet, Fruit-Filled Pancakes

While McDonald's is great for a quick and filling breakfast, it doesn't offer much in the way of customization. Fortunately, innovating fast food lovers have discovered a fruit-forward way to elevate the chain's flapjack breakfast with a simple ordering trick. The next time you head to the Golden Arches for pancakes, add a Happy Meal to the mix and snag the fruit bag to combine with your hotcakes. Fruit and pancakes are a perfect pairing, and hacking your order at McDonald's allows you to elevate your meal on a budget.

Keep in mind that fruit selection varies according to where in the world you're located. At U.K. McDonald's locations, customers get a melon fruit bag, while customers in the U.S. will receive a bag of apple slices with their Happy Meals. Then there's the matter of possible age limits on Happy Meals, which some restaurants impose. According to Insider, age limits on kids' meals force adults to pay full price for their food, which boosts a business's bottom line. Accordingly, you may be wondering whether you can utilize this nifty hack the next time you visit McDonald's.

Unfortunately, it's somewhat difficult to determine whether McDonald's sets an age limit on its Happy Meals. The fast food chain makes no mention of age restrictions on its Happy Meal page, which makes sense when you consider lots of parents may order meals for their kids, either in person or via the McDonald's app or website.

However, a blurb on the company's fair ordering policy page is a bit murky. According to the statement, staff at McDonald's can refuse to sell a Happy Meal to a customer if "it does not appear to be intended for consumption by the purchaser or others within that purchaser's group, particularly if the number of Happy Meals ordered is more than 3 or if the customer appears to have placed a Happy Meal order earlier that day." This policy seems focused on the toys included within Happy Meals, which can sometimes become collector's items.

Additionally, McDonald's can impose new restrictions on purchases when it comes to themed Happy Meals, which may be in high demand and short supply. Based on this information, your mileage will most likely vary depending on the location you visit and whether you're purchasing a themed Happy Meal that's in high demand.

Let's say you have the misfortune of running into a real stickler for rules behind the counter during your next trip to McDonald's, and you're unable to secure your fruit bag. Fortunately, there's an alternative version of this hack that also works well if you're looking for a richer, sweeter pancake-based breakfast feast.

Among McDonald's many sweet treats is the hot fudge parfait. According to McDonald's website, this dessert consists of whipped cream, hot fudge, and ice cream, all of which are marvelous additions to pancakes. To concoct your own decadent breakfast or brunch meal, simply order both items and use a spoon to add the fudge, ice cream, and whipped cream to the center of the pancake before folding it in half. With this hack, you can enjoy a majorly upgraded breakfast on a shoestring, provided that pesky ice cream machine is up and running.