The McDonald's Ordering Hack For Cheaper Food That Might Be A Total Myth

Thanks to its extensive and dedicated fan base, there are tons of McDonald's hacks that can score you a deal on your order. However, not everything you read online is 100% true — many savvy customers have attempted certain tricks only to discover that the employee has never heard of their ask, or it goes against company policies. One of these so-called McDonald's hacks instructs customers to ask for food that is about to be thrown away, hoping that the workers will hand it over for a serious discount.

A blog post on Rather-Be-Shopping shared their hack of asking for food that was "going begging," referring to menu items that "were made but not bought ... or perhaps they've been sitting under the heat lamp a little too long." Allegedly, employees would often sell them Big Macs for less than $1.50. Unfortunately, after extensive research, we're pretty sure this hack isn't exactly factual. If this customer did score discounted grub, they probably had some extra friendly employees at their local McDonald's who didn't care to follow the rules that the chain has set in place regarding food safety.

The popular fast food chain is no stranger to a good deal, but employees aren't likely to discount your meal because you ask for food that is about to be tossed out. In fact, there are rules in place that outline exactly how long different menu items are sellable before employees are instructed to throw ready-made foods away.

According to McDonald's website, "Beef products are held in a transfer bin for up to 10 minutes and fries are kept for up to 5 minutes." After that time, employees are instructed to toss out the prepared foods and make fresh ones. One Reddit user shared their frustration about these food safety policies, claiming, "If the customers' food was messed up, we shouldn't throw the whole order away." While this is a valid concern, many restaurants establish these rules for a reason. Restaurants that give away food that has been sitting out past the time it is considered fresh can get into serious trouble if the food is served to customers, even at a discount. In an attempt to prevent excessive food waste, McDonald's claims on its website that workers are instructed to only prepare foods that are "likely to be sold," but cannot give away food that has been sitting out longer than the designated time due to strict food safety policies.

More often than not, the prepared food that isn't sold to customers goes one of two places: into the trash, or home with the employees. If food is prepared but is not picked up for whatever reason, the food is discarded, unless a worker who is going on break wants to enjoy the meal for themselves. A Reddit thread confirmed that many McDonald's employees will partake in the abandoned food, depending on how lenient their manager is.

While the "going begging" hack isn't likely to score you a cheap burger, McDonald's would suggest that you rack up points on its mobile app and redeem rewards, or wait for crazy promotional deals like its 50-cent burger day. In recent years, many fans of the fast food chain have had to rely on savvy ordering hacks and promo deals to score a full meal, as McDonald's is increasingly becoming out of their price range.

If you've noticed that your wallet feels a bit lighter than usual after a trip to McDonald's, you're not alone. A TikTok posted in March 2023 exposed the soaring McDonald's prices, as the chain was asking $16.89 for a Big Mac combo meal in Connecticut. Commenters were understandably outraged, saying, "They can keep those burgers!!!! I'll never pay that." In 2022, CNBC reported that the price of a Big Mac increased by 40% in the past decade, referencing the Big Mac Index created by The Economist back in 1986, a study dubbed bugernomics.

While the prices vary slightly depending on the franchise location, they have risen consistently in the past few years due to inflation and growing demand. McDonald's higher menu prices are spooking customers who are experiencing serious financial fatigue, hence the rising popularity of menu "hacks" that promise slight relief from the pricey food offerings that once resided on the elusive dollar menu.