The Reason You'll Never Get Your Burger Cut In Half At McDonald's

Have you ever ordered a Big Mac from McDonald's and realized your desire for meaty goodness outpaced your appetite? In this case, don't expect McDonald's staff to cut your burger in half says Mike Haracz, TikTok culinary legend and previous Manager of Culinary Innovation at the Golden Arches. Employees at the chain would be unable to fulfill your request as McDonald's kitchen is completely without knives, according to a video posted by Haracz on TikTok. While running a kitchen without knives seems impossible, Haracz stated that the famous fast-food establishment, which prizes efficiency, receives ingredients like tomatoes and onions prepped and ready to go.

Haracz went on to say that the restaurant also utilizes special tools for opening packages or chopping lemon wedges. According to a Prince Castle catalog for McDonald's, many of these items are included in the Smallwares section. For example, the Citrus Saber is used to create "uniform and attractive wedges" easily and efficiently. If an employee was tasked with cutting lemons on their own, the process would take longer, and the resulting wedges would probably vary greatly in size and shape.

It's estimated that McDonald's locations all over the world serve more than 69 million customers on a daily basis. With this volume of customers, the chain naturally must streamline processes wherever it can. This explains why beloved but complicated menu items typically get the axe, such as the unlikely-to-return snack wraps. Along with aiming to create quality food that customers will enjoy, McDonald's is also dedicated to getting orders completed as quickly as possible, which means that it can serve even more customers.

@chefmikeharacz

Replying to @that1guyinthecomments Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about knives in the kitchen. #mcdonaldssecrets #McDonaldsSecret #mcdonaldsworker #mcdonaldslife #McDonaldsTikTok #FastFood #FastFoodSecrets #FastFoodSecret #FastFoodTikTok #McDonaldsmenu

♬ original sound – Chef Mike Haracz

Accordingly, Mike Haracz's claim that McDonald's doesn't keep knives in its kitchen makes sense, as the chain has meticulously developed processes to keep things on track. However, some commenters point out that a lack of knives doesn't necessarily mean that it's impossible for customers to get their burgers and sandwiches cut in half. According to one person, their local McDonald's complied with the request by using a spatula to slice their order into two separate pieces. Conversely, another person claiming to work at McDonald's said they weren't allowed to cut menu items in half because it would render serving sizes "inaccurate."

While Mike Haracz is a great source of insider McDonald's knowledge, it helps to remember that the restaurant is made up of many franchises. Accordingly, practices may vary, including the presence of knives in the kitchen. As stated on Reddit, some establishments have included knives in kitchens in the past, including McDonald's locations in Canada. In this case, a staff member claimed that there were "several knives," which were used to cut up vegetables as well as cheese.

However, many other commenters stated the exact opposite, claiming that no knives could be found at their McDonald's locations. Instead, different tools were used during food prep, such as "slicers and choppers." One person stated that their location did include a knife previously, which was used to prepare wraps, but that the cutting tool disappeared along with the wraps themselves. While it might seem strange that a world-famous dining establishment doesn't use knives in its kitchen, McDonald's seems to be making it work.