These Are the Fast Food Items to Avoid at All Costs, According to Employees

So, about that Starbucks "secret menu"...

By Julia Hays Mar 30, 2016 5:22 PMTags
Fast food, Hamburger, ManicureGetty Images

These fast food hacks are about to change your life.

And by "hacks" we mean these are the items you never want to order, according to the fast food employees of Reddit.

It could be that these foods have been sitting out the longest or you may not realize they're frozen first.

Maybe it's because they're not up-to-code.

What we can say is these fast food fails were shared by workers via Reddit, which means it could just be certain locations or managers to blame... a.k.a. not all Carl's Jr.'s have this chicken tender issue.

For your information, before you hit the drive-thru, these are some things you may want to think twice about before ordering:

1. Subway's "oven roasted" chicken: According to one employee, at their Subway location, it's "actually boiled in a microwave."

So it is still being cooked, but that "oven roasted" thing may not be exactly what you're thinking.

2. Starbucks' frozen food: "All Starbucks food is reheated frozen food," says Reddit user likeabaker.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't taste good, it's just not fresh at all and incredibly overpriced."

3. Starbucks' "secret menu" items: Speaking of the coffee chain, workers warn against ordering "secret" items, since they often don't know what it is that you want.

"We sure as s--t don't know what a Snickerdoodle frappuccino is, as it is not a menu item," says one worker. "Employees would be more than happy to make you a drink if you just explain the recipe rather than the name of it."

4. Chipotle's tacos: Want a menu hack for Chipotle's tacos? Try ordering a bowl with a side of taco shells. "You get less than half the regular portions" when you order tacos, says one employee.

Free hard or soft shells on the side, plus a bowl with whatever you want in it, gets you more bang for your buck.

5. 7-Eleven taquitos or hotdogs: Between midnight and 5 a.m., the hot food items at the convenience chain may not be as fresh, warns one former worker.

"That hotdog might have more miles than your car."

6. Burger King's chicken items: In a rush? You may want to stick with a Whopper.

"If you're really short on time, don't count on chicken tenders or grilled chicken sandwiches or salads being made quickly at Burger King," Reddit's shmandameyes says.

The reason? Tenders aren't ordered as often, so if they're made-to-order, you're going to have to wait.

7. Arby's fried chicken: The same goes for impatient chicken lovers at Arby's.

"We serve roast beef so if you order fried chicken in the drive through, you're going to be directed to pull forward into the wait slot of the parking lot and you will sit there for like 8 minutes."

8. Dairy Queen's salads: According to one worker, you may not be getting as much salad as you think at the ice cream chain.

"They just recently down-sized them while changing the bowl to make it look like the same amount."

9. Buffalo Wild Wings' non-wings items: Craving something fresh?

"Don't get anything other than the wings," is what Reddit user HunterOfTheSky says. "Everything else is frozen."

10. Auntie Anne's pretzel dogs: Apparently they "shrivel up and get all chewy" when sitting in the warmer, so you want to make sure you're ordering a fresh pretzel dog.

11. Carl's Jr./Hardee's chicken tenders: It's always worth asking for a fresh batch, which may take 5-10 minutes to make, as some tenders may have been sitting out, says one worker.

"We were supposed to throw them out after 20 minutes. We were told not to do that. We would sometimes serve 1-2 hour old tenders."

12. Wendy's fries: Because they allegedly may come with a very iffy motto... "They aren't old until they're sold."

13. Sonic's chili: One ex-employee says the chili "comes in a bag, gets warmed up in a metal tub and then sits for 10 hours until we run out and replace it."

So unless you're the first chili order of the day, maybe skip it altogether?

Speaking of fast food, watch the video below as Brie Larson chats about her burger surprise from Katy Perry...