TikTok Is In Stitches Over A Fresh Nuggets Wendy's Debacle

It's not difficult to find a fast food chain today. In fact, according to IBIS World, there are 197,163 fast food locations in the United States as of 2022. It's pretty wild to think about how ubiquitous fast food has become when the concept has only been around for just over 100 years. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the first fast food eatery was White Castle. The first location opened in Kansas in 1921.

While fast food locations are common, do you know what goes on behind the drive-thru window? Until recently, the only people who truly knew what happened in fast-food kitchens were people who worked in them. The advent of social media has changed all that. Fast food employees are sharing secrets from the friers. You will be shocked to discover what happens when you ask for fresh nuggets or french fries if you go into a location close to closing. Your fresh chicken nuggets might not be as fresh as you think.

If you've ever asked for fresh chicken nuggets at the end of the night at Wendy's, your pipping hot nuggets might not have been as fresh as you think. A Wendy's employee who goes by the username RaySavvv on TikTok shared how they deal with customers who request fresh chicken nuggets just before closing.

According to RaySavvv, customers who ask for fresh food close to closing get already prepared nuggets. To ensure they are hot and crisp enough to deceive the drive-thru customers, they throw the nuggets back into the frier. A quick pass through the frier makes the nuggets look and taste brand new, despite them being anything but.

While some commenters were bothered by the deception, others insisted they were fine with it as long as the nuggets tasted fresh. Whether or not it's a safe practice is up for debate. Still, all fast food eateries have to adhere to food safety standards. Chicken nuggets must meet Time-Temperature Control for Safety standards, so they have to be thrown out if they've sat in a warming tray for too long, according to eFoodHandlers. RaySavvv isn't the only fast-food employee using the trick, though.

The Wendy's employee who made the TikTok isn't the only person to use the reheating tactic. In fact, based on the comments and other similar videos, it seems like many fast-food employees have utilized the hack when customers ask for fresh food, especially later in the evening.

Several alleged fast-food employees took to the video's comments section to admit they do the same thing. An alleged Nando's employee said they reheat chicken with the same trick. TikTok users who claim to work at Wingstop, Burger King, and McDonald's also checked in, saying they use the hack to reheat fried foods for customers who ask for fresh items.

In August, The Daily Dot reported on a viral TikTok video made by a McDonald's employee. In the video, the employee explained that when customers complain that their fries are not fresh, the offending fries just get another go in the frier to give them new life.

So, if you think you're getting fresh fries or chicken nuggets when you ask for fresh ones, odds are, you are not. There is one way to ensure fresh fries, though. According to a Reddit user once employed by McDonald's, asking for salt-free fries is a surefire way to get a new batch. According to the user, if you want a fresh burger, asking for one without any seasoning will ensure your patty is hot off the grill.