Fast Food Secrets We Learned From TikTok

At some point in our lives, we've all either worked in the fast food industry or enjoyed a meal from it. It's a tasty and guilty pleasure for many of us, and with social media in its current prime, we're able to forge a stronger connection with our favorite brands. We can interact with each company, follow Twitter wars between our favorite chains, and get sneak peeks of new meals coming our way through posts on their various social media platforms. 

But when it comes to TikTok, a whole new trend has been taking place. Current and former fast food workers are spilling the tea about all of the franchises they have worked at, exposing a whole other side of the places we have grown to love over the years. 

Below we've compiled some of the most revealing fast food secrets that have been exposed on TikTok. Be warned: Some of the things you may think you know about your favorite fast food, you may see in a whole new light after reading this.

Fans of Taco Bell know its bean burrito is absolutely delicious, but how are the refried beans are actually prepared?  TikTok user @homerolara0 spilled the beans as to how they're made at the fast food joint, and it's a rather interesting process. In the beginning of the video, we see an industrial-sized plastic bag and a beaker being filled with hot water. Then the contents of the bag, which turn out to be oddly shaped, cylindrical beans, are poured into a container. It's unclear what is really happening until we watch as the worker pours the hot water over top of the beans and stirs. Its kind of gross when you look at it, but the beans, which look so strange because they are pre-cooked and then rehydrated, have to be made somehow. 

As one of the vegetarian options on the menu and a great topping to add flavor with, Taco Bell's refried beans have been featured in multiple items, from the bean burrito and Burrito Supreme to the Nachos Bell Grande. But this realization has a few fans feeling thrown off. One user even compared the beans to their rabbit's food.  

Several others users, however, commented that they still plan on ordering items with refried beans from Taco Bell.  

Plenty of rumors and untold truths have been shared about Taco Bell's ground beef. But perhaps the craziest secret was revealed by user @caleb_lennon, who showed us how it is prepared. The step-by-step video opens with an employee grabbing from the freezer what turns out to be a plastic bag full of the beef. In step two, the bag of beef is dropped into a Thermalizer (which is used to reheat frozen food) for 30 minutes. From there, it seems the worker just waits until the meat is done to pull it out and sit it on the line. Once its there, they cut open the bag and dump the meat (which looks more like beans) into a dish for them to create your meals with later. 

Rather surprisingly, not only were some the commenters undeterred by the process, but one even chimed in asking where they can buy a bag of frozen beef.  

Cinnamon twists from Taco Bell are a staple of the franchise. Sweet, crunchy, and delicious, they're a treat many of us have enjoyed alongside a burrito or two. But how they're actually made might be surprising. When user @jada_harris1 posted a video showing how the cinnamon twists are brought to life, it had users surprised about one huge fact: They're made from dried pasta noodles. Unfortunately, the user's original video has been changed to private, but a duet video from @acgoofy25 allowed us to see what really goes down in Taco Bell's kitchen. 

In the beginning, we watch as the worker scoops the pasta, known as duros, and pours the pasta into the deep fryer pan before dropping them down in the frying oil. The noodles stay submerged for a couple of seconds and, then soon enough, you start to see them coming up on the surface and expanding. They are then taken out, seasoned with cinnamon sugar, and it's done. The process is rather unexpected, but it's definitely an interesting one, with one user commenting, "We could have been making this at home!"

The avocado toast at Dunkin' is an easy and quick bite to enjoy alongside a morning coffee or during a brunch with friends. But it turns out this seemingly basic-to-prepare item may be even easier for the employees to prepare than you thought. In a video posted by @hannz57, a piece of bread is first thrown in the toaster. When it is pulled out and rested on the counter, we see the worker open up a drawer and take out prepackaged avocado spread. Yep, you read that right: prepackaged spread. 

Those of you who assumed it was freshly made daily might be disappointed as we watch the worker open the package and spread the avocado across the piece of toast, before sprinkling some seasoning on top of it. The flavoring of the not-so-fresh avocado must be slightly off because one commenter noted, "It literally tastes like tuna. Thank you for this." Another commenter agreed, writing, "I tried it. It's not that bad but the avocado is not fresh."

McDonald's has been around for decades, and so has its sweet tea. Enjoyed by many during the summertime season, the beverage has provided a fresh taste that can't be compared, but is it really all that fresh? Two TikTokers have revealed a rather odd secret about the tea, and its one you would never guess. In a video of McDonald's secrets posted by @jodessy, she claimed the sweet tea is actually prepared in a mop bucket. She's not the only one who shared this allegation on the social media site, with user @alexnino_ purporting in a video, "You know that lovely sweet tea you love from McDonald's? You know, everyone loves it. Well, it's made in a mop bucket." Unfortunately, neither TikToker explained why this would be the case. 

And it turns out another McDonald's sweet tea secret was also shared on TikTok. User @erica.13.hayes alleged in a video that when she worked in McDonald's and the restaurant ran out of sweet tea, workers would take unsweetened tea and add pumps of liquid sugar into it. 

With two separate lanes going at the McDonald's drive-through nowadays, it's hard not to wonder how the employees can keep up with the order of things. TikToker @josephofficial_ revealed the secret we've all been wondering: Do drive-throughs take pictures of our cars? The answer is yes. 

"Have you ever wondered 'how does McDonald's always know what your order is?'" Joseph asked in a video posted in May. He goes on to explain, "In most McDonald's, there's usually two lanes, so the first thing we do when taking someone's order at McDonald's is hit the lane that we're on. For example, if you're on the inside lane, which is usually lane one, I hit lane one and then I take your order. Now, when I do that, it actually takes a picture of your car." 

He added that employees use the photo (which, according to him, is not stored) to ensure you're getting the correct order when you pull up to the window. It's an understandable concept, especially on the fast food franchise's busy days, and it's definitely not going to stop us from grabbing a double cheeseburger anytime soon.

Chipotle is a tasty and quick Mexican chain with a variety of choices and options that help customers to create their meals to their liking. From burritos and burrito bowls, to quesadillas and its delicious homemade chips, it's hard to resist enjoying a meal from the fast food joint. But what do we really know about all of its ingredients? A video from TikToker @bucko420, who claims to be a former Chipotle employee, initially praised the cleanliness of the franchise but then shared something that really disturbed him. 

"They save all of the s*** that you feel like they should throw away and they serve it to you in the morning," he alleged. "All of that stuff that you get in the morning is from last night, and some stores even save the rice. Imagine saving rice till the next day to serve. That's crazy."

That sounds like a stomachache waiting to happen to us. 

If you're still on board with eating at Chipotle, two TikTokers revealed major food secrets that will save you money when ordering your food. The first is from @lxtrr_, who claimed in a video that even though burrito bowls and burritos cost the same amount of money, you're actually getting more if you order a bowl. 

McDonald's sweet tea tea spiller @jodessy made things a whole lot easier for those who have been afraid to order a little extra due to the cost. "You can literally go crazy with add ons, like add extra everything, even an extra tortilla, for free," she said in her video. "The only things they charge you for are extra guac, tomatoes, and queso. Other than that, every other add-on is free no matter how much you get."

So, that means if you're already getting more in a burrito bowl and load up on extra toppings, you should be getting the best bang for your buck at Chipotle!

KFC's fried chicken is always paired best with its warm mashed potatoes covered in seasoned gravy. But TikTok user @rob.oh, who claims to have worked at the franchise for six years, posted a video in which he shares some mashed potato and gravy secrets. (For legal purposes, he made sure to note all of his claims are alleged.)

"Potatoes and gravy? Powder," he claimed, adding, if you get brown chunks in your gravy, it's not meat, but clumps of powder. Further, he alleged that certain KFC dishes use chicken that is frozen, cooked, and shredded the night before it is served, so you're not really getting it fresh. 

As there are many instant mashed potato mixes out there, it wouldn't be surprising that KFC's mashed potatoes are created from a powder mix. But we're hoping we don't get any lumpy gravy during our next trip to the fast food restaurant.

Perhaps one of the coolest fast food secrets exposed on TikTok was revealed by user @alexg_14 in a video posted May 2021. We've all been stuck in a busy Chick-Fil-A line, usually during their terrible lunch rush when the drive through line wraps around the building, not just once, but twice. It's hard enough for us to be patient, but it's difficult not to feel bad for the workers taking and gathering all of the orders. Well, thanks to @alexg_14, we now know how things work behind the scenes. Chick-Fil-A has a conveyor belt to help get all of the orders out on time and quickly. 

Based on the video, it seems once the meal is prepared, the kitchen places it onto the belt to send it to the drive through window for it to be handed to the customer. It's an idea we think all fast food franchises should incorporate into their restaurants. Surprisingly, a few of the commenters disagree, with one writing, "Bruh it would be so much easier to just ... hand it to them?"  Another commented, "Just America being more lazy for food that makes you lazy." 

Our take: We're all for something that makes someone's job less stressful. 

Domino's boasts its crusts are fresh, not frozen. But that may not be the case for other ingredients served at the popular pizza chain, at least according to two different TikTok users. 

"The vegetables and meats all come in bags," claimed @zachse in a video posted December 2020. "Some are fresh and some come canned." He also alleged that workers "don't always wear gloves when they are putting your vegetables in tubs. They have this thing called 'the food pit' of toppings that fall below the pizza, they make workers pick that pit and put the toppings back in their containers. That's why there's cross-contamination and you'll find random s*** in your pizza."

User @dylan_caberto added to the "food pit" conversation in his own video, claiming, "When we put toppings on your pizzas, some toppings don't make it on the pizza, they just fall into this bin that is mixed with dairy, mixed with veggies, mixed with meat, so if you order a veggie pizza, just know that it is touching meat juice."

Yikes! Be careful what you order from the pizza company. You may just end up with a piece of pepperoni that's not meant to be there.