McDonald's Is Onto Adults Who Order Happy Meals For Themselves

While perusing a restaurant menu, you might've noticed the phrase "for kids 12 years and under only." How rude of them to forbid you, an adult, from ordering a mini quesadilla or some macaroni and cheese, right?

Let's be real, though: If you want to order chicken nuggets, no one is going to stop you. You might get a funny look from your server or drive-thru worker, but it will be worth it in the end. Kids' meals are just more fun than adult meals, especially when they come with a toy. They also have another benefit — they come with smaller portions, which is great when you just need a snack and don't want to break the calorie bank.

Restaurants tend to discourage this practice because they make less money off kids' meals, which seems fair enough. However, as one person points out on Reddit, perhaps if restaurants offered options for smaller portions, adults would be less likely to try ordering off the kids' menu. Not all of us are capable of eating a Big Mac and large fries in one sitting. As it turns out, though, McDonald's knows all about this practice and poked fun at it on Instagram recently.

McDonald's official Instagram account recently posted a meme gallery including one that said, "When I order a Happy Meal for my 'kid' it's actually for me," and people took it personally. Over 600 fans commented on the post, as of publication, with many of them confessing to the practice.

One person said, "I get Happy Meals for me so I can be happy." And another commented, "I proudly order Happy Meals for myself." We couldn't agree more. Sometimes the Big Mac is just too much, and the hamburger Happy Meal is more appropriately-sized for our cravings. And, sometimes you aren't hungry enough to eat 10 chicken McNuggets, and you really want a Hot Wheels toy. We've all been there.

At the end of the day, you're free to order whatever you want. Particularly at a drive-thru, where no one knows nor cares whether or not you have a kid in the backseat. So, order a Happy Meal if that's what you want. Just maybe don't order off the kids' menu at a sit-down restaurant when on a date to impress, because it might be interpreted as being cheap (via The Takeout).