Convenience is the way of the modern world, and fast food makes up part of that convenience. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36.6% of adults consume fast food on any given day. Sometimes it’s a breakfast item, sometimes it’s a quick lunch, and sometimes it’s the easiest option on the way home from work when the last thing you want to do is cook.
Although fast food offers convenience, it also comes with a higher caloric intake and an overall poor diet, being that it’s packed with preservatives and oftentimes less than fresh. If you opt for a little indulgence here and there, you should know which items to avoid. Sometimes, it’s because of how calorie-dense they are and sometimes it’s a food safety issue. Still, in some cases, the preparation leaves you without an appetite altogether.
To compile this list of foods you should never eat at fast food chains, 247 Tempo reviewed several sources, including Reddit, where fast food workers share the appalling truth of some standard practices, the audacious requests from their managers, and the experiences they’ve had that have left them scarred. Of course, we also have a list of the most iconic menu items at your favorite fast food chains.
Chili
There’s no knocking a good chili — when it’s homemade. However, when you’re trusting fast food workers to put a decent meal together, don’t give them the responsibility of chili. They’re working with what they have and what they have isn’t that great. For example, if there is meat that has sat too long to be able to be sold in a hamburger or cheeseburger, it just gets chucked into the chili.
In many cases, fast food workers have divulged that the batch of chili they create doesn’t exactly get thrown out if it’s not sold. They just keep adding more ingredients to thicken it up and make it taste like chili so it’s possible that you may be eating extremely old chili with some new ingredients thrown in. It’s not that appetizing when prepared that way, is it?
Lime/Lemon Wedges
If you remember the study from 2007, you have probably already been avoiding any lime or lemon wedges in all restaurants (not just fast food restaurants). The study found that 70% of those wedges that typically come on your glass of water or served on a plate were covered in, at minimum, 25 different types of bacteria.
This was sometimes related to cross-contamination with raw meat but in other cases, it was fecal matter or E. coli. It wasn’t just the outside part of the lemon or lime wedges either. It was also the pulp that you squeeze and pour onto your food or into your drink.
Ice
It makes beverages cold and refreshing so why is it on this list? Well, much like the previous item on the list, this has to do with contamination. Inside ice machines, mold can grow and spread. They need to be consistently cleaned and sterilized. It’s not just the ice container that can grow mold.
It’s also the piping areas and other portions of the machine that can spread contaminants. In fast food environments, the staff is working quickly but sometimes that can lead to oversights. Plus, if you order a drink without ice, you get more of it.
“Secret Menu” Coffees
It’s always fun to hop on a trend and try the newest “secret menu” coffee. It’s often either ultra-colorful or ultra-sugary and makes for a great social media post. But here’s the problem: The workers at these various coffee spots aren’t part of any kind of standard training when a “secret menu” option pops up. Therefore, they have no recipe.
They would have to guess which ingredients go into your beverage. Instead of ordering using the “name” of a “secret menu” drink, just break it down for them and let them know what ingredients you want in your beverage. You’re much more likely to be pleased with the results.
Non-Specialty Items
This one is a little trickier because it’s not a specific food item that we’re saying to steer clear from. It’s more that you should consider your environment. For example, if you go to Buffalo Wild Wings, indulge in their wings and try to avoid other other items on the menu.
This is because restaurants typically have a specific specialty or set of specialties. Anything else on their menu usually comes frozen. If you want to enjoy a higher quality meal at a fast food joint, stick to what they’re known for (and good at).
Anything Super-Sized
It’s always tempting to save a little extra and get a little more, right? But be honest with yourself. Do you really need those extra French fries? Fast food can be delicious, which can also make it hard to stop picking at those yummy fries. However, if you practice portion control, you’ll feel a lot better about the dietary choices you made that day and you won’t get that gross, greasy feeling after you’ve indulged just a bit too much. Reduce the amount of fried food you eat and you’ll feel better than you would for saving a few pennies.
Chicken/Tuna Salad
It’s a real bummer if you’re a fan of a good chicken salad or a tuna salad but the reality is, in most of these fast food environments, the workers are making a batch of these salads maybe once per week. This allows them to provide you with a quick service, so there is an advantage. But ultimately, you might be eating week-old fish or chicken and that’s not ideal. If these are must haves for you, stick to making them at home.
Chicken Nuggets
But they’re so tasty! For many, chicken nuggets are a reminder of their childhood and a type of comfort food they can enjoy when out and about away from home. But when you consider what you’re consuming, you might change your mind. You’re essentially getting lots of chicken parts all mixed in to create a paste that’s then breaded and fried. Not only are you eating breast meat, you’re also getting bones, connective tissues, and tendons. If you’re craving chicken nuggets, upgrade your order to chicken tenders, which are meatier and not just a bunch of chicken pieces mixed into paste.
The Folded Egg
You know the one. It’s the folded egg that comes in fast food breakfast items, whether it’s served on a plate or in a breakfast sandwich. This is a premade, frozen item so you’re not getting a high-quality meal (sometimes it’s not made from even real eggs). Eggs are a nutritionally dense food but when they’re premade, frozen, and served in the way they are at fast food places, you’re not getting the nutrients you get from a simple hard boiled egg. If you feel like you’re going to be on the run in the mornings, skip these breakfast items that include the folded egg. If you enjoy eggs, it’s better to have a couple hard-boiled ones ready to go at home so you can snack on the way to work and have a much higher quality experience nutritionally than if you were to go wait at one of those drive-thru lines.
Grits
They’re incorporated into a range of breakfast dishes but they’re not always the most popular item on the menu. Because of this, grits can sit for hours on end and instead of throwing out unsold batches, fast food workers tend to keep them looking fresh. So, while you may it may seem like you are about to enjoy a fresh batch of grits, it’s much more likely that the batch you’re looking at has been sitting out for much longer than you’re okay with.
Peanut Butter Shakes
Any kind of cold, creamy shake sounds appetizing, particularly when the weather gets hot. There isn’t one specific shake that has a healthy number of calories, per se, but if you want to know which one to avoid at all cost, it’s always going to be the peanut butter shake. Pretend as if you are allergic. These shakes can have upwards of 2,000 calories in them, which basically comprises your entire day’s worth of calories. If you want to get one, make sure to share it with the whole family because taking one down alone is not going to leave you feeling good.
Grilled Chicken
It’s counterintuitive when you are minding your health to avoid grilled chicken anything at a fast food restaurant. Typically, that’s what you are drawn to when you’re trying to make a healthier choice than a cheeseburger. However, fast food workers have revealed secrets of the trade and in some cases, grilled chicken is prepared with liquid margarine not only to keep it from sticking to the grill, but also to give it a juicier, plumper appearance. While you think you’re making a healthier choice, you’re actually consuming tons of margarine.
The Salad Bar
Even vegetables are restricted at fast food restaurants? Well, yes. The level of care required to keep a salad bar fresh does not typically align with a fast food worker’s busy schedule. Especially when the fast food restaurant is understaffed. It’s enough to entrust your food to staff that prepares it but it’s quite another to trust the diners who walk into the restaurant and also have access to the food that’s available. Even if there are plastic lids covering those items, it’s unlikely that this is a sterile environment because of how many hands are touching it. In these cases, just skip the salads.
BBQ Sandwich
These fast food places are running a business and sometimes, they take some more extreme measures to cut costs. One fast food worker shared that a certain fast food company would prepare a barbecue sandwich by recycling old chicken. This chicken was so old and stale that even homeless shelters would refuse it. So, instead of throwing it out, this worker was instructed to soak it in barbecue sauce to create those barbecue chicken sandwiches. Since the sauce was so flavorful, it was easier to overlook the old chicken. Gross, right?
Toasted Bread
It seems like a considerate question to ask when you’re ordering a sandwich at a fast food restaurant but what workers are actually doing is vetting whether or not they can use older, stale bread or fresh bread. If you say that you do want your sandwich toasted, they’ll typically go for the stale bread so that they can toast it up for you and you won’t be able to tell so much. However, if you refuse toasting, they’re much more likely to give you the fresh bread. Then, after they’ve made your sandwich, you can say you’ve changed your mind and politely ask them to toast it. At least at this point, your sandwich is already made.
Popcorn
Striped box with popcorn on red background
Popcorn machines, like ice machines, have a lot of complex parts that don’t get cleaned as regularly as you might think. In movie theaters, for example, workers may only clean the parts they can see. One worker shared that he took it upon himself to dismantle the entire machine and try to clean it thoroughly. What he discovered shocked him. There was mold in the nooks and crannies of the machine that he’s certain no one had touched since the machine was purchased. Already, you are selecting a fast food item but on top of that, you don’t need to be worrying about possibly consuming mold or other contaminants.
Breadsticks
Kind of like the grilled chicken that gets doused in liquid margarine, breadsticks also get lathered in a butter-like liquid. Why some of the worst things for you taste so good is beyond comprehension. The breadsticks don’t offer tons of nutritional value, especially if it’s not even real butter that they’re using. If you’re getting ready to order pizza, indulge in crust, cheese, and toppings and don’t even order the breadsticks.
Mushrooms
It can be hard to gauge when mushrooms go bad and in some fast food stores, workers are instructed to keep using them even if they are slimy. Some store managers operate with greater integrity so they buy their produce fresh instead of using whatever comes in packages. If you love dishes that include mushrooms, just ask the staff how they procure their mushrooms. If they come pre-packaged, skip ordering them. However, if they do purchase them fresh, then you’re likely dining at a restaurant that values food quality.
Soft Serve
It’s not because it isn’t delicious when made it in a sanitized environment. The problem is the machine in which this ice cream is made. Like any other piece of complex machinery, the cleanliness required may be too much for some environments. You really have to get in there for a deep clean and fast food workers don’t always have the time or the know-how. This is why these machines are frequently down. Whether it’s mold buildup or critters attracted to the sugar, it’s a gamble when ordering soft serve ice cream at a fast food place.
Chicken Pot Pie
It’s an especially comforting dish on cold winter days but try to avoid chicken pot pies from fast food restaurants. Since the chicken is shredded and immersed in sauce, many stores recycle chicken that wasn’t sold and toss it into the freezer until it’s ready for a pot pie. Therefore, you’re eating chicken that has been sitting out for hours, is later shredded, and tossed in a freezer (for entire months sometimes). This is yet another meal that is best prepared at home with fresh ingredients in the kitchen you trust.