At the heart of the latest fast-food controversy is a TikTok video by McDonald’s worker Grace (@mcdsgirll), which has amassed over 81,000 views. In her candid clip, Grace, positioned over the fryer, shares her exasperation over customers who request salt-free fries—just to get them fresh.
“If you go to McDonald’s and ask for no salt on your fries just to get them fresh, and then ask for a handful of salt packets, you are the worst kind of customer. Just ask us to make them fresh,” she urges in the text overlay. This insider’s plea sheds light on a well-known fast-food hack where customers order unsalted fries to ensure they’re served straight from the fryer.
The comments section became a battleground of opinions and confessions.
Health-conscious viewers chimed in. “I ask for no salt cus I don’t like salt,” one said.
Others echoed this sentiment for both their blood pressure and their taste buds. “Y’all put way too much salt on them,” another wrote.
These users highlight a dietary choice rather than a sly tactic for freshness. On the flip side, some customers were candid about their motives.
“I will neither confirm nor deny that I do this,” one viewer noted.
Another bluntly stated, “Most places would just reheat them for a couple of seconds, if you ask without salt you make sure they really made them.”
The idea here is that while Grace might be happy to make fresh fries upon a kind ask from a customer, that is not the case nationwide, and thus, customers must use the hack.
Grace isn’t the first McDonald’s employee who has urged patrons to refrain from employing the “no-salt” trick in an attempt to get fresh fries. Famed TikToker, the former McDonald’s corporate chef Mike Haracz weighed in on the fresh fries debacle. While he has never frequented a Mickey D’s location and received anything other than fresh french fries, Haracz suggests simply informing staff members at a location that you’re willing to wait to ensure that the freshest possible french fries are being placed in your order.
There are other McDonald’s employees who’ve expressed their annoyance with customers who request fries without salt. One Redditor questioned how frustrating it is for the chain’s workers on the site’s r/McDonalds sub regarding this ordering tactic, and as it turns out, there are people who get easily peeved by this practice. One commenter appeared to be a fan of Haracz’s approach, stating that the only time they ever get upset with customers is when they are unwilling to wait for fresh fries: “I just get annoyed when they request this and don’t want to wait.”
Other McDonald’s workers have gone viral for sharing the ways in which they dupe customers into thinking that they’ve received fresh fries. One employee heard a customer’s complaint about their fries not being hot enough, then recorded themselves taking the same fries from the customer and quickly dunking them into a vat of hot oil before serving it to them again.
@mcdsgirll The WORST #fyp #mcds ♬ original sound – grace
Grace’s plea is a snapshot of the current fast-food landscape, where customers and workers navigate the tension between service expectations and operational realities. As fast-food prices climb, the demand for value-for-money and customization intensifies.
The “no salt” hack has become a symbol of this consumer savvy, a small rebellion against the risk of stale or cold fries. It’s a salty saga that underscores a truth in the fast-food industry: customers are willing to go the extra mile for the assurance of freshness, even if it means creating a little extra work for the employees who serve them.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Grace via TikTok comment and McDonald’s via email for further information.
