A former McDonald’s corporate chef, discussing the customer data the fast-food giant acquires through its app, said that “McDonald’s knows so much more about you than you would think.”
The intel comes from popular creator Chef Mike Haracz (@chefmikeharac), a former McDonald’s corporate chef who has taken to TikTok to answer people’s questions about McDonald’s.
A video posted on Saturday, labeled “Big Brother McDonald’s,” received more than 35,000 views in its first two days on the platform. In it, Haracz tackled a question about the app and made it more broadly applicable to the data McDonald’s collects from its customers.
Haracz fielded a question that started, “How does McDonald’s know how much money I have when I eat there?” He observed, “I don’t understand this logic.”
“Why do you think McDonald’s wants you to use the app for everything?” he started before noting that McDonald’s is collecting data on customers based on the credit cards they pay with and is trying to determine buying patterns. He contended that McDonald’s is likely shaping its marketing based on data it is collecting from customers.
“They know how much money you have, technically,” he said. “They know what you buy; they know what you like.”
He also said that he ran across a comment on X (formerly Twitter), in which someone said, regarding McDonald’s and data sharing, “I’m 95% sure that McDonald’s does not share their data.” Haracz countered that 95% is not quite 100%.
@chefmikeharacz Replying to @datgoodsauce Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about how they know you. #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldssecret #McDonaldsMenu #McDonaldsLife #McDonaldsTikTok #FastFood #FastFoodSecrets #FastFoodTikTok #BigMac #QuarterPounder #McChicken #McNuggets #McDouble #McMuffin ♬ original sound – Chef Mike Haracz
Despite the concerns some might have about what data McDonald’s might be collecting on them, others appeared content to continue using the app.
“I can’t ignore that 30% discount on the app,” one remarked.
“If companies want to pick my brain to sell me things I actually want,” someone else ventured, “I say let them! Less decisions that I need to make.”
Yet another customer declared, “No wonder the deals from the app are so good. Data is king!!”
A few commenters wondered why data collection wasn’t making their experiences better.
Another said, “They have my data. Give me the option to customize with jalapeños.”
Someone else cracked, “They must think they know I like egg shells in my McMuffin lol.”
But others engaged more directly with the premise.
One opined, “It’s not that they know how much money you have, but they definitely know how much money you spend and are willing to spend.”
Someone else said to that, “They definitely think I am poor,” before clarifying, “I am just cheap. Two McDoubles or McChickens.”
Many customers were also willing to put aside the terms and conditions they are asked to agree to in order to continue snagging good deals the app offers. In late October, the app’s terms and conditions were updated. The Daily Meal reported that the app’s new terms and conditions state that “in the event you have a dispute with McDonald’s, you must agree to resolve it ‘exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by JAMS,’ which is a business that provides dispute resolution services. You cannot pursue other legal channels, and you cannot join a class action lawsuit with other claimants. Additionally, the updated terms establish restrictions on the company’s liability regarding damages involving the app or restaurant that stem from ‘contract, tort or ordinary negligence.’ However, ‘gross negligence or intentional or unlawful misconduct’ is not limited by the update.”
Many customers agreed to those terms and conditions because the deals the app offers are simply too good to pass up. In the event they do not agree, they can no longer use the app. “Signed my life away for some nuggets,” one customer joked at the time.
The Daily Dot has reached out to both Haracz and McDonald’s via email.