Fast Food Hacks That Will Change The Way You Eat Forever

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Whether your fast food habits include lunch every day or breakfast once a week, a daily coffee or an occasional treat, there's a hack out there for you. We're talking about little-publicized tips and tricks that help you get more for your money (and sometimes, free stuff!), or things that just make the whole process easier. And easy is the name of the game when it comes to fast food, right?

Sometimes, there's an added bonus to these hacks, too. You might be doing just a little bit to help save the world — and it's those little things that start to add up when everyone does it — or you might find your food is actually tasting just a little bit better. So, let's talk about how to get the most out of your next trip to your fast food chain of choice, whether it's McDonald's, Starbucks, or somewhere in between.

If you walk away from Chipotle and you're still hungry, you're doing life wrong. It's notorious for huge portions, but did you know there's a ton of stuff you can add to your order for free?

According to Business Insider, some of the best ways to get more bang for your buck is to start by ordering the burrito bowl. Not only will you get more for the same price, but you can get an actual burrito if you want it. While tortilla will set you back an extra 50 cents, you can fill it with some extras for free. Ask for extra rice, pinto beans, black beans, and fajita vegetables. Yes, that's seriously all free! So is salad dressing (but not, they note, guacamole).

They also say you can essentially get free meat by asking for half steak, half chicken. Most employees fill the scoops more than halfway, so by the time they're done piling on the protein you'll get about an extra half scoop. Sure, that might be more than you can eat in one sitting, but the rest will make a great midnight snack.

There's no greater lunchtime frustration than biting into your sub and having it go everywhere, but we have a hack that will help you fix that problem and minimize messes on your desk. It comes thanks to Subway, and according to a conversation on Quora, Subway used to cut their sandwich rolls very differently before 2000. Instead of cutting the bread in half straight across, they cut a deep V into the roll. That left a wedge-shaped top and a more stable bottom that held up to the fillings much better.

It's not clear why they stopped cutting it this way (but it's suggested it fell out of fashion because it wasn't the best way to cut subs with patty-shaped meats), but you can definitely still ask for it at Subway or any other sub shop that bakes and cuts their own rolls. You might have to explain exactly what you're talking about, but the V-cut will change how you eat lunch.

While the days of ordering multiple 4-piece nugget boxes rather than a 10-piece to save a few coins may be behind us. (Yes, McDonald's like so many other fast food places has raised its prices.) That doesn't mean there are no longer any hacks to try out on your next visit to the Golden Arches. 

Not every hack needs to keep extra money in your wallet to be commendable. Some can stand on their own solely on the delicious factor. Case in point, the McNugget mayo and sweet and sour hack. While combining mayo with sweet and sour sauce might sound a little off-putting, McDonald's customers on Tiktok swear by it and the sauce fusion is spreading across the country. 

What you'll want to do is pour a packet of mayo and sweet and source sauce over your nuggets, then close the lid and give the box a good shake. The result is an order of nuggets bathed in a blend of the mayo's tang and the zing from the sweet and sour sauce. 

Timing is everything, and here's a hack that will work pretty much at any place that serves breakfast in the morning then switches to lunch later in the day. Get there at the sweet spot — the minutes around the time they're switching — and if you ask really, really nicely, they might let you order off both menus.

Let's take McDonald's, which has vastly different breakfast and lunch menus. Get creative, and you can make some seriously delicious new lunch options. Take the muffins or bagels off the breakfast menu, and replace the roll of your favorite burger. Or, try a burger topped with bacon, egg, and hash browns off the breakfast menu, add a burger or chicken patty to a McGriddle, or add a sausage patty to your favorite burger. Order some hotcakes, and instead of sausage, swap in a chicken patty. There's seriously no limit to the mash-ups you can make, but this is one hack that's completely dependent on employees — so ask nicely!

Ketchup has been one of America's favorite condiments for a long, long time, and even though BBQ sauce is moving up in the ranks it's unlikely to push aside the reigning champ. If you love ketchup, you've probably been to one of those places with the almost ridiculously tiny paper ketchup cups. Do you feel self-conscious loading ten on your tray, because you know how frustrating they're going to be? There's a quick fix that's almost shockingly easy — once you know about it.

In 2012, FoodBeast writer Elie Ayrouth was trying to dunk his hamburger into one of those little paper ketchup containers, and not having the least amount of luck. He says it changed his life when a friend showed him how to pull on the sides and unfold the cup so it turned into a perfectly accessible ketchup container suited to not just fries but burgers and chicken fingers too. Genius, right? Now you know, and now you can help save the planet by taking a few less cups.

Coffee drinkers have their own set of problems, and one of those problems is when your coffee is too hot to drink but filled so full it splashes out of the hole in the cup lid, no matter how carefully you walk or drive. If you've picked up some coffee on the way to work and then immediately spilled it (and wondered if that was going to set the tone for the rest of the day), you know the level of annoyance. We've all been there, but there's a pretty brilliant hack for keeping your coffee hot — and in your cup — until you've gotten where you need to go.

Redditor helloreiko says a folded straw tucked into the hole of a to-go cup lid will solve literally all your coffee-related problems, and if you're a coffee drinker, you have to admit this is pretty world-changing. No more scalded legs, no more cup holders full of coffee, no more old coffee smell in your car. Best of all, it'll save every drop of that delicious sanity-preserving elixir of life.

So, you're tasked with hitting the drive-thru and bringing home a quick and easy meal for the family. If you live pretty much any real distance from the fast food joint of choice, you're probably familiar with the taste of lukewarm fries and food. The microwave just doesn't cut it, but there are a few super-easy ways you can keep that food hot until you get home.

If this is something you do a lot, invest in a survival blanket. You know the ones, the metallic-looking silver ones? They're made for trapping the heat, and they do it so well you can even hack one to turn it into a solar oven (via Idea Hacks). And that makes it more than capable of catching all the heat that's coming off your take-out bag and keeping those burgers warm. Another option that popped up on Twitter is turning on your car's heated seats, and according to The Independent, a ton of people have confirmed that this one works. (Given, of course, that you're lucky enough to have a car with heated seats.)

Let's say you get home, your food's still hot, and the family's not quite ready. If it's only going to be a relatively short time, The Kitchn recommends you just throw it in the microwave and shut the door, and it'll still be piping hot.  

The amount of garbage caused just from disposable coffee cups is out of control, and in 2018, Britain's Environmental Audit Committee released the results of an entire study on how they were going to deal with the growing problem of non-recyclable, one-use, polyethylene-lined coffee cups. Even as The Independent reports the government is considering adding an extra cost onto customer's bills when they use cups, some fast food restaurants are implementing another sort of solution — a discount when you bring your own reusable mug.

Bring your mug to Starbucks, and you'll not only get 10 cents off your coffee — no matter what size — but you might also get a bit extra. They'll charge you for the cup size that's closest to what you bring in, but they won't go over. Score! Tim Hortons also gives you 10 cents off, and according to Sightline Institute, it's becoming more and more common. Seattle's Best and Peet's both started the discount, and smaller, independent coffee shops are jumping on board, too. Not only will you be doing your part to help keep the planet a little cleaner, but there's another bonus: those coffee cups aren't going to pile up in your car, so it won't smell like old coffee any more.

It's a fact of life: condiment packets just sort of accumulate. Whether you order out for Chinese on a regular basis or grab more than a handful of taco sauce packets, there's a good chance you've got a drawer at least partially filled with packets you never think to use during regular, non-fast food meals. There are a ton of uses for these little packets, though, and Lifehacker even suggests freezing them to make mini ice packs the perfect size for relieving the pain of minor bumps, bruises, and bug bites. 

That's pretty brilliant, but we're talking about eating. Comments on that piece suggest other uses for those frozen condiment packets, and point out they're the perfect size for throwing in your packed lunches. They'll keep your lunch cold, and by the time you're ready to eat they're melted enough that you have taco sauce, ketchup, BBQ or dressing that's still chilled, but not too cold for your sandwich or salad.

Have a favorite fast food joint or two, along with some extra space on your phone? Download their apps, and you'll find there's a ton of free stuff on offer.

Let's take Starbucks. Its app tracks your purchases, and you'll accumulate points you can eventually cash in for free stuff or discounts. Dunkin' Donuts, Jamba Juice, and Panera Bread have apps for pretty much the same thing. If you're not a coffee drinker, there are still plenty of options. McDonald's has an app that lets you order and pay for your food online, and it — like Chick-fil-A — offer discounts and coupons via the app, too. Dairy Queen regularly gives away free Blizzards and who doesn't like free ice cream?

Some will even give you a freebie on your birthday. Krispy Kreme and Jamba Juice both do, and if you're a fan of Red Robin, you don't even have to go there on your birthday to get a free burger — just show up during your birthday month. There are a ton of other goodies in these apps, so start your download queue.

Every so often, a hack makes the rounds on social media that's so good it leaves us wondering why everyone hasn't been doing this all along. Here, we're talking about the hack The Takeout described as a Chick-Fil-A order that changed lives, and we get it. It's basically taking a plastic container, filling it with waffle fries, mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets, then adding sauce and shaking the whole thing together for a saucy lunch that's definitely going to call for a fork.

We'd argue that this is far from the only place you can do this, and you might just want to keep a food storage container and some silverware with you at all times. The McDonald's McDirty Fries hack is dirty in all the right ways, and it's the same idea: Combine fries, nuggets, sauce, and any other menu items your heart desires. Meanwhile, a McDonald's breakfast bowl hack does the same thing with hotcakes, sausage, and maple syrup.

The sky's the limit. Should you try this with curly fries, horsey sauce, and shredded roast beef from Arby's? We won't say no. What about some tots, queso, sliced hot dog, and toppings from Sonic? Some sauces are just begging to be used this way, like a side of Big Mac sauce or Taco Bell's nacho cheese. It's simple, and a great way to mix up the same-old order.

There are some things that definitely fall into the category of, "don't knock it until you've tried it," and that's the case with one McDonald's nugget hack that made the rounds on social media in early 2025. The idea was to mix mayo with McD's sweet and sour sauce, for a new, creamy condiment. It quickly gained a ton of fans, and we recommend not stopping there. Mixing condiments is a great way to add a little twist to your nuggets, fingers, fries, or burgers, and there are a ton of phenomenal combinations to try.

Ketchup and mayo is a well-known favorite, and when you add a little hot sauce or sweet relish in there, it's even better. Try barbecue and honey, ranch dressing and hot sauce (or sriracha), ketchup with any hot sauce, or hot mustard and duck sauce. Keep some of those sauce packets in your car, desk drawer, or kitchen, and remember that Taco Bell's sauces in particular work really well with a number of other condiments. The finished product is almost guaranteed to be delicious on a Whopper, Big Mac, or any other burger, so don't forget to mix and match.

Even if you're not planning on dipping your chicken nuggets or fries, you should still get condiment packets. They're often the perfect size for adding just a little bit of flavor to a dish, and there are plenty of reasons to collect them and keep them in a handy spot. Displays2Go's 3-tiered condiment packet organizer is a great option for sorting them, and it's also the perfect size to keep at your desk or in a cabinet.

There are plenty of uses for these packets, particularly for revitalizing leftovers. Add horsey sauce and mayo to coleslaw and potato salads or add some extra flavor to that free pizza at the work meeting. Plus, they're also pretty perfect for using on hot dogs and hamburgers hot off the grill at home. It's a good idea keep these on hand for condiments you don't use often and can't justify getting an entire bottle.

Condiment packets are also great when you're making soups, sauces, and stews that need just a little something extra. Taco Bell's hot sauces work well if you're making pizza or pasta sauces, and anything that needs a little spice. Soy and duck sauces are great in stir-fries of all kinds, and you might find yourself using them in salad dressings, dips, and marinades, too.

So much about the typical fry container is annoying, from the salt that gets all over everything else in the bag to the frustration of fishing around for the last few pieces of crispy, crunchy, potato goodness. There's a super easy way to fix that, though, and it's simply asking for a different container. 

The easiest one is a large drink cup – it'll fit in car cupholders to make snacking easy, it'll allow steam to escape and prevent soggy fries, and all the salt stays nicely contained. There are other options, too. Depending on where you are, you can ask for an extra burger box, a plastic container like the ones that are used for pancakes and breakfast meals, or if you happen to be at McDonald's, then a Happy Meal box makes a great fry container — especially if you're sharing.

Ask for a box and make the transfer yourself, or pitch it to the person taking your order. A little kindness goes a long way, and they might just be impressed by the idea. There is a caveat to this, though. If you're heading somewhere to eat, be sure to poke a few holes in the top of your container if it's sealed. That'll let the steam out, and you'll have all your fries contained, warm, and appropriately crispy.

If you're like us, you've spent years just ripping the tops off dip cups and tearing into condiment packets like the fry-craving savages we are. But there are a few better ways to open sauces, and we'll start with how to open dip cups — especially if you're putting the sauce on your burger. Burgers aren't exactly known for their dunkability, so it's understandable that when social media picked up on the idea of puncturing the bottom corner of a plastic dip cup and drizzling the condiment onto a burger, it was the best thing since sliced bread.

A few other hacks have made the rounds, like the one that makes using a ketchup packet much easier. Instead of pouring ketchup onto your fries, tear a fry-sized corner off the edge of the packet, and dip your fries one at a time. 

Sauce — particularly ketchup — packets went viral in a big way back in 2024, when TikTok content creator @cookiterica posted a video about tearing the packets open along the longer side. Those who tried it were amazed that the edge came off cleanly, leaving a little packet-turned-dip bowl for your fries. Finally, what about those times that accuracy counts? One Reddit user suggests folding the packet in half, tearing a small piece out along the top of the fold, providing a neater, cleaner way to sauce those hard-shelled tacos.