Ex-Workers Reveal One Item You Should Never Order From McDonald's

There are a lot of foods at McDonald's that get a bad rap — it is fast food, after all. The chicken nuggets have long been under fire for their questionable ingredients, and they've somehow manged to squeeze 19 ingredients into something as simple as fries. But every restaurant has to have at least a few safe menu options, right? One item that has long been touted as a smart choice is the Filet-O-Fish, but some Reddit posters claiming to be ex-McDonald's workers are doing their best to blow that option out of the water. 

An insanely popular Reddit post asking fast food workers what customers should never order has garnered nearly 16,000 responses, and a large chunk of those responses have been dedicated to the beloved fish option from the Golden Arches. But the problem with the Filet-O-Fish isn't what you might think. It's not that the always-perfectly-square patty isn't actual fish — it is. McDonald's uses wild-caught Alaska Pollock from certified sustainable fisheries. Sounds great, right? So what's the problem?

Turns out, that wild-caught fish still might not be fresh — at all. In fact, it could have been sitting around for hours before you take that first bite. "No one orders Filet-O-Fish, so at my store they sat in the cabinet forever," said one user, who's experience was echoed by many others claiming to have a past with the company, with another user calling it, "the fast food equivalent of playing Russian roulette."

"Never order Filet-O-Fish or crispy/grilled chicken when it isn't lunch rush or dinner rush. These things are in less items so they will be old as hell," said another poster. 

Of course, you can always request to have yours made fresh, as many posters recommended, but even that isn't always a sure solution. Many posters claim a "fresh" patty is just one that's fresh out of the microwave — after having sat for a long time in the warmer. 

And even if you really are getting a fresh-cooked patty, that Filet-O-Fish may still be completely questionable, as one Reddit poster who claimed to be an 8-year veteran of McDonald's unveiled even more dirt on this seafood favorite. "The patties had a tendency to hang around well past their use-by timer...  Similarly the tartar sauce could go through several days sitting out in basically room temperature conditions." Eww. Not enough to turn you off? No worries, he kept going, claiming the fryer oil for the fish filets was rarely cleaned. 

That same Reddit user left us with one more tasty gem, forever ruining those deliciously hot and soft buns that envelop the Filet-O-Fish. "Don't get steamed buns, no one ever cleans the steamer." Gee, thanks, anonymous Reddit poster. 

Despite all this, some loyal Filet-O-Fish fans won't be swayed. "As somebody who regularly orders it (I always ask for it to be made fresh though; I don't mind the wait) I have to disagree. It's by far the best fish sandwich that any fast food place has."

According to McDonald's, the sandwich is still a popular seller, both in the US and other countries around the world. Something tells us that won't change anytime soon.