A McDonald’s customer went viral on TikTok after revealing why people sometimes receive cold fries from the chain—particularly during a lunch rush.
Anthony Michael (@anthonymichael313) uploaded the video, which he recorded as he stood behind a McDonald’s counter. In the TikTok, a McDonald’s worker passed by the fry station, taking a drive-thru order through a headset.
@anthonymichael313 ♬ original sound – Anthony Michael
“This is why we be getting cold a** fries all the time. Unreal,” Michael wrote in the text overlay. He then zoomed in on the fry station, where fries in different carton sizes sat under a heating lamp.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Michael via TikTok comment and to McDonald’s by email. As of Tuesday evening, Michael’s video had over 36,000 views. In the comments, a number of customers shared what they do to prevent ending up with wilted potatoes.
“I ask for my fries to have no salt. They always make it fresh,” one user shared. “Add your own salt packet after lol.”
“That’s why I order No Salt lol,” a second person agreed.
“Ask for unsalted or fresh,” a third person advised.
A number of McDonald’s workers in the comments also confirmed that they have to pre-package the fries, which can lead to them getting cold.
“If we didn’t do this you’d be waiting wayyyy too long for your fries,” one person said.
“They make us do that… They tell you to have them ready like that,” a second worker confirmed.
“its under a lamp.. we do that at my store,” a third commented.
Indeed, it’s become a common trend for customers to demand fresh fries. One McDonald’s employee went viral after revealing what he does when this happens. Instead of giving the customer new fries, he said he dumps old fries back into the deep dryer. In a separate video, another worker made a similar claim.
