Is your egg McMuffin colder than you thought it might be? This former McDonald’s corporate chef is dying to know.
After receiving reports of a new step in the breakfast-making process that could potentially impact the quality of food bought through the fast food chain, a former corporate chef for McDonald’s, Chef Mike Haracz (@chefmikeharacz on TikTok), has taken to social media to ask viewers what their thoughts are, and if they suspect their local restaurant has incorporated an alleged new piece of equipment.
Is your McDonald’s breakfast colder than it used to be?
That’s the question Haracz is posing to viewers after learning about McDonald’s alleged new process.
“I’m a former McDonald’s corporate chef, and one of the restaurant crew in a location reached out to me to let me know that there’s some new kind of contraption that that they have been using to serve breakfast supposedly faster,” he says.
A new warmer, he says, may be playing an unexpected role in the preparation of your next McDonald’s order, to keep components ready and warm, cutting down on prep time when the restaurant is busy.
“Now, a lot of you know that in a McDonald’s, they use a UHC, the universal holding cabinet, so they will make a bunch of food, load the cabinet, and they build the sandwiches when you order them,” he says. “If you’re lucky, you might have to wait but they’re making fresh things. But usually, it’s held in some kind of cabinet before you order it.”
Haracz says his source claims McDonald’s new warmer holds food for even longer than its current warmers.
“He is telling me that there is now another contraption that holds food even longer; that what they do before peak hours is they fill this cabinet with a bunch of cooked items—your eggs, your sausage, all the breakfast burritos or whatever, those kinds of things—and then they use that food to put in the UHC to then build it before you order it,” he says. “Meaning things are being held a lot longer than they used to.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Haracz and to McDonald’s via email regarding the video.
Is McDonald’s using new food warmers?
While it is not clear how long McDonald’s items are kept in food warmers—or how many food warmers might be used in preparing orders—an unofficial source at the Daily Meal suggests different menu items are kept in warmers for 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the item and how busy the restaurant is.
Generally, food can be kept under a warmer for up to 4 hours before the safety of eating it becomes questionable.
A hot topic
Haracz questions viewers on their recent McDonald’s experiences—and the temperature of its breakfast items.
“Have you noticed the drop-off in quality of breakfast?” Haracz asks viewers. “Are the things that you are getting, are they colder than they were before? That might be a culprit. Let me know if you work in a McDonald’s with one of these things. Let me know your experience with it, and let me know if your McDonald’s breakfast has been colder recently.”
@chefmikeharacz Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about cold breakfast. #mcdonalds #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldsccsing #fastfoodstories #fastfoodlife #fastfoodlife #fastfood #foodtiktok #foodtok #McDonaldsTikTok #mcdonaldschallenge #mcdonaldshacks #fyp #breakfast #breakfastideas #breakfastclub #breakfasttime #breakfastchallenge ♬ original sound – Chef Mike Haracz
Several viewers shared that they had noticed a general downward trend in the quality of their food at McDonald’s.
“Yes I have noticed a difference,” one commenter wrote. “Lower quality to go with higher prices.”
“Yes sir, they’re premaking breakfast sandwiches near me to meet the drive thru time numbers,” another claimed. “When I order an egg McMuffin with no cheese. I always have to be parked because it’s considered custom.”
“I have noticed any difference in temp only thing that holds me back is the price ..I can go to Bojangles or one of the local places and it’s just as good and cheaper,” a third added.
Other viewers shared that the system of warmers he described is in place at their McDonald’s locations, or in another restaurant chain entirely.
“Yup it’s called simplified breakfast just Rolled This out at my location it holds It For 2hours Like A Steamer,” one commented.
“Yes we use this cabinet!” another commenter wrote. “Don’t care for it at all! Too much waste!”
“We have the cabinet too, it’s very similar to the ones used by Taco Bell,” a further user said. “It uses steam to keep items fresh. We cook breakfest twice a day now, 5am and 8:30am, in large batches and put in the holding cabinet until needed in the UHC.”
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