In the name of food transparency, a former McDonald’s corporate chef and TikToker is sharing some little-known facts about the fast-food chain.
Beginning in 1940 as a stand-alone restaurant operated by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California, the chain has since expanded to tens of thousands of locations across the world. A list of their suppliers can be found on the company’s website, including three potato farms and two dairy providers.
1. Only 1 supplier for pies
However, according to Chef Mike Haracz (@chefmikeharacz), only one supplier exists for the restaurant’s pies. Though unnamed in the June 28 TikTok, a 2018 article from the Chicago Tribune reported that Bama Companies, who operate three factories in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, work with McDonald’s to produce treats without any artificial colors, high fructose syrup or preservatives.
Haracz also shed light on the meaning of the term “McDonald’s done” for 26,000 viewers, stating that it referenced food safety.
2. Higher cooking temperature
“Most things are cooked to 165 degrees. But when you set cook times and temperatures for food safety, you have to put in a buffer to make sure that if you get the biggest chicken nugget, and it is cooked in the worst efficient fryer, that it will still be cooked all the way through,” Haracz explained.
This results in higher average cooking temperatures that are 10 or 15 degrees higher, he added.
“It will be well overcooked for food safety,” he assured viewers.
@chefmikeharacz Former #McDonalds corporate chef tells you three things you might not know. #McDonaldsTikTok #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldsccsing #mcdonaldschallenge #mcdonaldshacks #mcdonaldsdrivethru #fastfood #fastfoodstories #fastfoodlife #FYP #food #foodfestontiktok #tiktokfood #foodtiktok #foodtok ♬ original sound – Chef Mike Haracz
3. Large training space
Haracz also described a large training space, now closed, that once contained several kitchen setups that could be operated in accordance with hourly sales statistics from different McDonald’s locations, allowing crews training there to simulate a busy day at a specific location accurately. This helped corporate analyze best crew and equipment practices, he said.
“It would be like walking onto a movie set and seeing all these multiple kitchens with all this action and people lined up like they’re going through drive-thrus,” he said in the video.
Currently located in Chicago, Illinois, McDonald’s Hamburger University is attended by thousands of aspiring restaurant managers and operators who study “Hamburgerology,” including customer service, restaurant policies and procedures, and leadership.
Viewer weigh in
Some viewers expressed fascination with the chef’s TikTok.
“I’d love to go to that test kitchen and see how it’d be doing a time square during peak hours rush,” one small town McDonald’s manager commented.
“Could that replication kitchen really replicate the Karen at the counter screaming at you because someone forgot her fries?” another user jokingly wondered.
The Daily Dot reached out to Haracz via email and Instagram direct message.
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