A McDonald’s employee and TikToker Lily (@lilyjussreall) shared their disdain for preparing “cookie totes” for customers in a viral clip. However, customers in the comments section shared their love for the menu item.
Other users on the app seemed to also have a certain amount of ire directed towards this menu item, presumably for the amount of work it takes to put together—especially when you’re attempting to hit a rhythm of fulfilling numerous customer orders simultaneously.
The TikTok clip features two McDonald’s employees acting out a skit in front of the camera. In the first shot, one of the workers asks a customer, “Welcome to mcdonald’s what can i get for you?”
The video then transitions to the “customer” who says, “Uhh just a cookie tote.”
After the request is made, the clip cuts back to the employee who reacts as if they’ve just heard the worst news they could’ve ever received in the world.
They start to shake their head violently back and forth. It seems that even at one point in the video they’re gripping themselves by the neck to choke themselves out. Her shaking and constant gesticulating drive home one point very clearly—this woman is not happy about fulfilling cookie tote orders.
What is the McDonald’s Cookie Tote?
If you spend enough time on TikTok, you’re bound to come across a slew of offerings restaurants have on the menu but don’t necessarily advertise.
Sometimes, these offerings become the stuff of internet legend and lead to large orders of these trending items. Five Guys experienced it with the grilled cheese cheeseburger, Waffle House with its Waffle breakfast sandwich, and Chick-fil-A with its “secret menu” bucket of ice that comes with a red scooper.
For McDonald’s customers, it’s now the cookie tote, which is a cardboard box filled with 13 of the chain’s signature chocolate chip cookies. According to Mc-Menu, it retails from $3.99 to $6.89, depending on where you’re buying it. You can check out the Cookie Tote on Mickey D’s website here. Although you may not see this option plastered on any of the chain’s menus at its many locations, it’s very much an option.
But it’s not one that employees necessarily enjoy fulfilling, judging by the reaction Lily makes in the clip and other users who responded to the video in its comments section.
“I tried to order a cookie tote once and he literally said ‘no,’” one person said.
Someone else, who appears to be an employee of the chain replied, “So real. the annoyance in my voice as i turn off my headset and yell ‘COOKIE TOTE.’”
“Mann i just started working here I hate cookie totes too,” another wrote.
This was an experience echoed by someone else. “I get too shy to tell the kitchen cookie tote cause they get mad i always have my manager tell them for me,” they said.
@lilyjussreall we dont like cookie totes @taleahh29 #mcdonalds #relatable #repost ♬ original sound – Raihann
Why do Mickey D’s workers hate preparing cookie totes?
Other users’ comments appear to dictate that there are two primary reasons workers roll their eyes in frustration whenever a cookie tote order is placed.
One, kitchen staff workers either forget to put cookies in the oven, meaning that there aren’t any baked goods ready to place inside of a box. So, prepping a cookie tote entails them having to make a whole bunch of cookies and monitor their progress while they juggle a ton of other duties and fulfill other orders, which could ultimately result in a backed-up kitchen workflow.
As one commenter said, “Nah cuz at my McDonald’s when we yell for the kitchen to put in the cookies they NEVER DOOOOO then ur like waiting twice as long.”
However, others pointed to the other possible point of frustration when it comes to Cookie Totes—the act of packing the boxes themselves.
“Or when it’s like 7 happy meals,” one user noted.
Assembling the boxes and ensuring that the correct contents are properly placed inside can be a pain.
TikToker Stephen Patula (@stephen.patula) uploaded a video where they showed the entire process of putting together a cookie tote. In the clip, they place 13 cookies on a tray with wax paper in an oven. After the cookies are warmed up, they use a spatula to scoop them off the tray and into the tote bag, which appears to perfectly fit 13 of the fast food chain’s cookies.
@stephen.patula McDonald’s Cookie Tote #mcdonalds #fyp ♬ original sound – Stephen Patula
The Daily Dot has reached out to McDonald’s via email and Lily via TikTok comment for further information.
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