In a now-viral TikTok, a McDonald’s customer revealed how his strange order of a large slushie and a 30-cent syrup packet gets him free fries on every trip to the restaurant.
TikTok user @theegrandace posted a video about his Mickie D’s habits on Thursday, and it has received 12,000 views since.
In the clip, @theegrandace sits in a car with a large blue slushie. “All right, so my life is ridiculously embarrassing,” he said to start.
The TikToker explained that his embarrassment stemmed from overhearing a McDonald’s worker talking to her colleagues after handing over his food and closing the window. “Syrup?” she asked, referencing @theegrandace’s order.
At that point, it dawned on the TikToker. “Oh, shoot,” he said. “I look like a weirdo, and that’s because when I get food, in order to use McDonald’s rewards thing, like where you have to spend $2 … I started to do this thing where I get this large icee for $1.79, and then I get a 30-cent syrup packet to throw it over the threshold but just still barely clear it.”
The creator explained that he does this because “nothing on their menu is a flat $2,” and the McDonald’s app will not let customers redeem the reward for free fries with a $2 purchase if their order total is only $1.99.
Though the TikToker realized that his order of a large slushie and a syrup packet made him look “insane,” he said he didn’t care since he got to redeem the fries reward with a purchase of $2.09.
“Its time for a story time on the dangers of frugality lmao,” he captioned the video.
In the comments section, viewers thanked the TikToker for the tip, regardless of how they may be perceived for using it.
“Nah bruh game is game,” one viewer wrote.
“Idc how I look thanks for the tip sir,” a second stated.
Other commenters shared additional ways to get the most out of the McDonald’s reward system.
“I’ll get a side of bacon and 3 cookies, boom free McCafe drink,” one user shared.
“I literally just use the kiosk as many times as I need to get my free stuff,” a second stated.
“I will do multiple orders [so] I can use multiple rewards on the same trip,” a third commented.
The Daily Dot contacted @theegrandace via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment for further information.
Update 4:19pm CT, Aug. 18, 2023:
During an interview with the Daily Dot, @theegrandace shared how this McDonald’s took place in Cincinnati. He revealed how he always tries to save money whenever he eats out, “depending on what deals are being offered and how drastically prices change” and has been doing this trick for a couple of months.
However, the conversation between the content creator and the worker was “lighthearted.”
“No but it was light-hearted!” he shared via Instagram direct message. “When the person handed me the food we joked about it, cause ordering syrup with fries is actually a terrifying thing to have to witness secondhand.”
