TikToker Samantha Newkirk (@samwood3176) shared some insider knowledge from the various places she worked (McDonald’s, Starbucks, KFC, and Walmart) at in a viral clip that’s accrued over 24,000 views on the popular social media platform in a stitched clip where she answered a query from fellow user @tacoreacts.
In his video, @tacoreacts records himself scratching his nose in his car while he asks a general question to his TikTok audience about a “company secret” not many other people know, and @samwood3176 obliged.
The latter TikTok user decided to spill the beans on some of their previous employers, starting with the globally omnipresent coffee chain, Starbucks.
@samwood3176 #stitch with @Taco reacts #fastfood #secrets #cops #mcdonalds #kfc #starbucks ♬ original sound – Sam
And if you’re a fan of chai tea lattes, then you may (or may not) want to know the little bit of tea she had to share on this popular menu item: “Well I worked at a few different places let’s see we’re gonna start with Starbucks. A chai tea latte is literally just Tazo chai tea concentrate, water, and milk.”
She also added that venti hot beverages are basically just large cups of your preferred milk: “Oh and also for Starbucks for a venti hot beverage you only get 2 shots of espresso. So you’re pretty much paying for a huge cup of milk with a little bit of coffee.”
Then there was popular fried chicken chain KFC, and how it goes about making chicken pot pies. Hint: It’s similar to how Wendy’s prepares its chili: “[The store] saves all of the chicken that’s not been used throughout the day and then they shred it and make pot pies with it.”
The TikToker also worked for Mickey D’s and had some secrets to reveal about the preparation processes for some of the chain’s offerings, starting with its iced tea and just how much sugar is dumped into its batches: “When McDonald’s makes their sweet tea, they put an entire 5 pound bag of sugar in it.”
And if you’ve ever ordered a milkshake from the burger chain and noticed that the taste of whatever flavor you ordered felt a bit off, @samwood3176 offered up a reason as to why that may be the case: “Also McDonald’s shake machine is literally 3 tubes with 3 separate flavors, so you will always get the flavor that came before your shake and your shake. Which is especially horrible during… Shamrock shake season. It’s horrible.”
Toward the end of her clip, she switched her focus from the fast food establishments she worked for and began dishing out the deets on a popular retailer she was employed with, which put any would-be thieves on notice: “Walmart heavily prosecutes, don’t shoplift from them.”
Her final bit of advice pertains to folks who find themselves dealing with law enforcement where she states that it’s never, ever a good idea to open one’s mouth when speaking to an officer: “If you get pulled over, shut up, the cop is not your friend, he doesn’t care about your day. He is allowed to lie to you, just shut up and save yourself some trouble.”
Some viewers in the comments section of the video expressed how @samwood3176’s bits of advice were validated : “This explains why every time I got a frap at McDonald’s, it tasted like caramel when I got mocha!”
“I knew mcd’s shakes tasted like they were the same lol,” another wrote, while someone else said: “The Starbucks chi tastes like milk. I hate it and just make my own. Thank you for confirming.”
Then there were those who shared their own anecdotal experience about their own respective employers: “Bojangles uses a whole bag of Dixie crystals sugar and three large tea bags to make 8 quarts,” one person said.
One Chick-fil-A worker shared that the way the chain prepares its chicken salad is similar to how KFC makes it pot pies: “when I worked at chick-fil-a we did the same with the chicken for the chicken salad”
“As a former KFC worker, I can agree with this. I was always shredding chicken at night after closing,” someone else said.
However, there was one worker who didn’t seem to have a problem with the way that KFC’s chicken pot pies were made: “Isn’t that what pot pies are for? Leftover chicken? Is this big ick b/c it’s not food safe w/ temperatures?” they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Starbucks, McDonald’s, Walmart, and KFC via email and @samwood3176 via TikTok comment for further information.
