Latest news with #McFlurries
Buzz Feed
22-04-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
People Are Recalling The Biggest Adult Tantrums And Hissy Fits They've Ever Witnessed, And Ohhhhh Buddy, I'm Fuming
Reddit user NotAllAltmer recently asked the r/AskReddit community, "What is the biggest adult tantrum you have ever witnessed?" In terms of entertainment value, the replies did NOT disappoint. But am I feeling a bit disappointed in humanity? You betcha! Here's what people shared: 1. "I used to work at a deli. We ran out of a certain kind of ham. A customer requested that ham. I explained the situation. He turned an alarming shade of purple and, in a shaky voice, screamed at me, 'YOU HAVE RUINED MY LABOR DAY!!!' It was right before Labor Day. Then he stormed off, slamming his shopping cart into several other customers' shopping carts in the process." — LeeHarveyOswaldsDad 2. "Years ago, I was in the queue at McDonald's where a very angry woman with three kids marched up to the counter shouting to see the manager. Apparently, a few of her fries were green in color, and she rudely demanded that they refund her and her kids' meals as compensation. The manager said he'd be happy to refund her meal, but since there was nothing wrong with her kids' food, that was as far as he was willing to go. She screamed at him some more before picking up the tray and tipping its contents all over the counter. This was a full tray of food: fries, burgers, McFlurries, drinks. It went everywhere. She was escorted out, and her kids looked utterly mortified." — ImStealingTheTowels 3. "My friend has a story about how a man threw a cup of coffee at her because the cup was pink (to bring attention to breast cancer awareness month) and his masculinity was so threatened by the pink cup that he had a 'mantrum.'" — ashoka_akira 4. "This happened at a grocery store. A middle-aged guy was arguing with the cashier about an expired coupon. When he learned he couldn't get his discount, he proceeded to throw a tantrum that would make a toddler proud. He started yelling, 'I know my rights! I want my discount!' He began flinging items from his cart across the store. The highlight? He tried to storm out dramatically but walked into the sliding doors instead. The entire store laughed as he sheepishly picked himself up and walked away. The cashier got a standing ovation. It was wild!" — Minimum_Impression92 5. "At an upscale retirement community, I saw an older woman throw a tantrum because we allowed a few laborers to eat breakfast for free. These guys do great work, they're dependable, reliable, respectful, and appreciated by everyone except one old lady who was screaming in the lobby about how they shouldn't be getting a free meal." — likestotraveltoo 6. "An older woman, probably 70ish, traveling with her even older husband, was sitting in front of me on a plane. She ordered an alcoholic drink. When the flight attendant brought her her drink, she demanded her card back, started ranting and raving, and called the flight attendant a thief. It went on and on and on, and at one point, she started crying. The thing is, the flight attendant hadn't even asked for payment yet, and definitely hadn't taken her card anywhere. This poor flight attendant had to have been the most patient person on earth. She handled it with so much grace. Eventually, the flight attendant found the screaming woman's card on the floor under her seat, where she had apparently dropped it. She did apologize somewhat sheepishly and was very quiet the rest of the flight. Meanwhile, the husband never acknowledged the situation at all, just sat there placidly while his wife screamed her head off." — Acrobatic-Hat6819 7. "I witnessed a woman storm into a Domino's Pizza, push past the other people waiting to pick up carry-out orders, and slam a Pizza Hut box down on the counter, shouting that it was the 'worst fucking pizza she'd ever tasted!' The poor kid working looked terrified and said that she'd get the manager. The manager, who was about 20, came out, looked at the box, and said, 'Yeah. Pizza Hut sucks. I don't know what you want me to do about it.' Chaos ensued." — ca77ywumpus 8. "When I was training to work at a tanning salon, we would ask for the person's name, then look them up in our system. One woman who came in had a note in her account that she regularly uses stolen credit cards. When asked to leave, she freaked out, yelling that she would never steal and we should just run her card. Sure enough, her card declined, and we had to threaten to call the police to get her to leave." — lovelylittleoctopuse 9. "This happened to me many years ago. A lady came in, and she was very rude from the start. I got rattled and made a mistake or two, pissing her off further. As she left, I said, 'Have a nice day!' She was incandescent with rage. She whirled around and bellowed, 'I WILL NOT HAVE A NICE DAY! I WILL NOT!' then stormed out the door. The thing is, they're double doors, and we used to keep one locked because the wind would blow it open otherwise. So she slammed into the locked door, grabbed it, and tried to wrench it open. I was legit worried she'd do damage. She flailed her tiny arms around and screamed profanity at the heavens before shoving her way through the other door. It was pretty amazing." — Pompoulus 10. "For one year's Christmas exchange, we threw a joke gift into the mix (the real present was hidden within). A full, grown ass adult got this joke gift and threw a fit, saying they'd put in good money for their portion and this was shit. They literally threw the item across the room. This was in front of 20 other people. We sheepishly showed them the real gift and they tried to laugh it off, but damn, that was awkward." — Shoddy-Outcome3868 11. "To mitigate resellers, our store allowed customers a limited quantity of water cases per visit after our state got hit by several natural disasters. After ignoring every sign and customer service associate telling her no, this woman decided to go herself, load a cart, and go to the register. Well, this lady just decided to piss herself right then and there, in her own britches thank god, at the cash register after she couldn't get her way. She left with soiled pants and the amount of water she was entitled to. Repeat customer, too. I'd never show my face in public again." — Appropriate_Cod_5446 12. "I was at a car rental at the airport. I guess they didn't have the exact vehicle this woman wanted, so she sat on a bench and wept theatrically while her (presumably) husband and son watched awkwardly. I couldn't help but think she probably does this for any small setback. Vacationing with her must be rough." — Livid_Parsnip6190 13. "At film school, we had a teacher who was a little too full of himself. We were going to learn how to analyse and review a movie in one of his classes, and he made a huge mistake by choosing one of his own movies for us to work with. That didn't go well, since the movie above was, well, to put it nicely, a steaming pile of shit. Well, we did our work, and we all put some very well-founded, well-worded, and well-written criticism in our works, and handed our stuff over, while mentally doing the sign of the cross. We knew that this wasn't going to go down well. The next time we had a lesson with that teacher, he proceeded with having a full-blown mega-meltdown in front of the whole class, to the point where he literally started tearing up our reviews and tossing them all over the room, which he then practically ran out of while raging, screaming, and crying." "We didn't hear anything for the next few days, while the managing director and the leadership looked into the case. Then we were told that he had been fired on the spot after raging and screaming at the managing director after our class. It turned out that the man had a severe drinking problem, and that the management was already getting ready to pull the trigger on him. Our reviews were just the straw that broke the camel's back." — MBAdk 14. "During the height of COVID, a man at Chipotle was told to wear a mask. He left, but not before hitting the wall and breaking the glass doors." — BigTuna0890 15. "When I worked retail, a customer approached my register and I said, 'Hey, did you find everything okay?' He threw his items on my counter and ignored me. I rang him up, and then he demanded I call the manager. My manager came over and talked to him, and he left. The manager tells me this guy was offended because I didn't say good morning to him. A few days later, a different manager pulls me into the office because the same guy called corporate and reported me for not saying good morning to him." — Blue_foryou 16. "I was in a Dairy Queen, and a man busted through the doors holding a spoon (he had just ordered it through the drive-thru). He went, 'HEY! Do you guys have any REAL SPOONS???' They have two different sizes of spoons at DQ, depending on the size of your Blizzard. The guy at the counter goes, 'Sorry, sir, we ran out of the tall ones,' and he goes, 'WELL, YOU SHOULD TELL PEOPLE THAT BEFORE THEY ORDER!!!'" — shnanogans Srinuan Hirunwat / Getty Images/iStockphoto 17. "I had a woman throw a dildo at my head because I wouldn't give her a refund for it. She tried to say she didn't know they weren't returnable, but I had sold it to her the day before and told her myself. She got so mad that she threw it at me. Luckily, I ducked and she missed. She then stormed out, leaving me with the dildo on the floor. No, it was not in the packaging when she brought it in." — GloInTheDarkUnicorn 18. "This boomer couple tried to skip the line at the airport and barge through security. The staff wasn't letting them. The woman started screaming, 'Get out of my way and let us through! WE'VE GOT A PLANE TO CATCH!' Security guy, totally nonplussed, just calmly made a sweeping gesture towards everyone in line and said, 'Lady, this is an airport. They've ALL got a plane to catch.' She absolutely lost it, started screaming, and was taken away by multiple security staff to a secondary location. I guarantee she missed her flight." — Miss-Indie-Cisive 19. "I once had the local preacher scream and cuss at me until he was red in the face, then spit on me. He was in my McDonald's drive-thru, and his card wasn't working. At a different McDonald's where I worked, my friend got a Golden Compass Happy Meal toy thrown at his head because the parent said Golden Compass was the devil." 20. "The one day I didn't wear my wedding ring at my retail job, I had a guy ask me out and promptly lose his mind when I told him I'm married. The interaction was great until a switch flipped, and he shrieked at me and said he checked for a ring first. Red in the face, spittle flying. My manager heard him from the back of the warehouse and came sprinting to throw this guy out on his ass. As a woman, I've had a lot of dudes get butthurt at me, but I've never had one tell me that unless a man openly claims me, I'm expected to say yes to the first man that asks. What I want doesn't matter; I'm up for dibs." — lizzyote 21. "I work retail. A police woman came in wanting to return a pair of $19 shoes. I returned them, but our system at the time didn't print out a physical receipt. It was emailed instead. She threw a fit and brandished her firearm, demanding to know my name. I refused because WTF?" — Lurchislurking 22. "I witnessed a man board an airplane drunk and quickly fall asleep. At the point when they announced we'd be landing soon, tray tables up, he woke up and asked a flight attendant for coffee. She said, 'Sorry, no, it's too late. We're about to land.' He lost his marbles, swore at her about needing coffee, and called her names the entire rest of the flight. When we landed and pulled up to the gate, the captain asked everyone to stay seated, and local PD boarded and escorted him away. He acted very confused about why in the world he was in trouble." — No_Helicopter5583 23. "When I worked at a conservative Christian university's Starbucks, an old, conservative Christian lady's total for her Frappuccino and breath mints came to $6.66. She started screaming at the top of her lungs, 'CHANGE IT! CHAAAANGE IT! THE NUMBER! "DEAR JEEESUS.' I told her I couldn't. She THREW more mints at me to ring up. I did. She called me evil and stormed off, mumbling about Jesus and calling the manager." — 24. "I was once blocked and then verbally attacked on social media by a professional hockey player who somehow mistook me for his ex-wife's friend. Never mind that 1) I'm a nobody, 2) I don't even live in the same country, and 3) I didn't even know he was married. He never admitted to his mistake, and his verbal attack also led his fans to come after me. Today, he has been exposed as one of those QAnon conspiracy theorists, promoting misinformation and false news. So I'm not losing sleep over what happened. He was always destined to behave off the rails. It is still a hell of an adult tantrum, though. Even if I were his ex-wife's friend, why does it even matter? Is she not allowed to have friends? Is he not allowed to interact with her friends? I just don't get it. I can only assume that he could be one of those 'controlling husband' types." — buckyhermit 25. "At the dispensary a few weeks back, a guy told the budtender that he was very eco-conscious and didn't want his products (cannabis, for anyone not familiar) in a bag. She politely explained that she couldn't let him carry out the product because of the law, but the bags are paper and recyclable. He got super red in the face and started arguing with her about carbon footprints and whatnot, and she again politely explained that it wasn't a choice; it's the law, and she has to follow it. The rest of us in the small store were watching this man get to an alarming shade of red over a paper bag. He snatched the bag from her, called her an idiot, and left. She told him to have the day he deserves." "We all started laughing and clowning on him, and he immediately came storming back through the door and SLAMMED the empty paper bag back down on the counter. Which only made all of us laugh even harder at him. At least we were having a good time!" — nuclearmonte 26. "A woman forgot her discount voucher and decided the best way to introduce this issue was to say, 'I've forgotten my voucher. What are you going to do about it?' Despite the voucher clearly stating it needs to be presented upon purchase, I do actually have some discretion in what to do if someone forgets it. For my regulars who are polite, I'd just apply it anyway. For her, I made what I thought was a decent alternative offer: She pays full price now, but if she brought the voucher within the next two weeks, I'd refund her the difference and make a note of that on her receipt so if she returned something while I was out, she'd still get it. She disagreed that it was a decent alternative offer; she literally stamped over to the door and said, 'I'll leave if you don't honor it in full!'" "I was done with her by this point, so I just said okay and watched her storm out. Or at least presumably intend to storm out, because she forgot the door opens inwards, not outwards, and slammed into it instead. That was all for a voucher that would have saved her about £2.50 on a £50 order." — The_Sown_Rose Yalcinsonat1 / Getty Images/iStockphoto 27. And: "When I was young, I worked at a Subway. Someone made a catering order for the next day. Naturally, we prepped for it but had not started construction. We were shocked when a man walked in asking for that order. We told him it was scheduled for the next day, but we could make it in about an hour. He. Lost. His. Shit. He raged. He had spit flying from his mouth and said every word your mama told you never to say. We just stared at him calmly. This seemed to make him rage even more. He stormed off and walked toward the exit, but missed the door completely and hit the window instead. We heard the crack, and he quickly found the actual door. I went to inspect, as I could see his forehead skin from behind the counter. This man had made a DENT in the glass with his hard head. He did come back to get the food an hour later. How embarrassing." — Lightinthebirdcage Have you ever seen an entitled adult throw a tantrum? What happened? Tell us in the comments or share anonymously using this form.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Does McDonald's Offer Senior Discounts?
One of the many benefits of aging is the discounts. Let's face it, by the time you are given the title "Senior," you've earned those little breaks, particularly at McDonald's. And when it comes to the land of beloved Chicken McNuggets, creamy McFlurries you can turn into an ice cream cookie sandwich, and the elusive McRib, you may wonder if the Golden Arches offer seniors special deals. The answer is that it depends. According to McDonald's website, some locations do, but it is on a case-by-case basis and you will need to do a little Googling and calling before you head out for that combo meal or apple pie. Why so random? The fast food chain explains that 90% of their eateries are franchisees that are independently owned and operated. This gives them the flexibility to set the prices of the food on their menu. What type of discount might an individual over 55 years old or 60, depending on who is doing the calculating, get at McDonald's? Read more: 16 Popular Donut Chains, Ranked A senior discount at Mickey D's could be as simple as 20 cents off a senior cup of coffee that would normally run you a dollar. That said, this deal does seem to be limited to drinks and the amount of the discount differs from state to state. In Saint Petersburg, Florida, a 16-ounce soda will cost 90 cents, but a senior living in Texas will need to fork out a buck for a small soda or coffee. And if you happen to be stopping at a McDonald's in Macon, Georgia, expect to pay 81 cents for a small coffee or soda. How does McDonald's know if you are a senior? It seems to be the honor system; no one is checking your ID. So, if you haven't achieved the senior milestone, don't ruin it for those who have by abusing it. If your McDonald's doesn't offer a senior discount and you are looking for ways to save money on a McDonald's order, consider downloading the McDonald's app. The app is not senior-specific, but loyalty has its perks, and using it gets you exclusive deals like McDonald's $5 meal deal And "Free Fries Friday." So, embrace your senior moniker and start living your best life at McDonald's. You deserve it. Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
We Tried Every McDonald's Dessert, And This Classic Treat Reigns Supreme
Is it hyperbolic to claim that nearly every American has their own personal favorite McDonald's item? Perhaps, but given that McDonald's is the biggest fast food chain in the country and the second largest in the world, with over 41,000 worldwide locations, its menu is well-known and highly debated by millions. Many customers swear by one of McDonald's signature burgers or its beloved french fries, but there are also those who visit the chain primarily for a sweet treat — or would at least feel wrong leaving without one. McDonald's has a robust enough dessert menu, filled with iconic creations like its apple pies, McFlurries, and soft serve ice cream, that even within the category, you're likely to find dissenting favorites. That's why Chowhound taste-tested and ranked every McDonald's dessert to determine, once and for all, which one takes the proverbial cake (ironically, there was no cake on the list). Even the "worst" dessert on the list had its merits, but the winner was an above-and-beyond standout. The honor was awarded to McDonald's Hot Fudge Sundae, a nostalgic classic that provides the perfect sensory experience while triggering happy childhood memories in every bite. Other contestants, like the Vanilla Cone and the Oreo McFlurry, put up a valiant fight, but when it comes to taste, texture, and ingredient quality, nothing beats the Hot Fudge Sundae. Read more: The Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Burgers When McDonald's debuted its sundaes — featuring either hot fudge, caramel, or strawberry syrup — in 1978, it put out commercials featuring a catchy "Sundae Smiles" jingle and the overjoyed faces of McDonald's customers, young and old, enjoying their ice cream. Though the sundaes have since become a menu staple that no longer require much advertising, eating a McDonald's Hot Fudge Sundae in particular still puts an undeniable smile on our faces. The joy of this treat lies in its simplicity and the delicious contrast between cold vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate fudge. Some sundaes come loaded with toppings, like nuts, fruits, and whipped cream, and while those can be a fun indulgence, there's something comforting about the simple combination of a Hot Fudge Sundae, which really allows the flavors and textures to shine. Unfortunately, despite their deliciousness, McDonald's ice cream treats have a notorious reputation for being unavailable due to broken machines. If that's the case at your local McDonald's location, you might have a hard time getting your hands on a Hot Fudge Sundae. Thanks to a 2024 ruling, however, McDonald's franchises should have an easier time getting their soft serve machines fixed, which means more sundaes in our future. That's something worth smiling about! Read the original article on Chowhound.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Best-Selling Food Items In McDonald's History
Love it or loathe it, there's no denying that McDonald's is fast food royalty. For decades now, it's fed millions of customers every single day with its iconic lineup of burgers and superbly salty fries. While Ronald McDonald's empire today stretches as far as China, Brazil, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. remains its biggest market, with over 85% of American households dropping by McDonald's at least once per year. But what are we actually eating when we visit the golden arches? The McDonald's menu has changed a fair amount over the years. For one thing, the inaugural McDonald's sold barbecue for nearly a decade before it underwent a refresh and became the burger joint that brought businessman Ray Croc into the fold. New items have come and gone since, with its best-sellers becoming some of the most famous dishes in the fast food game. It's easy to assume that the likes of the Big Mac and french fries are the most popular food items at McDonald's, given the fact that they've become almost synonymous with the business. McDonald's doesn't release the exact sales data for each individual menu item, but we've dug into the facts and statistics available to figure out which items have racked up the highest numbers over the years. From Happy Meals to the McRib and every tasty, carbohydrate-laden morsel in between, here are some of the best-selling food items in McDonald's history. Read more: American Burger Chains Ranked From Worst To Best Was there ever any doubt whether fries would appear in a list of McDonald's best-selling items? What's slightly more shocking is the fact that its World Famous Fries didn't actually appear on the original McDonald's menu. Founders Dick and Mac McDonald first introduced them in 1949 after deciding to axe potato chips from the menu. In retrospect, this switch was a bonafide stroke of genius. McDonald's now sells more fries than any other item on its menu, as per a 2022 MyMcDonald's Rewards report. In fact, fries ranked as the best-selling item in every single state that same year and were also the most-ordered item with McFlurries, suggesting that we're all equally keen on the unorthodox sweet-and-salty combo. The fries we eat today aren't exactly the same as those introduced in 1949. For one thing, McDonald's switched to cooking its fries in cholesterol-free vegetable oil, not beef tallow, in the 1990s. It also made all of its fries in the U.S. and Canada trans fat-free in 2008, now cooking them in its canola-blend oil. These changes haven't made a dent in their popularity. It's thought that McDonald's sells over 9 million pounds of french fries on a daily basis. That means we're collectively working our way through a whopping 3.3 billion pounds every year. Whether these sales hold up in the long run, however, is up for debate. In October 2024, it was reported that Lamb Weston -- McDonald's largest fry supplier -- was shuttering a factory in Washington as demand softened. We'll never turn up our nose at the humble McDonald's cheeseburger. While we may have technically placed it last in our ranking of every McDonald's burger, the truth is that its straightforward stack of beef, American cheese, pickles, diced onions, ketchup, and mustard still makes for a solid snack. Judging by the numbers, we're not alone in this line of thought. In 2022, it was the second-most-ordered menu item in the U.S. by MyMcDonald's Rewards members. That means it fell slightly short of the dizzying heights reached by the fries but still outperformed other iconic items like the Big Mac and the McChicken, technically making it the most popular burger on the entire menu. The chain has never disclosed the exact statistics of how many cheeseburgers its customers consume per day. According to McDonald's sells 6.5 million burgers every day, with 5.4 million of these sold in the U.S. alone. If the cheeseburger is still the second-most ordered item on the McDonald's menu -- and, by default, the most-ordered burger -- that's a pretty hefty number. It helps that it's also generally one of the most affordable burgers on the menu (even if the average cheeseburger price did jump by 55% between 2021 and 2024, per Restaurant Business Online). The McChicken is a McDonald's staple today but was at one point dispensable enough to be cut from the menu entirely. In 1996, McDonald's scrapped the sandwich to make way for its Deluxe line (a questionable move when you remember that this was infamously one of McDonald's biggest failures ever). We can only imagine that the same decision would be met with nationwide outrage today, considering that the McChicken is now one of the best-selling items on the entire menu. As of 2022, the McChicken was the third-most-ordered item in the U.S. With a revered spot on the McValue Menu -- which means customers can buy one and add another to their lunch or dinner order for just $1 -- its price point likely also helps to boost numbers. Its simple yet effective combo of a breaded chicken patty, mayonnaise, and lettuce sandwiched between a sesame bread bun has even proven popular enough to inspire its own line of spinoff items, such as the Spicy McChicken and the limited-time Jalapeño McChicken. It's only grown more popular in recent years. In 2024, McDonald's confirmed that its chicken market had grown to an extent that it was on par with beef. While this may have been primarily driven by the launch of the McCrispy, there's no denying the solid foundation set by the McChicken -- which McDonald's referred to as one of its "core equities" -- in the decades prior (via Seeking Alpha). Fast food chains can only dream of inventing a menu item as legendary as the Big Mac. That being said, McDonald's itself can't take all the credit for coming up with the burger. The man often credited as its inventor was Pittsburgh-based franchisee Michael James Delligatti, better known as Jim. Determined to compete with Burger King's Whopper, he was inspired to create a double-decker burger similar to those made by rival chain Bob's Big Boy. The idea may not have been original, but it was definitely profitable. The Big Mac was first introduced in 1967, featuring its now-trademark stack of beef, pickles, onions, lettuce, cheese, and Big Mac sauce. By 1969, it made up 19% of all sales at McDonald's restaurants, with sales remaining equally impressive over five decades later. According to Dashmote, approximately 900 million Big Macs are sold worldwide every single year as of 2024. While McDonald's hasn't confirmed those numbers, that equates to an impressive 2.4 million Big Macs every 24 hours if they are accurate. Research by also found that it was the most popular menu item in 31 states in 2023 (via NBC 5 Chicago). This level of popularity also tracks with older data shared by McDonald's. In 2007, McDonald's claimed that 560 million Big Macs were sold in the U.S. alone each year. Customers may have complained about it seemingly dwindling in size in the years since, but it seems like our appetite for the iconic burger is still as strong as ever. Burgers and fries are already a solid combo in the eyes of an 8-year-old, but throw in a gaudy plastic toy that will provide approximately one hour of enjoyment, and you've got yourself a winner. McDonald's first started selling Happy Meals in 1979 and the concept is still going strong today, even if its menu has undergone a few tweaks in that time. Despite the fact that it scrapped soda from Happy Meals in 2013 and doubled down on improving each meal's nutritional profile, its offerings are still going strong with the youth (and the youthful at heart) of today. Between 2018 and 2022, McDonald's sold over 5.7 billion Happy Meals in 20 major markets that contained menu items from the most recommended food groups (fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grain, lean protein, or water). In 2021 alone, MyMcDonald's Rewards members redeemed nearly 2 million free Happy Meals. The golden arches have also found success with a brand-new concept: Adult Happy Meals. Tapping into the nostalgia of the generation that grew up begging for a Happy Meal on the drive home from school, it introduced its first range -- Cactus Plant Flea Market x McDonald's -- in 2022, which sold out of all 12 million units in just 10 days. McDonald's later claimed the meals had, in part, supported an increase in sales from October to December of that year, and has since launched additional grownup-focused collections. Such is the power of the Happy Meal. The Chicken McNuggets are so integral to the McDonald's brand that it's hard to believe there was ever a time pre-nuggets. In reality, the McNuggets only made their menu debut in 1979 when they were conceived by the chain's former executive chef, René Arend, while he was trying to nail the recipe for onion nuggets. They proved so popular that there initially wasn't enough chicken to keep up with the demand of its franchisees, forcing McDonald's to get creative with other products (such as the McRib) to satisfy the masses in the meantime. Luckily, McDonald's has its chicken supply chain down pat today, meaning it's more than equipped to handle the nation's McNugget cravings. These nuggets are a little different than those of the 20th century. Artificial ingredients were stripped from the recipe (which, let's be clear, also does not include pink slime of any kind) in 2016, while the chicken itself switched to white meat in the 2000s. In 2021, McDonald's claimed that Chicken McNuggets were one of three core menu items that made up almost 60% of total restaurant sales. Whether that's still true today remains to be seen. However, with the Chicken McNuggets also ranking high in breakdown of the favorite McDonald's dish by state, and the chain's McNuggets category -- which also includes Spicy McNuggets -- bringing in over $10 billion per year, we're willing to bet that they're still up there with the most popular (via NBC 5 Chicago). Few fast food items have managed to carve out a space in the industry quite like the McRib. First sold in 1981 to fill the void as McDonald's struggled to keep up with the demand for its recently-introduced Chicken McNuggets, the barbecue-pork sandwich is another brainchild of former executive chef, René Arend. While the McRib is now lauded in fast food circles, it was actually originally scrapped due to poor sales -- a trend that couldn't be further from the truth today. Having disappeared and reappeared from the McDonald's menu multiple times over the years, it's arguably the scarcity mindset that has played the biggest role in the McRib's sustained hype. The boomerang of fast food sold a whopping 30 million sandwiches during its third (but not last) Farewell Tour in 2007. It seems the years haven't dampened our appetite, as the McRib's limited run at the end of 2022 was cited by McDonald's as a vital factor in a 10.3% sales boost. McRib fans are still a passionate bunch to this day. When McDonald's brought the McRib back for yet another limited run in 2024, it also sold half-gallon jugs of A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce -- AKA the same barbecue sauce used for the sandwich itself -- for $19.99. These jugs sold out within seconds and, as is the way of the internet, quickly popped up on eBay, where they sold for an average of $126.37 apiece, according to Cllct. The breakfast menu is a huge money-maker for McDonald's. The Motley Fool reported that breakfast make up a quarter of the chain's sales in 2021. Meanwhile, Yahoo! Finance claimed that McDonald's attracted 35.4% of all breakfast-time fast food visits in 2023. The Egg McMuffin is the menu's powerhouse, stacking McDonald's iconic griddle-fried egg with a slice of American cheese and Canadian bacon on an English muffin. First launched in 1972, not everything about the McMuffin was a total winner straight out the gate -- for example, it was originally served with jam and honey, a detail that's been scrubbed from the menu in the years since -- but it's since established itself as one of the biggest items on the McDonald's menu. Questionable condiments aside, the Egg McMuffin proved popular enough to help breakfast make up 18% of all McDonald's sales by the early 1980s. America's Egg McMuffin cravings have only got stronger over the decades. In 2015, Time reported that McDonald's buys over 2 billion eggs (roughly 5% of all eggs produced in the U.S.) each year. As of February 2024, all of the eggs purchased by McDonald's are cage-free, with the chain confirming that its annual egg purchases still sat somewhere around 2 billion. Exactly how many of those eggs end up as Egg McMuffins is a question mark, but considering its popularity, we're going to make the educated guess of "a lot." Not to be dramatic, but we firmly believe that the McGriddle is one of the greatest gifts bestowed upon us by the golden arches. It seems like we're not alone in that opinion, as it ranks up there among McDonald's most popular items. Available in multiple varieties, every kind of McGriddle sandwiches some kind of flavorful meat (and sometimes egg) between a soft, hot griddle cake. It's sweet, it's savory, and -- unsurprisingly -- it brings in the big bucks. According to research by the McGriddle is one of the top three McDonald's items in six states, ranking as the second most popular item in both Arizona and Mississippi and the third most popular in Alabama, California, Georgia, and Louisiana. Just imagine how much more popular it could be if McDonald's brought back the all-day breakfast menu. (Us? Bitter? Never). The McGriddle doesn't just do numbers stateside, either. The breakfast sandwich's reputation is so strong that when McDonald's conducted a trial period for the McGriddle in its Hong Kong restaurants in 2024, it sold an eye-watering 1 million units in just three days and was forced to end the test early. McDonald's fans in other markets such as the U.K. and Australia have also set up petitions to bring the McGriddle to their local menus, too. In 2023, McDonald's made a big announcement: the Crispy Chicken Sandwich was no more. (At least, in name). Instead, the sandwich -- which was initially launched in 2021 as McDonald's attempt at competing against rivals such as Chick-fil-A and Popeyes in the chicken sandwich wars -- was renamed the McCrispy, a name it already held in several international markets. Just like before, the sandwich took a crispy chicken fillet with pickles and encased it in a toasted, buttered potato bun. That's still the case today, with the sandwich having ballooned into a mini chicken empire that now officially rivals that of McDonald's beef. As the chain confirmed in 2023, its chicken offerings are now on par with beef when it comes to sales. The McCrispy gave these sales a serious boost, having become its own $1 billion brand in the wake of its renaming. Its immediate impact was clear to see in-store, with the first quarter after said renaming leading to a sales increase of 12.6%. Never one to turn down an opportunity for more best-sellers, McDonald's has since gone on to introduce the likes of the Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy off the back of the McCrispy's success. It's also opened the door for more chicken menu items, such as the long-awaited Chicken Big Mac in 2024. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout.
