Tips on How to Get the Best Value for Your Money at Fast Food Restaurants

I was complaining to a friend recently about getting cold, over-salted fries at McDonald's one day at lunch. I'm not a French fry lover in the first place. So when I do eat them, they have to be piping hot to be good... and not sprinkled heavily with salt. Being a former fast-food supervisor, I knew I was kabitzing to the right person. "Why didn't you just order them with no salt?" she asked. French fries with no salt? That sounded pretty bland to me. Jan went onto explain how ordering salt-free fries does two things: 1) It allows you to control the amount of salt. And 2) It guarantees you get fresh, hot French fries. Read this informative article and learn some more tips on how to get the best value for your money at fast food restaurants!

Fresh, Hot French Fries Without Too Much Salt
I didn't catch on to Jan's advice, so she explained it: The fries are placed in a basket and deep fried. The restaurant worker then pulls the basket up and dumps its contents out onto a tray. S/he salts them, then they're distributed as the French fry orders come in. But, if business is slow, those fries lay their and get cold, even though they're under a heat lamp.

As for too much salt, Jan said it's easy- especially if you got hungry customers swarming through the doors- for a worker to forget they salted the fries already. Just to make sure, they grab the salt can and shake some more on.

Look Around, Then Order
Another tip on how to get the best value for your money at fast food restaurants is to order what you don't see. Of course, this only works if you go inside to get your order. Jan said hamburger sandwiches aren't made-up ahead of time. But, foods like fried chicken are. She said you can most always see chicken underneath a heat lamp waiting to be served. You don't necessarily want that. You want your chicken freshly cooked. So, look around! If you see, for example, lots of batter-dipped chicken, choose barbecue-style instead. That way, you know it will be fresh and hot.