Fast food is tasty and super convenient, but if you're looking for high-quality eats, it's no secret that the drive-thru probably isn't your best bet.
Reddit user u/Skylion72 wanted to know the dirty secrets about some of the most popular types of fast food, so they asked current and former employees to share the menu items "people should absolutely stop ordering" from their restaurants.
Here are some of the most shocking — and gagworthy — replies:
1. "I worked at Einstein Bros. Bagels, which is basically fast food. Don't order anything with eggs — they aren't real eggs, and if business is slow, they could have been sitting in a container for hours after they were microwaved."
2. "Don’t get decaf coffee at Burger King. Maybe this was just the one I worked at, but we didn’t actually brew any decaf. Whenever someone ordered it, my manager would just have me water down the regular coffee."
3. "Waffle House cook here. The grits can sit for hours, and managers will try to keep them looking fresh even though they cost next to nothing to buy."
4. "The cupcakes/coffee cakes at Panera all come frozen. The best items are the real sandwiches and salads. They have real ingredients and are usually fresh."
5. "I used to work at Jack in the Box. I don't know why anyone orders the bacon cheddar potato wedges. It's fake cheese with fake bacon on fried potatoes. I'm trying to remember the ingredients list on the cheese, but I distinctly recall that the packaging did not say it contained dairy. It also smelled like feet."
6. "Don't order any of the Coffee Bean drinks at Krispy Kreme. They never, ever change the ice chest."
7. "I used to work at Panda Express. Don't buy any shrimp entrées if you actually want a full meal. They purposely use a smaller serving spoon to make it appear like you're getting a lot of food. I believe six shrimps per serving max was the policy."
8. "Tropical Smoothie Cafe. All of the smoothies, except the detox ones, have SO much sugar in them. You’re not being healthy by going there."
9. "I worked at Long John Silver's in 2006. We microwaved the 'baked cod on a bed of rice' on a paper plate."
10. "Burgers from Sheetz are microwaved. The grill marks are fake. Bacon is microwaved too. Also, don't drink the fucking peanut butter shakes. One particular peanut butter shake has nearly 2,000 calories in it."
11. "I worked at an AMC theater for two years. Do not buy the coffee unless it's early morning, when we first open. Otherwise you're gonna drink coffee that's been sitting out for a solid five hours at least."
12. "Former Applebee's employee here. It's not quite fast food, but fast and casual dining. So much of the food is in frozen, vacuum-sealed packages that are thawed in vats of boiling water or microwaved. The things that need to look nice spend one to two minutes on each side on a grill for appearance, but they are NOT fresh (think steaks, burgers, and chicken breasts)."
13. "I used to work as a server at Outback. The Bloomin' Onion costs around 70 cents to make, and they sell it for like $8."
14. "I worked at Starbucks. Nobody who values their health should order a white mocha anything. That white mocha shit is absurdly unhealthy and disgusting to work with."
15. "I work at Chick-fil-A. The only thing I would be iffy on is the chicken salad sandwich. We cool some of the chicken once its hold time is up, de-bread it, and use it in the chicken salad."
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.