McDonald's employees share the 6 menu items they'd never eat

A famous, fishy sandwich

The McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich has a storied history. It was the first new non-hamburger item added to the fast-food giant's nation-wide menu in 1965.

But that doesn't matter much to two crew members who spoke with Business Insider.

One former crew member from Virginia described viewing the Filet-O-Fish as a meal popular with older customers "because I assume it's easy for them to chew," but the crew member personally didn't like the taste of the sandwich.

Some of the greener options on the menu

A crew member from Minnesota told Business Insider that they steered clear of a batch of the chain's ostensibly healthier options: the salads.

"I'm not a fan of tons of vegetables, and the caloric count in the items is astronomical," the crew member told Business Insider.

The Southwest buttermilk crispy chicken salad comes in at 520 calories, the bacon ranch salad with buttermilk crispy chicken boasts 490 calories, and the bacon ranch grilled chicken salad has 320 calories.

For comparison, a Big Mac sandwich is 540 calories.

The chain's side salad is only 15 calories, however, for customers looking for a leaner, leafy option.

A particularly sugary beverage

One Reddit commenter said the chain's sweet tea was a bit too sweet for his or her taste.

"Pound. Of. Sugar. Per gallon," the person wrote in a 2013 Reddit thread.

A pound of sugar per gallon of McDonald's sweet tea would translate to a quarter pound — or about 113 grams — of sugar in a large, 32-ounce serving. That is much larger than the still-formidable 38 grams of sugar that McDonald's reports is in a large, 32-ounce McDonald's sweet tea.

A large Coca-Cola contains 77 grams of sugar.

The American Heart Association recommends that men should take in no more than 36 grams of added sugar a day — and that women should consume no more than 25 grams.

The smallest sweet-tea option at McDonald's, the extra-small cup, has 15 grams of sugar.

A faddish, limited-time-only item

The controversial McRib always causes a stir when it resurfaces on the McDonald's menu.

But two commenters in a 2013 Reddit thread who said they previously worked at McDonald's were less than impressed with the sandwich based on its appearance.

"The way it looks before we put the sauce on it is absolutely revolting," one wrote. "It doesn't look like meat at all, it looks like a scab."

The menu's ostensibly healthier chicken sandwich

"A lot of people choose to be healthy and order our grilled chicken," a commenter wrote in a 2013 Reddit thread. "Not a lot of people realize that they're eating at a fast food joint and we will find a way to make anything unhealthy."

The person went on to say he or she wouldn't order the chain's grilled chicken sandwiches because they were slathered in margarine at the time and therefore less healthy than they appeared.

In 2015, however, the fast-food giant revamped its grilled chicken, ditching the margarine and swapping in olive oil, canola oil, and herbs.

A relatively new breakfast item

When McDonald's introduced its Egg White Delight McMuffin in 2013, it was viewed as a healthier alternative to the regular McMuffin.

But one person claiming inside knowledge seemed less than impressed.

"The egg white delight is just as unhealthy, if not more so, than the regular round eggs," a person who described working at a McDonald's wrote in a 2014 Reddit thread. "The amount of butter — at least in my store — sprayed on the grill must up the calorie and fat count like crazy."

The person went on to recommend that customers order their breakfast sandwiches with a "round egg." If you don't specify, you'll receive a sandwich with a folded egg patty.

"At least the round egg is the real deal," the employee wrote.

According to the official McDonald's website, the yolk-free version of the McMuffin has 280 calories — 20 fewer calories than its yolky counterpart.

Are you a current or former McDonald's crew member with a story to share? Email acain@businessinsider.com.

McDonald's employees share the 6 menu items they'd never eat

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