When we go to McDonald’s, we probably don’t give much thought to the receipt. In fact, most of us probably don’t bother to ask for a receipt with our purchase, and if we do, we probably don’t look at it and just shove it into our pocket.
But according to a report from Reader’s Digest, asking for a receipt with your meal might actually help to improve the quality of your McDonald’s meal.
As a former employee at a UK McDonald’s explained in a post on Quora, the secret for getting the freshest McDonald’s meal lies in the receipt.
As it turns out, there are secret shoppers – often known as “gapbusters” – who are paid to visit different McDonald’s in order to keep an eye out on the restaurants’ quality and service. While workers obviously don’t know who these mystery customers are, there are some clues they’ve picked up on.
For example, these gapbusters typically turn up between prime mealtimes such as 12 and 2 p.m. or 5 and 7 p.m. But moreover, they will usually always ask for a receipt in order to get reimbursement for their order.
Because there are many customers who don’t bother with receipts at McDonalds, given how small the purchases are, these requests for a receipt can immediately set off alarm bells for employees. If they think that the diner could be a secret shopper, they will usually do everything possible in order to ensure that their food is as fresh as possible and top-quality.
While this tip is from one former employee in a UK McDonald’s, it might not be the same for every Mcdonald’s around the world. However, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try and see what happens.
What do you think of this potential McDonald’s hack? Have you ever tried it? Let us know!