I’m a McDonald’s worker – why you should ALWAYS check the price before ordering

MACCIES is loved for its cheap grub – but one McDonald’s worker has revealed four top secret ways of saving even more on your order.

A general manager at a branch in Hampshire – who wishes to remain anonymous – has revealed to The Sun all the little-known tricks you can use to knock money off your order.

She went from flipping burgers as a crew member to managing a team of up to 40 people.

After three years working for the chain, she knows all about how to save money on the menu.

That’s why The Sun picked her brains for all the inside information on getting the best deals at the restaurant.

From comparing prices before your head to your local branch to supersizing your McPlant for just 60p, here are her top money saving tips.

ALWAYS check prices

Choose your branches wisely – or you could end up paying more for the same meal.

The Sun previously revealed that menu prices can vary between restaurants that are just a couple of miles apart.

Our research found that you could save £57 a year by researching which is your cheapest local by comparing menus online.

You could be paying up to 20p more for the same item just because of the store you head to, the McDonald’s manager said.

“I’ve noticed sometimes meals can go up by 20p more, and burgers can be 10p more expensive at some branches,” she said.

“I find that the price of milkshakes and fries stay the same though.”

This is because prices vary between stores – this is usually due to their location or whether they are run by McDonald’s or a franchise. A franchise owner has the power to set their own prices.

Get half price meals

There are a number of ways to get 50% knocked off the price of some of your favourite meals at Maccies.

If you live in London, keep hold of your bus tickets. Sometimes, McDonald’s vouchers are printed on the back where you can get deals and discounts.

And if you have five or 10 minutes to spare, fill out a quick feedback survey on the chain’s website.

Get your receipt out from your last order, and look for the 12 digit code printed on it.

You’ll need to enter this code in when doing the survey – when you’ve filled it out, you’ll get a voucher to get a Big Mac and fries for £1.99.

This usually costs around £4.79, so you can save £2.80.

Get fresh grub

You can get your burgers and chips fresh off the grill by phrasing your order right at the till.

“If you want your burger cooked fresh, then ask for your burger or chips without seasoning,” the manager said.

This means that staff will have to make them separately, whereas food is usually cooked in batches.

But you will have to wait a little longer for your meal to cook.

Avoid ordering meals and bulk up instead

We all have our favourite go-to meal.

Meal deals come with your choice of main snack – like a burger or chicken nuggets – along with fries and a drink.

But sometimes it makes more sense to bulk buy items individually and split them between the family.

A medium meal with six Chicken McNuggets costs £5.49. If you’ve got three mouths to feed, that comes out at £16.47.

But if you bought 20 Chicken McNuggets for £5.09 – which means each person gets six each with two left over – three medium fries at £1.29 each and a medium drink at £1.09 each, you’d be spending £12.23 in total.

That marks a saving of £4.24.

Mix your McFlurry for 20p

Deciding which flavour McFlurry to go for can be a tricky choice.

But there’s a trick you can use to mix your McFlurries for just 20p more.

“Go to the till, ask if you can get an extra topping, and most stores will do this,” the manager said.

“So if you ordered a Smarties McFlurry, you can add Malteaser’s to it too for just 20p.”

A mini McFlurry costs 99p – which means you could get a double flavour hit for £1.19.

It’s not the only McFlurry trick you can try out.One ex-McDonald’s worker said you can ask for off menu creations, like putting an apple pie into a McFlurry – an apple pie costs 99p.