The Magic Words That'll Get You A Fresh Filet-O-Fish Sandwich At McDonald's Every Time

As your parents, twinkly-eyed grade school teachers, and any sibling or friend who wanted a hot dose of one-upmanship before sharing something will tell you, the magic word required to receive something is "please." However, if you want a fresh Filet-O-Fish sandwich from McDonald's, you'll need a few extra words. Other factors may also play role in your sandwich's freshness, but for the time being, let's focus on the verbiage.

According to a Reddit page for McDonald's workers, the way to get a fresh Filet-O-Fish is to request that the sandwich be "made fresh" or "cooked to order." This means that the fish (real Alaska pollack, FYI) and buns are cooked and steamed, respectively, at the time of the order, and not drawn from the warming tray. It's one of many brilliant Filet-O-Fish ordering hacks, including a genius merger of the Filet-O-Fish and BLT. And as one poster noted, "The store is typically bound to honor it since it's a fairly common request and is not unreasonable."

You will have to wait a little longer for a fresh Filet-O-Fish: McDonald's states that it takes approximately three minutes and 15 seconds to cook one, so the entire process (including steaming the buns and assembling the sandwich) should take about six minutes from pillar to post. But should you prefer your food at a temperature above "old cup of coffee" or "cookie you forgot to eat yesterday," that amount of time should be a small price to pay.

Admit it: When you read that trick to getting a fresh Filet-O-Fish was to simply ask for it to be cooked when you order it, skepticism took root in your heart. It can't be that easy — can it? And like so many things in life, the answer is: yes and no. You can order a fresh Filet-O-Fish, but it may take longer than six minutes to receive it, or it may arrive in slightly less-than-fresh condition, depending on when and where you place the order.

The Reddit lays out many of the variables that may affect a Filet-O-Fish's freshness. These may include malfunctioning equipment, incorrect cooking times (too long in the fryer, too little time in the steamer), and understaffed locations. Time of day is also a factor: The Reddit thread's OP is a "loyal customer" who can't understand why his Filet-O-Fish order is so inconsistent in terms of freshness when placed late at night. 

As the employees politely point out (or not so politely — as one Redditor wrote, "This is the type of guy who would have (and apparently does) piss(ed) me off"), asking for a custom order during peak hours or when the location is about to either close or stop serving lunch or dinner may impact quality. So it may be that, in a scenario where you are ordering against the grain, you fall back on that original magic word: Be polite to your server, and say "please."