Former McDonald's Chef Admits What Customers Have Been Saying This Entire Time

A dollar just doesn't stretch as far as it used to these days, especially at fast food joints. McDonald's, in particular, has been accused of constantly raising prices without giving customers more value for their money. Many have claimed that they're getting less value as the chain reduces the amount of food they serve. Now, a former McDonald's corporate chef has confirmed what many folks have already seen with their own eyes.

Mike Horacz, a former manager of culinary innovation for McDonald's, said as much during an interview for "We Cooked With A Former McDonald's Chef. What He Showed Us Was Shocking," a short documentary by the non-profit advocacy and journalism organization More Perfect Union. "They are willing to serve not as good of a product because they can make more money and serve more people," he explained, adding, "Make it as cheap as possible so they can get the most profit." One of the easiest ways to reduce costs is to use less food while maintaining the same price. The result is menu items becoming smaller and smaller, a phenomenon commonly known as "shrinkflation."

While it might shock some to realize McDonald's is shrinking menu items to save a buck, this revelation wasn't exactly mind-blowing to Redditors who commented on the video in the subreddit r/mildlyinfuriating. One person noted, "This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone." Another Redditor sarcastically wrote, "In other news, fork found in kitchen."

The documentary proposes that McDonald's business model (operating mostly franchised restaurants) rewards fast growth over customer satisfaction. It also points out that the fast food chain is publicly traded, suggesting that maximizing shareholder profits is prioritized over delivering value. While none of this amounted to groundbreaking news to people in the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, it is still notable to see how shrinkflation works in practice.

The beginning of the documentary by More Perfect Union shows the host going to McDonald's and ordering the burger that's cooked fresh every time, the iconic Quarter Pounder with Cheese. While they had no complaints about the taste of the sandwich, they quickly pointed out that it was smaller than anticipated. They called out the petite burger patty and lack of toppings as evidence of shrinkflation, and according to Mike Horacz, they weren't imagining things.

Later, the host asked the former McDonald's chef about a solution for the rising labor and food costs impacting fast food restaurants today. To answer, Horacz used the chain's burgers as an example. McDonald's uses ground beef with higher percentages of fat to make its burgers, because leaner options are more expensive. It makes a flavorful patty, but it also cooks down more, resulting in a smaller though still tasty meal. To mask the reduced size, bulkier buns are used as the vessel for the meat. To further lower cost, skimping on sauce, making cheese slices thinner, and placing fewer veggies on the burger are all fair game.

Horacz showed how the same diabolical concept would apply to chicken tenders. Sourcing cheap poultry and brining it in salty liquid can make it appear larger. The breading process can also be manipulated to create the illusion that the tender is more substantial than it truly is. Whether that means double dredging the chicken (a fried chicken prep step you should do twice at home) or using larger breadcrumbs like panko, it's one more way that restaurants like McDonald's are trying to maximize profits by giving customers less food.