McDonald’s Menu Hacks: The High-Low Art of Drive-Thru Improvisation
I confess something: I keep the McDonald’s app on my phone because I love their buttermilk biscuits - the grease, the crunchy crust, the heft that never falls apart. I make an argument that is unpopular in the South: McDonald’s beats Bojangles and Biscuitville for my go-to breakfast sammie. Maybe it is heresy among Southerners. But I stand by it.
These menu hybrids are exercises in consumer‑led bricolage. They turn fast food into a site of culinary improvisation. McDonald’s lets users assemble, rather than train staff - reflecting sophisticated cultural participation in brand meaning‑making.
What got me hooked are the app deals and points stacking toward free food. I am the quintessential American consumer - I am a points junkie - and I own it.
One day, a while back, I spotted a neon-green banner on the app: App‑only menu hacks.
McDonald’s often uses the app to test official versions of TikTok combos - items you can order as components and assemble yourself. Smart. No new staff training required.
Here are the four verified hacks available now:
• Surf and Turf
Combines a Double Cheeseburger and a Filet‑O‑Fish. App‑only, comes with medium fries and a drink. Confirmed nation‑wide since January 2022
• Hash Brown McMuffin
A Sausage McMuffin with Egg served between two hash browns. Only breakfast hours. Widely available across stores
• Crunchy Double
Double Cheeseburger plus Chicken McNuggets, drizzled with tangy BBQ sauce. Verified on app menu
• Land Air and Sea
Big Mac stacked with a McChicken and a Filet‑O‑Fish
These cost no more than ordering the individual items and letting you DIY the assemble. McDonald’s is calling it celebration of customer creativity, not kitchen innovation.
Bonus Hack
New TikTok trend: Hash brown sandwich with McFlurry filling—need napkins and strong receptors
Your Turn
Would you try Surf and Turf? Or the McFlurry‑in‑hash‑brown sandwich? If you know of other hacks - add to the comments. Let’s build a new genre of literature: fast-food folklore.
If you skip fast food or deplore it, your comments belong in another essay. This one is for the rest of us.
