A Former Corporate Chef Reveals The Worst Time To Dine At McDonald's

While you might expect a lunch rush or dinnertime surge to be the worst time to take a trip for a Big Mac, one former McDonald's corporate chef, Mike Haracz, says otherwise. As Haracz shared on his TikTok, the worst time to dine at the fast-food joint is actually around 10:30 a.m. Here's why.

McDonald's ended its all-day breakfast menu in 2020, and now its morning service ends at 10:30 or 11 a.m., depending on the location (although McDonald's coffee is always available for purchase). This means at half past 10, most McDonald's locations are making a switch from the breakfast menu to lunch. With the stress of hungry customers coinciding with this changeover, you can see why this is a chaotic time at most of the chain's restaurants. One commenter said a lot of locations also do food safety tests during this period, adding to the mayhem. "We have to do [that] before serving main menu," they said. So clearly, there's a lot going on.

Not only will service most likely be slower during this time, but you might not be able to order what you want. If it's 10:35 a.m. and you're craving hash browns, the location could have already switched its grills and fryers to the proper temperature and times for burgers and fries. So you might be out of luck. To avoid any confusion, avoid a 10:30 a.m. trip to McDonald's at all costs. (And if you do find yourself at the restaurant during this time, have patience.)

While some say 10:30 a.m. is the worst time to arrive at a McDonald's, others claim that the best time isn't far behind. As some customers commented on former chef Mike Haracz's TikTok, the ideal period to grab a bite is just after the switch from the breakfast to lunch menu. "I find just after 10:30 a.m. to be the best time to get lunch cuz all the lunch items are the freshest at that point," one user wrote. Other commentators agreed, with some saying that 10:35 a.m. on the dot is the best time to find some burgers and fries.

Still, while the food might be hot, it might take some time to receive it, so again, only abide by this rule if you have the time. (And if you still can't seem to get fresh fries, try out this ordering hack.) Other commenters say that locations near them have breakfast available until 11:30 a.m. or noon, so the best and worst times to eat vary per the thousands of McDonald's locations. To see hours at a restaurant near you, check the chain's website or app. Then you can decide what time would be best for a bite.