McDonalds employees reveal ordering hacks and secret menu items

McDonalds is a fast food staple - a classic spot for burgers, nuggets, and fries.

But just when you thought that you knew its menu inside out, employees divulged the existence of a secret McDonald's menu on Quora.

From secret menu items to customizing classics and snagging the freshest fries, here are the top tips on hacking the official menu.

Secret menu items that are worth trying

Former employee Tony Bridges warns that secret menu items are unofficial, meaning that employees are not trained in making them, or even in charging for them. Should you want to take the risk though, the following secret menu items were suggested:

Grilled cheese sandwich - "There are two different ways of making this, either on the grill or by running the whole sandwich through the bun toaster. I've done both. Busy restaurants won't do this for you because it ties up the equipment for just one sandwich, and the cheese has pretty high odds of messing something up." - Tony Bridges

McGangBang - "I think Reddit made this up, and it became briefly popular. It's a McDouble and a McChicken on one bun." - Tony Bridges

Big 'n Tasty - "It used to be an official menu item, but it hasn't been for years. It's not so much a secret menu item as some people don't pay enough attention to the menu to realize it hasn't been on offer for five years (10, in some locations), but all the ingredients are still in the store and the vets remember how to make it." - Tony Bridges

Land, Air and Sea - "It's a quarter-pounder with a fillet of fish and a crispy chicken, all in one sandwich. Best. Sandwich. Everrr." - Rich Pantini

Rootbeer float - "Another thing some stores will make for you is a rootbeer float if you ask nicely. They will charge you for the rootbeer and an ice cream cone." - Diane Ulrich

For a fresh burger, order your beef patties with no salt

This also works for chicken and fries, but is more time-efficient, meaning employees will acquiesce more readily.

"If it's slow, order your beef patties with no salt. I think they're better that way, but more importantly, they have to make them fresh, so you're not getting patties that have probably been sitting in the warming tray for however long. You can just order fresh instead of no salt, but I recommend you try them unseasoned. I really think they're better. Also, it takes less than a minute to make fresh regular patties." - Tony Bridges

Save money on Big Macs by ordering the Ghetto Mac

"Order a McDouble and ask them to substitute lettuce and Mac sauce for ketchup and mustard. You used to get this substitution for free, but most of the McDonalds' in the area have started to charge for these substitutions. Nevertheless, it tastes close enough to a Big Mac for almost 1/3 the price." - Andrew J. Lee

Ask for grilled onions instead of getting them raw

"Sometimes you can get [employees] to grill the quarter onions for you before they put them on the burger. I wouldn't try this at a busy place, but it's so much better." - Tony Bridges

Upgrade your standard burger with a fried egg