Believe it or not, fast food can be fantastic. When you need to get dinner on the table in a hurry, try these fast food hacks to elevate your next quick meal. You’ll wonder why you didn’t think of them sooner.

Always Customize Your Order

Fast food restaurants get a bad rap when it comes to food preparation and freshness. Rather than ordering ready-made burgers and other sandwiches, place a custom order. Don’t care for mustard? Ask the worker to skip it and double up on pickles. Customized orders are a surefire way to turn an otherwise subpar meal into a mouth-watering experience. One of our favorite ways to customize fast food sandwiches is to ask for steamed buns. To get the freshest fries, ask for light or no salt.

Create Your Perfect Salad

À la carte can be the way to go when it comes to fast food salads. Try topping a side salad with grilled or fried chicken strips for a punch of protein, and tote your favorite salad dressing from home for quick meals out.
Bonus: Ordering à la carte can also save you money.

Opt for Real Eggs

If you frequent McDonald’s for breakfast and you prefer real eggs over those square egg-like patties, ask for “round eggs,” which are used to make McMuffins.

Take Advantage of Secret Menus

If you’ve ever worked in the fast food industry, you know that basically, every restaurant has a hush-hush menu that few folks know about. Before venturing out to your favorite fast food place, do a quick online search for super-secret menu items.

Try Chipotle’s burritodilla or McDonald’s land, sea and air burger. Better yet, use our customization tip above and create your own menu item.

Don’t Avoid the Mealtime Rush

During the mealtime rush, restaurant workers are constantly making fresh items to keep up with the demand. If you’re craving a hot, fresh meal, join the crowd. Ordering at peak times often means getting a better meal.

Mix and Match

If you love Wendy’s burgers, but another restaurant’s fries have your heart, there’s no shame in making multiple stops.

Think Outside the Box

While many folks think of burger joints when they hear “fast food,” new and exciting quick meal options are constantly popping up. In addition to traditional fast food, restaurants like Applebee’s offer carryout-friendly menu items at an affordable price. Thinking outside the box will open up a world of possibilities when there’s no time to cook.

Contributed by: Kelly Spears