Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
October 28, 2024
Should Fast-Food Retailers Embrace Menu Hacks or Stop Them?
Many fast-food menu hacks are similar to secret menus, while others allow consumers to take advantage of a loophole in order to save money.
According to Fast Food Club, a variety of fast-food hacks are currently in use. For example, you can reportedly get free breakfast items at Chick-fil-A by mentioning the secret code “Breakfast Samples” when you order. These samples are the result of any leftover food after Chick-fil-A’s 10:30 a.m. breakfast cutoff time. While some locations may require you to make a purchase first, others give them away for free.
For Burger King fans, customers can order a mix of fries and onion rings in one container, known as “Frings.” This popular item combines half fries and half onion rings, making it the perfect choice if you can’t decide between the two. In fact, Burger King has even started testing Frings as a regular menu item in some Florida locations.
The latter example especially is a win-win for the fast-food chain and customers. However, can the same be said about hacks that allow consumers to exploit loopholes?
A new “burrito hack” at Chipotle, for instance, allows customers to create a burrito for about $3. To do this, they start by selecting “single taco” on the app and opting for most toppings to be put on the side. For ingredients like fajitas, cheese, and romaine, there isn’t a “side” option, so they select “extra.” Finally, they request a side tortilla, which is usually free, and put everything together inside it. This clever ordering strategy lets patrons enjoy a burrito at a lower cost than usual.
Furthermore, there’s also a hack for getting fresh fries at McDonald’s that involves ordering them without salt. This request prompts staff to cook a new plain batch. Afterward, patrons can simply ask for salt packets to season the fries to their preference. This strategy maximizes the chances of enjoying freshly cooked fries, but arguably, this might cause unnecessary work for employees or affect the restaurant’s stock.
While these fast-food hacks are generally favored by consumers, there is one hack in particular that has faced some criticism.
The method, which was brought to light by The Daily Dot last August, involves taking advantage of a promotion from Popeyes that offers a free two-piece chicken meal with the purchase of a large drink.
On the back of a Popeyes receipt, there’s a survey offer that includes a free meal with the purchase of a large drink. Normally, the consumer needs to visit the website and complete the survey. This will provide them with a validation code. However, one TikToker shared how to get this code without taking the survey, explaining that it is based on the consumer’s visit date and the restaurant’s number. Specifically, she shared that the code consists of:
- Two digits for the month
- Two digits for the day
- Two digits for the year
- A five-digit restaurant number
For example, if the customer visited on Oct. 28, 2024, and their restaurant number is 11858, the code would be 10282411858. At Popeyes, the customer can order something cheap to get a receipt and then use the validation code for the free meal.
Furthermore, the TikToker noted that this can be used repeatedly and across different locations without restrictions, since getting the free meal gives the customer another receipt to repeat the process all over again.
The user who shared this hack on TikTok claimed to have been using it for a decade. Some commentators felt this hack was too much work, and another said the TikTok poster should be ashamed of doing this for the past 10 years. Others, however, seemed to appreciate the advice, calling the hack a “life saver,” though some also noted that they didn’t mind doing the survey to help benefit the restaurant and its employees. “I’d rather do the survey so the workers get recognition,” the commenter said. “The survey is there for a reason!”
In a landscape where fast-food hacks can please customers but also potentially strain operations, retailers face a pivotal choice: Should they embrace and promote these clever shortcuts as a part of their brand identity, or should they consider shutting down those that exploit loopholes and potentially harm their bottom line?
Discussion Questions
How can fast-food retailers balance customer satisfaction from menu hacks with the need to maintain profitability and operational efficiency?
What does the popularity of fast-food hacks reveal about consumer trends related to value perception and brand relationships?
What ethical considerations should fast-food chains weigh when deciding whether to promote or restrict hacks that exploit pricing strategies?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Brian Numainville
Principal, The Feedback Group
Cathy Hotka
Principal, Cathy Hotka & Associates
Lisa Goller
B2B Content Strategist
Recent Discussions
More Discussions
Has Maverik Made a Mistake on its Kum & Go Rebrand?
Maverik has completed its rebranding of Kum & Go, folding the stores into its own banner…Is Guilt Messaging the Path To Influencing Consumer Behavior?
A university study has found that telling consumers their returned items will be “kept out of…How Great of an Advantage Do Low-Price Leaders Like Walmart and Aldi Have?
Low-price leaders like Aldi and Walmart, among others, are vying for an increasingly savvy consumer. How…
Menu hacks can be fun and generate engagement among customers. The problem arises when menu hacks take too much time to produce; this disrupts the efficiency of the fast-food operation which is predicated on routinization. The other issue that has become more prevalent is fake hacks which abound on social media. There is no way of stopping these, but they end up wasting the time of customers and cause bemusement among employees of the chains.
To build upon Neil’s point, hacks are a positive until they impact production time. So is this when a new pricing model can be introduced – ie: extra patties costing as much as the burger itself – to allow self-selectors their fun but encourage the majority to stick to the operationally-optimized standard burger model?
Customers enjoy having “hacks”, especially when menus are limiting. Customers feel ownership in what they really want to eat, and appreciate fast food letting them do it. It also encourages customers to share this inside info in social media, and build loyalty, awareness. In-N-Out Burger a great example with options – “animal style”, “protein style”, “root beer float”, “flying dutchman”, “secret sauce”.
I agree with Brad! The hacks or secret menues are good for customer loyalty. However, the hacks that are abused and impact store profitability shoule be prevented with programming changes if possible.
David, agree, common sense must rule. Twisting order placement to gain free add-ons, especially the profit killing ones should require naming them in retail/menu prices. If all else is reasonable though, leaning toward the customer is always the best way to go.
Restaurants tolerate these hacks because they get them free publicity. Works every time.
They work until some dimwit doesn’t get what they want and their whining goes viral. RW’s tommorrow’s-headline-today: “Should quickserve have cracked down earlier?”
Much as with Fight Club, the first rule of “secret menus” is you don’t talk about them. The raised hand of “Stop Them” goes up.
Menu hacks are a fun way to foster community and drive volume for QSR. Some of the hacks can slow down operations, but I would argue that finding ways to stay efficient in the face of hacks builds resilience and improves the brands.
It’s cool to hack the menu if the restaurant is in on it as Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, and Burger King obviously are, it becomes an issue, however, when the hack costs the restaurant money or frustrates the associates.
Hacks are supposed to be all around fun, until a customer takes it too far, like the Tik Toker who has abused the Popeyes two-piece chicken meal for a decade. That’s crazy and she just needs to go. Others, like the crazy Starbucks hacks that bring chaos to an already busy day, need to go, too. Front line workers put up with enough already.
Can fast food get by without menu hacks. Yes, of course. But is it beneficial to the business? Perhaps.
Menu hacks are fine if any given fast food restaurant can handle the disruption. Do all employees know the secret codes? I doubt that very much especially with high turnover.
Items purchased, if inside the store, at the counter, are very vivid to other customers when placed on the counter, especially if not yet placed in a bag. When the nosey customer standing next to me notices fries and onion rings mixed together he or she might slow down the line by making inquiries to employees, and what if they don’t know the code? Can this be awkward?
Not all fast food are exactly alike, and hacks are easier and make more sense for some but not all, and it might even vary within the chain on a store by store basis.
Some hacks described create a little buzz and give loyalists an insider feel. However faking redemption codes crosses the line and is really fraud.
Hacks can be a win-win if done right and provide a little excitement for customers, as long as they don’t lead to aggravation, frustration or fraud. As soon as they cross one of those lines, they are no longer a good idea.
Consumers are smart and savvy. They’ll find loopholes in nearly any menu offering. For the hacks that don’t cross a definitive fraud line or cause an operational obstacle, they can be positive in a number of ways and even drive unintended buzz for the brand. In these situations, QSR’s would be wise to develop two strategies: 1) how to embrace the hack and think about ways in which to amplify it, and 2) how to pivot away from it and course correct quickly.
These hacks are clever, and there is value for offered as well as creating some loyalty. Sadly, most if not all of these chains serve food that is no where close to good for us, and with 74% of the population overweight or obese the creativity of these hacks is simply feeding into (pun intended) our ever increasing waistline.
The popularity of fast-food hacks reveals that customers may feel more satisfied and loyal if they feel like they have an inside scoop on great value. These cost savings can translate into repeat visits.
We have to consider this a marketing program. As a consumer, the menu hacks connect directly to my economic logic and belonging. With keywords or keystrokes, you’re in like Flint with the secret handshake and decoder ring. There is a lot of upside with minimal risk that these menu hacks can be detrimental to the business. The brand is getting time and mind share with guaranteed repeat business and earned media exposure. Great marketing tool: the menu hack!
Ethical hacks are a great way to increase visits and word-of-mouth. If I were an operator, I would consider offering truly secret and local sauces or other off-menu ingredients available only to those in-the-know. Lean into hacks. With consideration of the service disruption potential noted in other comments.