I was randomly browsing on Quora yesterday when I came across an intriguing article that I thought I needed to have a bit more of a look into. Knowing a few people who have worked in MacDonald's in the past I had a ready source of information to verify what I'd read and between Quora and my own research this is my response to the above question.

I have Mark in particular to thank for his insights.

Mark worked on a rotating basis on the burger station, service and most importantly for this article making and "packaging" the fries (I don't even know what the right verb is there).

Any of us who have been curious enough to peak behind the counter have seen that fries are put into their packaging through the use of a special scoop that was specifically designed to make the process quick and efficient. When used properly the fries fall in the right direction, vertically, and you get a nicely packed, full-looking bag, as illustrated below.

The scoop in action and what an ideally filled package of fries looks like - as per all of their pictures. Let's be honest we have seen similar idealised images of the burgers that are made up of perfect parallel layers which do not match the reality.

But this was not what MacDonald's want you to do. Staff are instructedto fill the bags, but not too generously because fries "don't grow on trees." In reality, the actual motivation was a combination that cooking more fries takes time and of course greater quantities means using more potatoes (that were already pre-prepared for frying). Mark suggested that managers almost certainly had targets and quotas to hit as well.

So this is what you end up with. Something quite different to what the presentation suggests.

And the reason we don't notice is pure and deliberate charlatanism. The "trick" played out on the meal tray. The bag, not sitting upright, tips over slightly and a few fries spill out of the top, creating the illusion of abundance.

The fact that Quora flagged it up and that it was confirmed by Mark seems to suggest that it is a centralised policy and furthermore the author of the Quora article went on to say that "[they] received the exact same feedback my bags were too full".

And so that is why the fries are less than perfectly presented and why they are often toppled over on the tray. I have also noticed personally that some tend to spill out into the bottom of the bag if you order it as a takeaway.

As always stay safe and well my friends.