Tasty secrets


Did you know McDonald’s used to sell pizza? Or not all footlong subs are 12 inches (30cm)? There’s more than meets the eye to your favorite fast food restaurants. From secret menu items to royal owners, here are amazing facts that will make your jaw drop.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Domino’s in Australia and Texas have delivery robots

You might be familiar with Domino’s drivers ringing your doorbell, but in Australia and Houston, Texas, the global pizza chain is testing delivery robots. The golf-cart-size cars are able to navigate their way to customers’ homes using GPS and sensory technology.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Domino’s in New Zealand has delivery drones

Domino’s customers who live in Whangaparaoa, New Zealand, a town 20 miles (32km) north of Auckland, can have pizzas delivered by air. The drones will deliver within roughly a mile (1.5km) of the store and can travel 18 miles per hour (30kmph). This is the only location to offer the futuristic service and customers must have a big enough garden for safe landing.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Subway used to be called Pete’s Super Submarines

The global sandwich chain has only been known as Subway since 1968. Prior to that, it was called Pete’s Super Submarines after one of its founders, Dr. Peter Buck. He teamed up with high school graduate Fred DeLuca in 1965 when the average cost of a sub was 49 cents.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Subway is the largest chain in the world

That’s right, it’s easier to get your hands on a Meatball Marinara than a Big Mac or a Frappuccino. Subway had 41,600 restaurants in 2019, making the sandwich giant the largest chain in the world. Who would’ve thought it?




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Not all footlong Subway subs are 12 inches (30cm)

In fact, a lawsuit was even filed against the chain after a number of sandwiches measured up short in 2013. However, it was concluded natural variability in baking means it’s inevitable subs will be slightly different sizes and no customer is actually missing out on food.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Chick-fil-A gives its first 100 customers free meals

Every time Chick-fil-A opens a new store, the first 100 people to buy a meal receive free food for a year. Keen customers are known to wait in the parking lot overnight, known as the First 100 Campout, so you better arrive early.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

IHOP puts pancake batter in omelets





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

KFC is Japan’s favorite Christmas food

People all over the world can’t get enough of KFC, and in Japan it’s even a staple on Christmas Day. Thanks to a very successful ad campaign that ran half a century ago, it’s a finger-lickin’ festive tradition for many Japanese people to this day.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Chipotle has a secret menu item called the Quesarito

This off-menu item at Chipotle is made by preparing a burrito with a cheesy quesadilla instead of a plain tortilla. But beware, due to its popularity you’ll be charged an extra $3.50 for this delicious meal.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Pizza Hut was named out of necessity

It’s not uncommon to think Pizza Hut is named after its restaurants’ roof shape. However, there’s no profound reason behind its name. Founders Frank and Dan Carney went with what they could fit on the sign.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Pizza Hut delivered a pizza to space

Back in 2001, Pizza Hut delivered a pizza to Russian astronaut Yuri Usachov while he was at the International Space Station. The lucky pizza reportedly hitched a ride on a Russian rocket to get there. The stunt didn’t come cheap for Pizza Hut though – it is said to have cost the company around $1 million.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

There’s a Pizza Hut with a perfect view of the Pyramid of Giza

Above a KFC, across the street from the Great Sphinx and Pyramid of Giza, is this prime-location Pizza Hut. Why battle the crowds and the heat when you can sit back in an air-conditioned dining room with a pepperoni pizza, soda and an unobstructed view of an ancient wonder.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Ben & Jerry’s founder struggles to taste

Everyone loves Ben & Jerry’s ice cream because of the huge chunks of sweet treats like marshmallow, brownie and chocolate. Beyond an intense sugar rush, there’s a more thoughtful reason why they’re in there. One of the Ben & Jerry’s founders, Ben Cohen, suffers from anosmia (loss of smell) so texture is very important to him.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Ben & Jerry’s nearly made bagels

The innovative duo had even decided a name for the business – UBS, meaning United Bagel Service. Then they found out how expensive bagels were to make and bought an ice cream machine instead. We’re happier for it, otherwise we wouldn’t have Phish Food and Cookie Dough.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

You can have packages delivered to Waffle House

The convenient restaurant chain, open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, is an official meeting place for people using the Roadie delivery app. App users agree to pick up and drop off other people’s packages on a journey they’re making anyway and it’s quicker than UPS or FedEx. Eating waffles beats standing in the line at the post office any day.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Waffle House is one of the world’s largest sellers of T-bone steaks





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

You can order barbecue chicken at Nando’s





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Burger King is called Hungry Jack’s in Australia

If you want a Whopper in Australia, you’re heading to Hungry Jack’s not Burger King. It’s the Australian franchise of the brand and has all the same menu items you know and love.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

You can order Frings on Burger King’s secret menu

Yes, it is totally possible to order a combination of fries and onion rings at Burger King. The dream menu item, also known as Frings, is available on the secret menu at any branch that sells the sides separately, so you don’t have to decide between them.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

There’s a Burger King with a sauna in Helsinki





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets have four shapes

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets come in four different shapes and they all have names: the boot, the ball, the bone and the bell. See how many you can spot next time you pick up a box.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

McDonald’s is the world’s largest toy distributor

Crazy, right? But with McDonald’s typically receiving 68 million visitors a day and nearly 15% wanting Happy Meals, all of those toys add up. The chain is the largest distributor of toys in the world.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

At McDonald’s in the Philippines you can order spaghetti





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Ronald McDonald wasn’t always the McDonald’s mascot

In the days before Ronald McDonald was on the scene, the McDonald’s mascot was a miniature animated chef named Speedee. He appeared on restaurants’ signs in the 1950s, before being replaced by the golden arches.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

The Queen of England owns a McDonald’s





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

McDonald’s used to sell pizza





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


27/27 SLIDES