What is life without a good old Maccy D's occasionally? Following on from a recent Reddit AMA with a McDonald's employee in the USA [1], a UK employee has now also taken to the platform [2] to share some secrets about the world-famous golden arches. While it seems some "secrets" (like the infamous broken McFlurry machines) are a transatlantic phenomenon, certain other things seem to be exclusive to staff working in the UK. Read on to find out some of the best moments from one of the most famous fast-food restaurants in the world.

Free sauce is completely dependent on the member of staff

Technically, employees should charge for sauce unless it's provided as a dip for a specific dish (as with Chicken McNuggets). But if you get the right employee, at the right franchise, they might give you a freebie, despite the fact senior staff might disapprove. "I would give it you for free, I am also the guy who will throw in a couple extra nuggets, or some more bacon, just cus why not. Would I be punished? By my direct boss probably not, by higher ups yeah definitely."

Staff members do get free food, but not while they're working

Think the people working the fryers are gobbling up fries as they work? It's highly unlikely, and they risk losing their job if they're caught. "We can't eat any food while working, it can get you fired," explains the anonymous employee. However, they do get dinner and often end up going home with leftovers. "We get a free meal on our break and when the store closes at 11 we are supposed to throw any left over food away, but we just eat it." They also get discounts on certain meal deals if they want to purchase extra food.

McDonald's burgers are always cooked exactly the same way

There's a good reason why employees don't ask you how you'd like your burger cooked. There's only one way, which is why you always know what you're going to get at Maccy D's, no matter which branch you're in. "We use an automatic grill that grills them for us," the employee explains. So McDonald's itself sets the perfect amount of "doneness" for your meat.

Those stars on team members' badges represent different areas of expertise

During the AMA, another McDonald's employee explains that the stars you sometimes see on the badges of McDonald's employees show experience in specific areas of the business. Team members earn stars for working different sections of the store (e.g. the chicken section, the grills, the fryers) and there are four to "collect" before promotion. However, not everyone is keen on earning those stars. "The thing is most people who work at McDonald's don't plan on staying for too long, as it's just part time while they study, so often times managers kinda figure out who is going for what and works them accordingly."

Want to annoy someone? Ask for extra Big Mac sauce

Someone asked why McDonald's staff get so annoyed when customers ask for extra Big Mac sauce with a meal. The employee gave a very honest answer: it requires extra effort! "We have to go get the little tub thing for it, and when you are working the smallest things piss you off."

It's true, everyone loves McDonald's Monopoly

Even the staff are fans of the promotional Monopoly boxes and cups that arrive in store seasonally, offering everyone the chance to win instant prizes (or collect colour groups for even bigger wins). "Free food is always good!" explains the employee. And everyone knows someone who got a "free" iPod back in the day after consuming two dozen Big Macs, right?

Not everyone's cut out for the service industry!

The employee had one brilliant story of how to lose your job fast! "The shortest I have ever seen someone work here was about an hour. They were new, got put on the front, and after a customer stood there looking at them waiting for them to ask for their order, they said 'What the f*ck are you looking at me for?' They were sacked on the spot."