McDonald's employees reveal their 20 favorite menu items - and one bonus secret menu item everyone should try

In a 2018 Reddit thread, a current McDonald's crew member said they favored the chain's buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich.

"A chicken sandwich meal is my go to," a former crew member from Virginia told Business Insider.

Meanwhile, a crew member who participated in a 2018 Reddit thread wrote that the McChicken was "the best fast food sandwich."

Breakfast is popular wth some crew members.

One crew member wrote in a 2018 Reddit AMA that they craved the sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle.

Another employee in the same thread said they favored the egg McMuffin. And a third crew member wrote that they most enjoyed the steak, egg, and cheese bagel.

McDonald's has a number of options for customers — and employees — with a sweet tooth.

One former crew member wrote in a 2013 about some of their favorite menu items, including the strawberry and cream pie, the caramel apple sundae, and the Reese's McFlurry.

"My favorite feast is two McDoubles, fries, and chicken McNuggets," one crew member wrote in a 2017 Reddit thread. "I put fries and two nuggets on each McDouble. It's the best! Costs around $10 if you get a drink, too."

Another crew member wrote in a 2018 thread that the French fries were their favorite food at the restaurant.

A crew member from Georgia told Business Insider that they enjoyed the chain's quarter pounder sandwich, and a different crew member posted in a 2018 Reddit thread that they liked the double quarter pound sandwich best.

Some employees prefer to go with more out-of-the-box orders.

A Reddit poster who works at McDonald's posted in 2018 that their favorite order was the chain's garlic white cheddar burger. The sandwich is one of the brand's signature crafted selections.

"I really like the signature sriracha burger," another employee wrote in the same 2018 thread. "I have to have them leave off the onions, which is a shame because they look delicious, but 'severe intestinal distress' doesn't even begin to describe my reaction to onions."

In a 2017 Reddit thread, a different former employee wrote that they ate at McDonald's every day for a summer without gaining any weight.

"My go-to meal was a guacamole crispy chicken on an artisan roll with a buttermilk chicken sandwich," the ex-employee wrote.

McDonald's menus vary around the world to better suit local tastes. So that means international crew members might have favorites that US employees don't even recognize.

"I don't get McDonalds very often, but when I do I always get the same thing: A BBQ chicken legend, large fries, and a strawberry milkshake," former McDonald's crew member wrote on Quora.

The chicken legend is a chicken breast fillet with mayo in a toasted roll, and it's available in the UK.

Meanwhile, for Australia-based McDonald's crew member and Quora poster Grace Bridget, McBites and gravy-loaded fries are the order of the day.

McDonald's so-called secret menu is a bit controversial among employees.

A former McDonald's crew member from Virginia told Business Insider that "there is no such thing as a secret menu."

That being said, one McDonald's crew member wrote in a 2017 Reddit Post that their favorite creation from the restaurant was a McGangbang — widely considered a jewel of the secret menu. This order is composed of a McDouble sandwich and a McChicken sandwich mashed together.

At the end of the day, over 375,000 people work at the fast-food chain around the world. Their tastes are going to vary quite a bit, just like those of McDonald's customers.

Are you a current or former McDonald's employee with a story to share? Email acain@businessinsider.com.