Taco Bell is a guilty pleasure for many Americans.
One of the restaurant chain's employees recently gave candid details about working there in a Reddit Ask Me Anything.
The man dished on those pesky meat rumors and how clean things are behind-the-scenes.
A year after starting work at Taco Bell, the man says he still loves to eat there.
[NOTE: While the man's identity was verified by moderators on Reddit, it can't be verified by Business Insider.]
Q: How do you feel about the Doritos Locos Taco?
A: It's the best thing to happen to Taco Bell in years. We make so much money off it and it's so good.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: Any idea of roughly how many people you serve per hour at peak time?
A: Probably 100-200 customers in the drive thru and 100 in the store.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: How bad do the bathrooms get?
A: They are never very dirty. There is never really anything bad in there. We clean them once to twice a day.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: What's the grossest thing you've seen in regards to preparing food?
A: The grossest thing I've seen has to be the fried foods. We'll keep the oil there for hours upon hours with stuff floating in it (old potatoes, tortilla chips). The fried food still tastes good but it is a little gross.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: What's your favorite menu item?
A: Cheesy Potato Burrito with no sour cream.
Q: Are there any menu items you avoid?
A: I avoid the new Cantina bowls because I just don't like anything that goes in them.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: Has working at Taco Bell made the food less appealing for you?
A: I still love the food even though I see how everything is made.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: Are there any secret menu items you can suggest?
A: We don't sell any things that aren't on the menu. Sorry!
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: Seriously, what's the deal with the texture of the alleged meat?
A: It's not as bad as they say. It is mostly meat but there is some spices and water in there. The texture when it's fresh made is very juicy and delicious. After a half an hour of sitting around, it is a little dry. We are required to stir it every 5-10 minutes to spread the juices around.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: How long do you keep the meat around after you cook it?
A: An hour to an hour and a half. We usually use all the beef in the pan up within 30 minutes. It's on a heater the whole time so it stays warm. I definitely recommend trying it.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: Has anything crazy ever gone down in the seating area?
A: Some people came in obviously drunk and we had to call the cops. Every day a customer gets mad about their food not coming out in two seconds.
Q: Why did they discontinue the Cheesy Bean and Rice burrito? That was my vegetarian favorite.
A: Ask for a bean burrito with rice, three cheese, jalapenoño sauce, and pico. There you go...oh and ask for no red sauce or onions.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: What is the best way to report bad service?
A: Call corporate on them. Go online and give them a bad rating and their manager will probably chew them out.
Q: What's the biggest order you've ever received?
A: Someone ordered 1000 soft tacos and 500 bean burritos.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
Q: Do you ever make crazy creations with different sauces and combinations?
A: Craziest thing I've done was a regular hard shell taco wrapped in a melted cheese filled soft taco, surrounded by a chalupa with lava sauce.
Source: Reddit's Ask Me Anything
You've seen what it's like to work at Taco Bell...
Now find out the secrets of Hooters >
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