Thanks to the beautifully communal nature of the internet, menu hacks have become widespread at just about every fast food chain, from Popeyes to Taco Bell. But the chain whose menu is arguably hacked most of all is McDonald’s, and a recent article from the Daily Mail notes one unusual order that has gained viral fame on TikTok, with explainer videos garnering more than a million views. Say hello to the McBrunch Burger.
What is the McDonald’s McBrunch Burger menu hack?
The McBrunch Burger blurs the line between McDonald’s breakfast menu and its regular menu, a blend not commonly offered by fast food chains. The hacked sandwich consists of a sesame bun, two burger patties with cheese, bacon, hash browns, and eggs. Even more specifically, the eggs should be scrambled, as they are in the McDonald’s Big Breakfast menu item. (Learn about the different types of McDonald’s eggs here.)
Generally, ever since all-day breakfast was killed off in 2020, McDonald’s locations have stopped serving breakfast menu items at 10:30 a.m. Therefore, as the Daily Mail explains, this hack is all in the timing: the key is to place your order right around 10:35 a.m. If you’re lucky, and if the employees at the particular restaurant are accommodating (don’t be a jerk if they’re not!), you’ll be able to order the McBrunch Burger.
As this hack is a truly off-menu item, you’ll likely receive some perplexed looks from McDonald’s employees if you try to order this item by name. To make things easier for everyone involved, you should probably order the various components and build the McBrunch yourself, in which case you’ll have a few different options to mix and match. Here are some possible components to order:
- Double cheeseburger, for the beef patties and cheese (note that you’ll have to sacrifice the sesame bun, as that only comes with larger burgers)
- Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, to secure the sesame bun (and, of course, some breakfast meat)
- McDonald’s Big Breakfast with bacon, which will secure the scrambled eggs and breakfast meat (note that since this comes with a biscuit, you could attempt to assemble the sandwich on that as well)
- Hash Browns
Some disassembly and re-assembly will be required if you take this route to experience the McBrunch Burger, but at least it’ll make the ordering process a little easier. Simply layer all the ingredients together for a beautiful fusion of breakfast and all-day beef. (We would normally recommend trying it with a “round egg,” but as the breakfast service is winding down, it’s less likely that the employees would want to crack a fresh egg on the flattop.)
In recent years, fast food chains have placed an emphasis on breakfast, realizing its potential as a hugely profitable time of day. Maybe enough requests for a McBrunch will inspire McDonald’s to bring back its all-day breakfast option. We can only hope.