Eating Fast Food Fries On A Road Trip Just Got Easier With One Genius Hack

The concept of a drive-thru fast food restaurant is, at least partially, based on eating in the car. The chain doesn't expect you to always wait until you reach your destination to then eat a colder, soggier version of your order. In fact, one of the many surprising elements of the Egg McMuffin was that its creator wanted it to be designed in a way that was conducive to one-handed eating. However, even before you get to unwrapping that drive-thru burger or sandwich, you invariably reach for the fries. The good news is that reaching into the takeout bag and taking them out actually helps avoid sabotaging your french fries. Now there's a simpler way to eat them on the go: When picking up your fries from the drive-thru window, simply ask for a large empty cup.

With the fries in the cup, it's easy to then put them in the car's cup holder for easy snacking on your road trip. There is a chance that if you ask at the ordering window where you pay, the drive-thru outlet gives you your order of fries in a cup, saving you the effort of transferring them from one container to another. However, there is also a chance you have to ask for an empty cup at the pickup window instead, and transfer the fries yourself. This might not be the worst thing; getting that cup empty on the side may actually be more beneficial.

If drive-thrus and eating fast food on the go are your jam, empty disposable cups can open up a world of fun eating hacks. Getting an empty cup with your fries doesn't just let you plonk them in your cup holder for convenient snacking; an extra cup can also help you get the hottest fries if you ask for them without salt. You can then use the extra cup to mix the salt, which you get on the side, with the fries. In fact, you can use the cup to shake in any dry seasoning that you get on the side, and not just with fries — this works with any small, snackable fast food order, including nuggets and wedges. Remember that if you want to use it for shaking and mixing, ask for a large cup. Other times, it may be better to get a smaller cup (if available); a small order of fries simply lie around in the bottom half of a large cup, making them difficult to reach.

Getting an empty disposable cup can also ease dipping your snack into condiments. The best way to enjoy a Costco food court hot dog on the go is to get a few empty cups on the side that you can then fill with condiments and use for dipping. You can do the same when you order fries by asking for an additional cup that you can empty the condiment sachet into. In this case, ask for a small cup so it's easy to reach the condiment. When you're done eating, simply put all your trash into the cup for easy disposal.