8 Hacks For Ordering At Burger King You Should Know

Burger King is as much a part of the American fast-food obsession as any other spot. I'd put it up any day against the clown, the redheaded girl, and even the meats. Whether it comes down to fried versus flame-broiled burgers, the fries (which many would argue are better than McDonald's), or the more avant-garde options (onion rings and mozzarella sticks, ooh la la), Burger King easily earns its spot as a beloved guilty pleasure. But if you're a frequent rider, if you will, at Burger King, you must, surely, know all the hacks and secrets to creating your perfect meal, no?

Founded in 1954 in Jacksonville, Florida (and known as Insta-Burger King, originally), Burger King started out simply enough: as a spot born to highlight flame-grilled and broiled beef in direct competition with the fried stuffing flying out of other burger chains. In its long and storied history, Burger King has added and removed tons of items from the menu, leaving Easter eggs and hacks along the way for hungry customers to find. Here are 10 of our favorite hacks for ordering at Burger King that you should commit to memory.

Feeling violently American? You could be tame by adding bacon to your burger, your fish sandwich, or your chicken burger. Or, you could add it to your dessert. It's a fairly well-known fact that Burger King will add bacon to any item — but you may not have realized that doesn't exclude dessert. Yes, Burger King used to sell a Bacon Sundae, featuring Burger King's signature vanilla soft serve, hot fudge, caramel sauce, bacon crumbles, and two strips of bacon. It packed about 510 calories, 18 grams of fat, and 61 grams of sugar, too, and was brought into this world at one of the fast food chain's Nashville locations.

Unfortunately, the Bacon Sundae was discontinued almost as soon as it was introduced; it came and went all within the summer of 2012, but that doesn't mean you can't still hack your own. Order either a HERSHEY'S Sundae or a Soft Serve Cup from the dessert menu. Then, ask for bacon crumbles and or strips. You'll likely have to do this in-store, as ordering online doesn't allow for customizing the sundaes, but per at BK, it seems that if there's a button on the register for it, you can make it.

There are a plethora of ways to have it your way at Burger King. You can stack your Burger King Whopper, smother a burger in yellow mustard, or add onion rings to your fish sandwich. And so many fast food joints would be similar, right? Now, tell me, what other fast food place would allow you — or even have the raw materials — to make a pizza burger. A flame-broiled burger, marinara, and mozzarella sticks equals perfection.

But how can you even concoct such a masterpiece? According to the folks on Reddit, you'll need to order a burger of your choosing — not a cheeseburger; no bacon. It may also be a good idea to remove lettuce, tomato, and onion, but that's up to the eater. Next, order a side of mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce. When you get back to your table, or are sitting in the privacy of your car, open up the burger, smash on the mozzarella sticks, and dump on the marinara. The combination also works with a chicken sandwich, a la a chicken parmigiana sandwich. Having the medley of cheese, sauce, and meat together is a beautiful thing and, if there were a secret menu, this would absolutely deserve a spot.

Everyone knows that the blue and red ICEE machine means a refreshing, albeit sugary drink is on the way. The slurpee, slushy, cold, perfect-with-those-salty-fries drink is a Burger King mainstay, oftentimes also branching into other flavors dependent on the season. Classic cherry, Cotton Candy Cloud, Strawberry, and others have all made appearances, depending on your location. It seems like only the Coca-Cola flavor is the mainstay, but, regardless, what if you could up the ante a little and make that slushy delight even more of a dessert?

It seems like many customers have asked the fine folks working behind the Burger King counter to top their ICEE — be it cherry or cola with vanilla soft serve. And it seems that there is, in fact, a button for it. So, next time you're dining in, ask for your ICEE to be topped with vanilla soft serve. If, for some reason, it simply can't be done, just order each item separately and combine them yourself.

Yes, you can. If you're going Keto or just want an absolutely protein-packed breakfast, use those fluffy eggs as a bun. Burger King has a solid breakfast program; I mean, what other fast food eatery decided to finally make croissants a part of the fast food wake-up routine? One thing that Burger King — and most fast food restaurants do have for breakfast, though, is bread, bread, and more bread. If you're ascribing to a Keto or low-carb diet, that can be a little problematic.

Wouldn't it surprise you, then, to know that you can actually swap out the bun on your Burger King breakfast sandwich for eggs? According to a Facebook post — and after trying it — you can order eggs without the bun or accoutrement, since they're cooking them up, regardless. Then, you can order a separate sausage patty (or smattering of bacon), and simply create your own breakfast, uh, sandwich.

Most fast food spots these days have apps, and Burger King is no different. Utilizing the Burger King app comes with perks like coupons, free food, and more. Since Burger King doesn't have an official (or unofficial) secret menu, getting the app, which also offers "Royal Perks", makes it a lot easier to fulfill those customizable dreams. For example, on the app you can add and remove nearly anything, from ketchup to onion rings, and you can also ask for "only" certain items.

Perhaps most importantly, though, is that if you are opting to use the Burger King app, you can easily earn points — er, crowns, in this case — and put them towards additional meals. You get seven crowns for each dollar spent, and the amount of crowns you have will determine what you can get for free. Choices range from a free small fry or small nuggets in the low range to a Whopper in the top tier. The sad news, though, is that those crowns do expire after six months, so it's a bit of a use it or lose it situation. Crowns aside, though, the app also hawks deals each day, ranging from sandwiches to free coffees and more.

The folks on Reddit seem to have some big feelings about the state of Burger King's fries. Some claim they're always molten lava hot; others bemoan the fact that they always seem to be semi-cold. The underlying issue, it seems, is that the fries aren't as fresh as they could be. If they're too hot, they could have been under- or overactive heat lamps for too long. Too cold could mean they've been ready for pickup for a while. Regardless, if you're looking for extra-fresh, perfectly tempered fries, there is a bit of a hack.

When you're ready to place your order, ask for your fries with no salt. This could seem blasphemous to those of us who enjoy a hot, salty French fry. But according to TikTok, this ensures that the folks behind the counter have to make a fresh batch. You can always add your own salt — or enjoy the golden, greasy crunch of your fries without it.

There have been many times I, and I'm sure other parents, have lamented not just grabbing the kids' meal at a restaurant, fast casual, or fast food spot. It is, arguably, the perfect amount of food; enough to be satiated but not over-full. It usually boasts familiar items like chicken, burgers, or grilled cheese, and a fruit or fries side option. Next time you're heading to Burger King, give in to those desires and nab the kids' meal for yourself with one exception. Swap the toy for a dessert.

Yes, it can be done. If you order a Burger King kids' meal from Burger King via their app, online, ordering, in-store kiosk, etc., you'll have the option of choosing a chocolate chip cookie or a toy. You can, likely, also pay a slight upcharge and grab a different dessert (maybe a little cup of vanilla soft serve?). There's no downside — you can even still get onion rings (or halfsies) with the kids' meal. That's what we'd call a well-rounded lunch (or dinner).

Got time on your hands? Got kids in tow? Just need a minute to collect your thoughts in a quiet Burger King? Dine in! And if you are dining in, there's a hack for getting more bang for your buck, too, especially when it comes to drinks. Combos of fries, sandwiches, and drinks usually hold the most appeal as being the best deal. After all, Burger King's Ultimate Steakhouse Whopper sandwich is only $8.49. If I want a drink on the side along with fries, it comes to $12.29 for the small and $13.09 for the medium option. But if you're, say, very thirsty, and dining in, there's a better way.

The value-size drink, alternatively, is the smallest size, but if you opt for that and dine in, too, you can refill as many times as you want. So, you could absolutely drink the equivalent of a large cola, just in many more cups.