MacDonalds ARFID Query

[Verbena17]

Hi
Does anyone who mostly relies on macd’s food for their ARFID loved one, find it tricky to get plain options made correctly?

What i mean is, say if you order a ‘plain’ burger, so that would mean zero onion, gherkin, ketchup and mustard, have you found a failsafe way of ensuring they make it plain, and not with little piece on onion stuck to the paper wrapper or say a streak of mayo slopped down the side of the bap etc? DS won’t let me say out loud at drive through window (that’s his choice obviously) to them he’s autistic with ED. If I go back in without him, I’ll tell them he’s autistic with ED. It would reduce so much of DS’ anxiety if he knew he would be getting a decent one each time.

We spend £££’s at Macdonald’s on DS’ safe foods and have a multitude of ones to go to, should one fail in making it ‘plain’. The miles i drive to and fro is huge too but that’s fine - I do it for him to get his nutrients and calories.

I know this sounds like a non-problem to many people but the amount of times DS won’t let me go back in to swap it and the guilt I feel going in and asking them to swap it as DS has an eating disorder, etc is endless!

Ive even asked staff members the best way to order to ensure it’s completely plain. I know Macd’s says they cannot guarantee ‘no allergens’ and that’s fine but this isn’t an allergy - it simply means a lot of wasted food because they’re not careful enough to ensure it’s plain, plain…..not plain with bits of not plain stuff in 😂.

Could you go with not going to the drive thru? If he doesn't mind being left in the car, you might be able to cut out the middle man and just be clear when you order?

I don't know if you can order online but if you can, they often have a "notes" type box and you might be able to be really clear in that?

Or would there be a form of words you could agree with your son that he wouldn't mind "it's really important to us for health reasons that this is totally plain or we won't be able to eat it and will need to exchange it" or something?

You may have tried all those already and I haven't personally attempted this so sorry if the suggestions aren't useful!

I order from the machines inside where you can remove or add anything you want from a burger.
I would say 90% of the time they get it right.

I appreciate drive thru is the easiest but I think you need to go to the counter to make sure.

I have a child with ARFID and can relate to the issues. McDonald’s is the only place we can eat out but only for fries. I think it’s very hard to understand the huge impact it can have on the family for most people.

Yes, in thinking that for his burgers especially, it might just end up with me going in each time.

@Needmorelego yes I’ve ordered on the screens and removed the items - just leaving burger, bun and cheese and yet it still comes with bits of onion here and there or mustard /mayo on the wrapper etc. It’s definitely fail proof sadly.

Thanks for the ideas ladies.

I order on the app and you can customise burgers there and remove everything you don't want.

You can the either choose a few options to get the food, so you could still do drive thru and just give them the code from the app order, or go inside and collect it, have it brought to car etc.

Theres only been one occasion they messed up and put cheese on a burger that shouldn't have had it but staff are always super nice about replacing it or refunding if we've chosen delivery option.

I feel your pain OP as DC also has ARFID however we only eat the nuggets and pray they don’t come to over done otherwise we won’t eat them. We also spend a fortune at McDonald’s and it can be a nightmare especially when we go away on holiday. We always hire a car as to ensure we can get to a McDonald’s.

Thanks. Yeah but even by removing the stuff he can’t eat, they still manage to cock it up and drop bots in the wrapper, on the box or in the burger. Imagine someone with ARFID getting a teeny piece of onion in the melted cheese.

don’t suppose you know if there is a section on the app where you can write notes is there?

It sounds like you might be better going directly to the counter and ordering that way.
Tell them exactly what you need it to be like.

We are pretty much the same @Ivalueloyaltyaboveallelse , although DS eats a plain triple burger, pancakes, nuggets and some fries. Occasionally Mcflurries but only if a certain texture and not too soft like mayo 😬.
Our holidays are mostly all at center parcs - so he knows what food he can order - it’s usually fillet steak 😩😂

Yes, i know. It’s just faff to get parked sometimes when they’re super busy but also, because some of the staff look at me as if I’m from Mars - even though I think they get autism training.

How cool would it be if there was a secret code word like can I have a triple burger, plain and ‘CLEAN’. Then the person cooking/serving them would know to check absolutely all bits that there was no accidental bits of onion or sauce dropped on it.

I think the issue (as one Macds manager told me) is that they don’t change their gloves for making ‘plain’ food - hence why you might get a smudge of mayo on your plain burger wrapper. Also, when it comes to the burgers, I think they’re supposed to use a piece of equipment that lets the onions and fat drop through so it’s not on the burgers - but they don’t always use it.

Anyway - I’ll look at the app and see if I can write notes.

They’ve changed to cooking the burgers with a drizzle of onion on them rather than adding the onions after so you’ll need to specifically state not to cook with the onion to avoid this.

the touch screen may be better for selecting options- or maybe order through just eat as you can add special instructions- put the reasons for the specifics in that box?

It's a faff but if it's important I would go in, speak to someone in person and say you have a special order for a child with a disability so it needs to be correct.

@Danikm151 ah yes - I remember reading about a change to how they add the onions. Sadly we live 20 mins away from the nearest MacDonalds and so can’t order through a delivery app
@qualifiedazure I’ve just told DS I’ll go in tonight and he said no, you can’t do that every time. I think he’s worried they’ll get annoyed with us asking.

Genuinely curious... What did your child eat before they had ever tried a McDonald's? My kids hadn't ever been in mcdonalds til they were 4....i don't get how you end up finding out your child will only eat that unless its one of the very earliest foods they are offered?

No judgement here as having a child with ARFID must be incredibly stressful I've just never understood it - is it that foods they ate earlier get rejected once they tasted mcdonalds food?

I was wondering exactly that. A lot of kids would do this if they thought they would get away with it.

My son has ARFID. Before his sensory became apparent, he was breastfed, we did baby-led weaning, he ate fruit and veggies galore etc etc. Then as his needs emerged he began gravitating to very predictable foods - stuff out of packets essentially - and rejecting different textures. To the point where he literally will not eat - even if starving - unless a safe food is offered to him. I think that's often the thing people gravely misunderstand about ARFID. My child would genuinely allow himself to starve rather than eat anything other than his handful of safe foods.
My child was fine with chips, then we got down to one brand of chips. Then they got refused. Chips are the only vaguely 'mealy' thing he'll eat, so we offered MacDonalds chips in desperation, which he ate. I remember sobbing with gratitude in the car that he was eating and reflecting on how different my parenting journey had become from the BLW days!
So that's how we got where we are. Hope that gives some context although I'm sure everyone has had a different journey 😊

Not all children are born with ARFID. It’s often as a result of something traumatic such as choking or tube feeding, or sometimes a reasonable eater will gradually decrease and decrease their safe foods until they are left with virtually nothing left.

Fruits, vegetables and meats can all be variable in texture and taste which makes them unpredictable and are food groups often avoided by those with ARFID.

I originally had a child with autism who was a fussy eater. Around the age of six they saw an advert for McDonald’s Happy Meal and fries was something they liked at home so I bought them one. They’d never been there before but liked the fries. Over time they have decreased their food range to five foods but fries are still on it. They have also now been diagnosed with ARFID and from time to time require to be peg fed.

You don't need to say that! They're used to it as McDs are commonly used by kids with autism. Just "plain" and "please make sure it's completely plain" You don't need to say why

Part of the diagnostic criteria for ARFID is that a child will starve and result in being peg fed in hospital because they no longer have foods that they will eat. They will usually be significantly underweight and have nutritional deficiencies which may mean they don’t have the energy to complete in activities etc.

So to answer your question, a lot of kids won’t do this just to get a McDonald’s. A typical sign of ARFID is a body that is in crisis. It is not fussy eating.

ARFID is diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, psychotherapist, sensory occupational therapist, dietician and paediatrician). It’s a lengthy process to go through and difficult to obtain. It’s a formal eating disorder and there isn’t a cure. It’s just lifelong management and feeling like a social outcast at times.

At the same time, many parents of children will autism will find their sensory needs can mimic ARFID (which they might still have independently as well) and just want their child to eat.

Absolutely. My child eating Macdonald's chips isn't a dietary choice or preference. They're literally the only hot food he can manage/trust to eat 🤷‍♀️

Don't you find the staff get to know you if you go to the same places very regularly?

I think if you want something so specific you need to speak to the manager, explain the situation and ask if you can have some kind of special arrangements. Seems no harm in asking

(I have no experience of ARFID just of working in a local cafe where I knew off by heart the exact specifications of many of our very regular customers orders and we were happy to accommodate)

As it seems McDonalds is a bit of a safe haven for ASD needs then maybe you should get up a campaign to have a code word for a clean burger? Maybe they would get on board with it as looks good for them to be inclusive

If your ds doesn't want you to explain his condition each time could a flash card/ slip of paper explaining the need for it to be plain work instead?

My DC only ate Ella’s kitchen strawberry yoghurt pouches, toast (no butter) cut into squares otherwise they wouldn’t eat them and ready salted Pom bears. They didn’t wean well and were considerably underweight for a long time. We have been under a dietician for a very very long time. It was my DMIL that took Dc to McDonald’s and they tried a chicken nugget.

I have no experience with your specific situation, but my DH prefers plain from Maccies and I prefer extras - Just Eat is honestly the best way imo as it's written down from your end so can't be argued with or challenged and you're easily refunded if it gets messed up.
I've never had something show up incorrect with having things removed, only with things added, and they always have to be made fresh to order usually as they're so specific, so they arrive hot and not at all dry every time! :)

Why do so many kids who are arfid like maccy d? Mine are. Also all the beige food , nuggets, pasta, mac n cheese etc. is it the plainness itself or knowing what to expect every time?