Manning the fries at McDonald’s is no small potatoes.
Pennsylvania mom Rayanne, a staffer at the fast-food franchise, tells The Post she often clocks in for shifts at 4 a.m., prepping the kitchen to serve up those crispy spheres of heaven come lunchtime.
It’s a task confirmed fast-food fan Donald Trump may be tackling in her home state this weekend.
The GOP presidential nominee has vowed to shake things up by shaking a few fry baskets at a local Mickey D’s during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Sunday.
“I’m gonna do everything,” Trump, 78, promised on “Fox and Friends” Friday.
“A friend of mine owns a McDonald’s someplace,” added the former head of state. “Oh, I’m going.”
His greasy labor in the swing state will, presumably, show that he’s able to work “longer and harder” than Oval Office opponent Kamala Harris, 59, who previously revealed she worked as a McDonald’s fry cook while earning her undergraduate degree in the 1980s.
It’s a claim Trump has deemed “fake.”
But before the Donald takes on french fry daddy duties, he’d better listen up: one Golden Arches guru warns that it’s no cakewalk.
“Being a McDonald’s employee is more difficult than a lot of people imagine,” Mike Haracz, an ex-executive chef for the restaurant chain, told The Post, casting doubts about white-collar Trump’s upcoming blue-collar gig.
“Unless the scenario is fabricated in his favor, he will not do a good job.”
A former manager of culinary innovation for the U.S. menu, Haracz, 40, from Chicago, tells The Post it takes a certain je ne sais quoi to excel at the potato post.
“Maintaining a cool temperament is key,” advised Haracz to the oft-reactive former president. “As a fry cook, anything can go wrong, which is tough because almost every McDonald’s order includes fries.
“You have to be mindful of the oil and fry only a few batches a time to ensure patrons are getting fresh cartons rather than ones being held under heat lamps,” he continued. “And make sure that each batch is seasoned with just the right amount of salt for consistency.”
Crew members from the kitchen have shared the step-by-steps for preparing the perfect pack of those Mickey D delights, which recently ranked No. 1 in the U.S.
A trending TikTok how-to shows a short-order cook carefully dropping a basket of frozen fries into a vat of hot oil for 30 seconds. The worker then removes the half-frizzled goodies from the grease and shakes them up a few times before re-dunking the fries in the bubbling oil.
Once the fryer beeps, indicating that the foodstuffs are done, the fries are left to drain off any excess grease for “no more than 10 seconds,” ensuring they stay light and crispy.
Next, the pro adds salt, using an accu-shaker to dust the savory treats from an approximate 8-inch distance.
Finally, after one last shake around the cooling tray, the McDonald’s master scoops the fries into little red and yellow boxes and lines them up for food runners to hand off to “I’m lovin’ it” fans.
But unlike the average fry cook — who typically contends with floods of orders, short-staffed shifts and cranky customers — Haracz says it’s likely Trump will be strategically set up for success.
“I don’t believe he has ever worked in a restaurant in any capacity,” said Haracz, a McWhisperer known for exposing the company’s secrets on TikTok, including how to make their world-famous fries at home.
“He’s probably going to have a fully staffed, if not overly-staffed, kitchen with all of the best crew members surrounding him,” continued the authority. “It’s likely that there will also be things in place to make sure that no disgruntled customers are yelling at him over the counter for their fries.”
And he’s almost certain that any presidential candidate would be afforded those same courtesies if they gave fry-cooking a go for publicity.
“But I don’t think he’d be very great in that position on a normal day,” Haracz said of Trump.
And, according to McDonald’s 9-to-5ers online, a normal day on the job — one that’s not a photo op featuring swarms of Secret Service agents at the ready to shield the presidential candidate from threatening grease splatters — can come with a long line of challenges.
From being pelted with pickles by patrons to getting chided over out-of-order ice cream machines, busy bees behind the counter are under pressure, extremely tight deadlines and the watchful eyes of those they serve.
In fact, Haracz says people in high political places might be able to relate.
“Depending on your position in the restaurant, you can be either a rolling up your and getting the job done or motivating others to do their best,” he said, likening a McDonald’s staffer’s role — not power or prestige — to that of folks in government.
And should Trump actually get his hands dirty salting and slinging the shack’s finger-licking fries, he’d be wise to do it with a smile. If things go awry, a good cook still has to whip up the best serving of spuds — and fast.
“It’s a high-volume, high-speed position in the restaurant,” Haracz insisted. “And because McDonald’s is the gold standard, they take the most care to ensure that each order meets the standard.”
Trump’s forthcoming attempt to rise to the occasion as commander-in-chef aside, Haracz hopes fast foodies nationwide begin showing the men and women of the fryer a little more respect.
“You have no idea what’s going on in a fry cooks life,” he said, reminding grumpy grubbers to be considerate and patient with McDonald’s employees. “That person might be struggling to pay for college, or to feed their children or keep a roof over their head.”
“They’re trying their best,” added Haracz. “Be nice.”
A french fry pro’s tips for Trump:
- Keep your head together. “Maintaining a cool temperament is key,” asserts Haracz.
- Also key: Doing smaller, fresher batches to avoid fries going soggy and limp under heat lamps. “You have to be mindful of the oil.”
- Trump will surely have tons of kitchen support on his maiden effort, so any success shouldn’t go to his head. “I don’t think he’d be very great in that position on a normal day.”
- If things go wrong, he’d better suck it up and get the job done right anyway. “It’s a high-volume, high-speed position in the restaurant.”
- Most of all, do the job with a smile. “You have no idea what’s going on in a fry cook’s life,” Haracz advised. “They’re trying their best. Be nice.”
