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Fast food workers explain horrifying reason why you should never order ice in your drink

Home> News

Updated 14:55 24 Jun 2025 GMT+1Published 13:52 24 Jun 2025 GMT+1

Fast food workers explain horrifying reason why you should never order ice in your drink

You'll probably start making your own food and drink for the foreseeable after hearing these stories

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

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Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image

Topics: Reddit, Food and Drink, Social Media

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

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Fast food workers have revealed why they stopped getting ice in their drinks at restaurants, and why you should probably stop as well.

There's no denying that despite the goodness of home-cooked meals, you just sometimes can't beat a cheeky fast food meal that hits that spot, topped off with a tasty beverage to wash it all down.

But if these stories are anything to go off of, it might be best to avoid getting ice on your drink in the future.

A post on Reddit asked workers in restaurants and fast food outlets what people should avoid ordering, and many people had a surprising pick.

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Yep, it turns out that ice from ice machines should be avoided at all costs.

A whole rabble of people all pointed out the issues with ice machines at different places and revealed their own horror stories about the unsanitary condition many were found in.

Maybe hold the ice next time you're eating out at a fast food joint (Getty Stock Image)
Maybe hold the ice next time you're eating out at a fast food joint (Getty Stock Image)

One social media user wrote: “Don't get ice in your drink. The ice machines almost anywhere aren't cleaned nearly enough," as another said: “The store I took over was pure black mold in the ice machine and the ice bins.”

A third person added: “I used to go to different stores to show them how to properly clean the ice machines because people couldn’t read a manual.”

“Any slushee/slurpee/icee. Those machines are rarely cleaned properly and the blades inside are covered in mold," another chimed in, with one other Reddit user another simply adding: “Not food but the ice those ice machines almost never get properly cleaned.”

Hoards of fast food workers have shared horror stories about the ice machines that they use to serve their drinks cold (Getty Stock Image)
Hoards of fast food workers have shared horror stories about the ice machines that they use to serve their drinks cold (Getty Stock Image)

In possibly the most disturbing story, one person commented: “We got a mouse infestation. The reason we knew we did was the droppings in the ice maker. I suggested we dump all the ice and get a new filter. That apparently wasn’t in the budget. No more ice for me.”

All very grim stuff, so maybe just hold the ice next time you order a soda with your meal, just to be on the safe side.

However, one saving grace that some Reddit users pointed out was that many people were telling stories about places they used to work back when they were teenagers, some even decades ago.

So you can at least hope that many places have upped their cleaning game and ensure that things are in tip-top shape. At least, it's a nice thought to have.

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