Even some employees don't know about this super secret menu item!
10 Things You Never Knew About McDonald’s Birthday Cake
Updated on Oct. 08, 2024
It’s a little-known fact that McDonald’s has a secret menu reserved exclusively for McDonald’s superfans and insiders, but even the most seasoned McDonald’s aficionados may not know about one of the rarest secret menu items of all: McDonald’s birthday cake. The McDonald’s birthday cake flew under the radar for several years, but recently social media users have created buzz around the mysterious fast-food dessert, and some have even managed to track them down.
Whether this is your first time learning about McDonald’s birthday cake or you’ve been hearing about it for years, we’ve got all of the details you need to give you the best chance of locating one at a McDonald’s near you.
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1. It comes in two flavors
Though it’s not easy to find, McDonald’s birthday cake comes in two flavors: white vanilla cake and chocolate cake. Both varieties are iced with vanilla frosting, and though both are listed on the McDonald’s website, the white vanilla cake is rumored to be more difficult to track down than the chocolate cake. Instagram user @sophiesophss managed to find the chocolate variety, but according to her comments, she has yet to have any luck finding a vanilla cake.
2. Not every location has birthday cakes available
One of the reasons it’s so hard to find McDonald’s birthday cakes is because not every location has them in stock. In fact, you’re more likely to find restaurants that don’t have them available than restaurants that do. If you’re looking to purchase one, your best bet is to call around to all the restaurants in your area to see if they have them before heading there in person.
3. It’s one of the rarest McDonald’s menu items
The McDonald’s birthday cake is so rare that if you call ahead to ask if a restaurant has one in stock, you might be met with pure confusion by the McDonald’s employee on the other end of the line. Even some McDonald’s employees and managers don’t know that the McDonald’s birthday cake exists, likely because they’ve never seen one at their location. According to Reddit, one person even tried calling every McDonald’s location within a 60-mile radius and still couldn’t find the super secret menu item.
4. The price of the cake varies from location to location
If you can manage to locate a McDonald’s birthday cake, it’s hard to say for sure exactly how much you can expect to pay. The 12 x 9–inch cake costs $12.99 according to YouTube creator @emmymade, but Instagram user @sophiesophss reported paying $19.99 for the same chocolate cake. Like the rest of McDonald’s prices, the price of the cake varies from region to region.
5. You are more likely to find them at restaurants with a Play Place
Did you know that you can have a birthday party at McDonald’s? You can purchase a McDonald’s party package at locations that have a Play Place—and the McDonald’s birthday cake was originally introduced as a key part of the birthday party packages. You’re more likely to find a McDonald’s birthday cake by visiting locations that have a Play Place and are familiar with the birthday party packages.
6. You can order one through the McDonald’s app
If a McDonald’s location has birthday cakes on its menu, you can order one through the McDonald’s app. But remember that it’s up to the individual restaurant to update its inventory to make it available for mobile ordering, so just because you see the cake available for purchase through the app, it doesn’t mean it’s in stock. We suggest you call before heading out.
7. They’re used to celebrate employee birthdays
A McDonald’s employee commented on YouTube that the cakes were historically used to celebrate employee birthdays. Restocking McDonald’s birthday cakes is as simple as a manager placing an order for more.
8. Each cake comes in a plain brown cardboard box
Even if a McDonald’s location has birthday cakes in stock, it’s easy for an employee to miss them. Each cake comes in an unassuming brown cardboard box, and if you didn’t know what it was, you’d probably never guess a sheet cake was inside.
9. The cakes once featured an image of Ronald McDonald
For years, the McDonald’s birthday cake featured an airbrushed image of Ronald McDonald in classic McDonald’s red. However, according to one McDonald’s manager, the company recently changed cake suppliers, resulting in the brand-new “Happy Birthday” and “It’s Time to Party” graphics screen-printed onto the cakes.
10. McDonald’s birthday cakes have been around for decades
Even if you were today years old before ever hearing about McDonald’s birthday cakes, they aren’t new to the restaurant’s secret menu. The cakes have been around for decades, with some social media users recalling memories of enjoying the decadent dessert as far back as the early 1980s. Eating a slice of a McDonald’s birthday cake is like eating a slice of history!
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