McDonald's CEO Eats Filet-O-Fish In A Very Specific Way

The idea of eating a Filet-O-Fish without the tartar sauce feels like heresy. With its tangy flavor and creamy texture, this sauce brings a much-needed spark to an otherwise plain fish sandwich that only features a half slice of cheese alongside fried Alaskan pollock. And yet, the CEO of McDonald's, Chris Kempczinski, orders his Filet-O-Fish sans sauce.

Kempczinski has been known to pair the chain's fish sandwich with a side of fries and a vanilla sundae for dessert. He once even smeared ice cream on a Filet-O-Fish as a substitute for tartar sauce, but the combo thankfully turned out to be an April Fool's joke. The gag leaned into the fact that many McDonald's fans like to experiment with the Filet-O-Fish to make it a tad more exciting. Customers have shared flavor-boosting hacks that include anything from swapping out the tartar sauce for Sweet 'N Sour sauce to adding a full hash brown from the breakfast menu. But Kempczinski clearly prefers his stripped-down version — he apparently enjoys it so much that the Filet-O-Fish is his favorite sandwich on the menu.

In 2020, Kempczinski revealed in an interview with the Financial Times that he eats at McDonald's every single weekday, twice a day — that's a lot of McDonald's! Skipping the tartar sauce is part of Kempczinski's strategy of staying in shape despite the daily fast food intake; for the same reason, he also orders the Egg McMuffin without bacon. By 2025, the frequency of Kempczinski eating at the chain seemed to have dropped, as he admitted in an Instagram video that he dines at McDonald's three to four times a week. Many doubt this claim, though; one person in the comments section of the post even asked him to "retake the video with lie detector." The people's disbelief is likely a consequence of Kempczinski's unfortunate taste test of the Big Arch burger, which went viral following the CEO's tiny bite.

Still, we have to take Kempczinski's word for it that he really does enjoy eating at McDonald's. Beyond the sauceless Filet-O-Fish, his other menu preferences are just as simplistic. He generally prefers the fries over many sandwich choices, including McDonald's iconic fish sandwich. The CEO is also quick to share another favorite menu item: the resurrected snack wrap. We can't blame him for that at all, since the new snack wraps are even better than we remember. And despite a solid range of sauces offered at the fast food chain, for Kempczinski, the top choice is just good ol' ketchup.