A California woman took her McDonald’s order tray with her after refusing to pay a fee for a bag, and the video of the moment has been viewed millions of times online.
The video was posted by TikTok user Malon Sanaii (@malonsanaii). It shows the woman sitting outdoors with a McDonald’s tray on her lap. The tray holds a large order of French fries, a drink, and a wrapped food item in a white bag.
On-screen text on the video reads, “Lost they Mcmind!!!” The clip has been viewed 6.7 million times, gained 1.4 million likes, and has been shared 284,800 times.
The woman explains her decision to keep the tray
In the video, the woman looks at the camera and says, “McDonald’s really played. Why are they talking about 10 cents for a bag?” She then explains what she did about it, saying, “Okay, so now you gonna have to pay for a new tray.” As she finishes speaking, she picks up the entire tray, food and all, and prepares to walk away with it. She adds, “Thank you,” as she carries the tray off.
The video comes after some McDonald’s locations in California began charging customers for bags. According to NBC Los Angeles, a Los Angeles ordinance first passed in 2013 was recently amended to apply to restaurants, not just grocery stores. The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office said the rule requires certain businesses to provide reusable bags for sale or for free, and if a paper bag is given out, the customer must be charged 10 cents for it.
The bag charge started around the same time as California’s “junk fee” law, which stops restaurants and other businesses from adding hidden or unadvertised fees, according to the Los Angeles Times. Because of this law, the McDonald’s app now asks customers if they want a bag before checkout, and cashiers ask the same question at the counter. Signs at drive-thrus also warn customers about the charge.
McDonald’s customer KT Shakur told NBC Los Angeles about noticing the sign at a drive-thru. “I’m going to drive-thru, and I see the sign: There’s a mandatory charge of 10 cents per bag,” Shakur said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ What if someone came to the drive-thru and just could not afford any extra fees? A mom with a couple of kids just getting by?”
Not every restaurant charges the fee. NBC Los Angeles reported that individual Chick-fil-A locations in Los Angeles can choose to cover the bag cost themselves instead of passing it on to customers. Unexpected bag fees have sparked online complaints, such as when a woman orders a large fry at McDonald’s and holds up the bag on camera.
Mike Haracz, a former McDonald’s corporate chef, defended the bag charge in a separate TikTok video. He said the fee is not something McDonald’s created to make more money. “I think different cities and states have implemented some laws or taxes or other things,” Haracz said.
He explained that some locations in Chicago also add a bag charge. He said the goal is to cut down on waste, not to raise profits. “If you don’t need a bag… how about we don’t waste them and not give them to you?” he said. Financial tightrope walking is not uncommon, like when a woman was just 10 cents away from going over budget at Walmart and walked out with dinner for five for under 15.
A similar case was shared on Reddit by user Pansexual-Agent-1 in the r/McDonalds community. The user posted a photo of a McDonald’s kiosk screen in Baltimore, Maryland, that asked customers to choose between a bag for $0.05 or no bag at all. The post said, “When did McDonald’s start the bag chrge? This was taken in Bmore Maryland. I had to spend double because I had a big order which means two bags.”
Under California law, taking someone else’s property without paying for it can be considered theft. According to Shouse Law Group, a criminal defense firm, California Penal Code 484(a) makes it a crime to take property that belongs to someone else without their permission and with the intent to keep it. If the property is worth $950 or less, it is charged as petty theft, a misdemeanor that can carry up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. The firm notes that courts often grant probation instead of jail time for these cases.
Many viewers reacted to the video with jokes and comments about the bag fee and the woman’s response. Some pointed out ways to avoid the charge altogether. One commenter wrote, “Life hack: put no bag and they still give you a bag.” Others focused on the woman walking off with the tray. One comment read, “Stealing the tray is an option???” Another person, who said they worked at McDonald’s, wrote, “mcdonalds worker here – steal another one.”
Some commenters joked about the risk of taking the tray. One wrote, “wait suh, bring that back before i get mcfired..” Another said, “Goin to jail over a food tray is diabolical fam u stole n gave the feds evidence that u stole.” A few commenters brought up the history behind bag charges. One wrote, “Mind you when we started paying for bags it was because they were plastic. Now they charging for recycled paper.”
Published: Aug 10, 2026 09:45 am