Can You Order Just Buns From McDonald's

Although buying the exact buns McDonald's uses somewhere other than the restaurant (like the grocery store or online) is impossible, you can order just a bun. On The Mighty, one mother recently documented her experience ordering just a bun for her autistic son, who has strong and specific dietary triggers. She wrote about going to McDonald's and ordering just the bun for her son, the only part of the sandwich the boy would eat. In doing this, the mom learned some tips for ordering just a bun from McDonalds.

If you want to order buns from McDonald's, it may be wise to call first and ask for a manager, as the employees may not even know how to find the price of such an item. Calling ahead will give the manager time to prepare the crew for your order. This will prevent confusion or an unnecessary halt in the drive-through line as the crewmember tries to figure out what you mean. The price is another issue. It may depend on the store. While McDonald's does have an a la carte menu, some individual cashiers may not know that a bun is on their version of that menu. You may have to pay for a full sandwich in these cases, which is exactly what happened to the mom who ordered a bun for her autistic son.

A social media search explains why the buns aren't available in stores. The buns are made exclusively in partnership with baking companies like the Black-owned New Horizons Baking Company in Norwalk, Ohio. The company does commercial baking and only for commercial clients like McDonalds. According to a TikTok video by New Horizon's CEO, Trina Bediako, the company makes burger buns and English muffins for well-known sandwiches like the McChicken sandwich and the Egg McMuffin. It's possible to order from New Horizons, but only if you make a bulk order of such a size that the average Big Mac lover could neither afford nor eat it all in a year.

Mile Hi Foods in Denver, Colorado, is another bakery for McDonald's buns. They are a family-owned and operated business that also only handles commercial orders. This includes the daily bun orders for McDonald's restaurants. Many other commercial bakeries that McDonald's uses are the same way. So, the only option is to go through the drive-thru or step up at the counter to order the buns only. Buns may not make the list of the best-selling items at McDonald's, but they certainly play a huge role in the business all the same.