Fast Food Hack: Plastic Lids Are Really Just Coasters in Disguise

I always wondered about those tiny bumps on plastic lids. They irked me every time I was about to punch my straw through and into my mix of 7-Up and Coke. Turns out, they’re there for a reason, which is to turn your lid into a coaster in case you’re at Burger King and don’t want to stain their lux plastic tables.

Check out the photo below:

fast food lid

As you can see, the bottom of the cup fits perfectly in the lid’s ridge and the bumps keep it in place.

Upon learning about this nifty hack, I ran over to the Subway down the street and tried it for myself. Alas! The particular cups at this location were void of the three bumps shown in the original photo. Still, the ridge made a snug fit for my drink, and even though the bottom of the lid ironically got by desk wet (don’t run with soda, kids!), I thoroughly enjoyed my sugar rush anyway. Although I don’t see myself doing this on the reg (they have real-life coasters for that), it’s a fun hack to try if you want to feel faux bougie while snacking on chicken nuggets.

photo (1)

lid hack

Some have commented that the bumps are there for stacking purposes and prevent the lids from sticking together during storage. Boom, you just got two FYI’s at once.

H/T Buzzfeed + PicThx Reddit

More content

Eating Out
Reese’s Is Turning Its Iconic Halloween Pumpkin Into A Latte
Pumpkin spice season has become virtually unavoidable, but Reese’s has found a loophole: make a pumpkin latte without any actual pumpkin. Reese’s is teaming up…
,
Eating Out
White Castle Is Celebrating Football Season By Putting Beer Cheese On Everything
Two Columbus originals are linking up for football season, and naturally, beer cheese is involved. White Castle and Garage Beer have teamed up on a…
,
Eating Out
Sonic Just Went All-In On 2026’s Biggest Flavor Trend
The great banana takeover of 2026 continues, and Sonic is the latest chain to go all in. Banana has become one of the year’s biggest…
,
Burger
We Deliver!

Enter your email address below and we'll deliver our top stories straight to your inbox