A catchphrase populating TikTok comments as of late is “Just put my fries in the bag, bro,” and it has understandably confused some non-chronically online folks. The slang phrase is often used on someone you deem inferior, or as a way to demean the addressee’s thoughts and ideas. In other words, if you find yourself on the receiving end of “just put my fries in the bag, bro,” it’s not a compliment.
Used in the context of a fast-food setting, like McDonald’s or Burger King, the slang is supposed to be an exchange between a fast-food worker and a customer. In comedic skits where the phrase is used, the worker and the customer are past high-school classmates, with the former reminiscing about high school days, or chatting up the customer about mundane things.
In these exchanges, the customer says, “Just put the fries in the bag” to show he does not care what his past classmate is talking about since they work at a fast-food place. With this phrase, the customer belittles the worker because of their “status” in society, as well as to indicate he doesn’t care about engaging in the conversation.
According to KnowYourMeme, the phrase was first posted on Facebook in November 2022, with the original rendition being “just put the ketchup in my bag.” User Andre Jamar Milburn shared a status update where he transcribed an exchange with person 1 saying, “I AIN’T SEEN YOU SINCE HIGHSCHOOL,” and person 2 responding, “JUST PUT THE KETCHUP IN MY BAG BRO.”
The post went viral, and in 2023, “ketchup” was used interchangeably with other fast-food items, like McChickens or sandwiches. The one that seems to have stuck the most is “fries,” with “Just put my fries in the bag, bro” earning its own explainer page on TikTok.
Today, the use of the slang “Just put my fries in the bag” has evolved, as most Gen Z slang tends to do. Many TikTokers still leave it as a comment when wanting to belittle a person’s ideas or insult them. However, the phrase is increasingly being used in the comments section of TikTok storytimes or whenever a user is complaining about something at length, regardless of whether they are a fast-food worker or not. In other words, “Just put my fries in the bag, bro” is now equivalent to telling someone to quit yapping.
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