McDonald’s reportedly plans to get rid of self-serve soda machines and, at some locations, do away with free refills.
The fast-food giant plans to remove all its beverage stations from stores by 2032. Some restaurants that offer complimentary beverage refills may stop doing that as well.
Foodservice Results CEO Darren Tristano, a food service industry researcher, expects other fast food joints to follow McDonald’s lead.
“McDonald’s is a leader and most other fast food chains are fast followers,” he told CBS News in a story published this week.
Planned changes are reportedly meant to bring uniformity to all McDonald’s operations and make all customers’ experiences the same whether they’re picking up, dining in or using the drive-thru window. Individual franchises will decide if they want to charge to refill soda cups. Most of McDonald’s 14,300 restaurants are franchises.
Plans to implement the move are part of a large technological growth strategy first reported on in September. The changeover has reportedly been happening gradually.
Though McDonald’s reported a 2023 spike in global comparative sales, the company has still been impacted by inflation, which has left customers fuming on social media. That anger came to a head in 2022 when an Idaho man posted his $16 receipt from “a burger, a large fry and a drink,” though he didn’t note his “burger” was a limited-edition specialty menu item.
McDonald’s announced last week it will soon offer $5 value meals to diners on a budget. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ said in October that fast-food prices were up 6.2% from the previous year.
It’s not clear what McDonald’s plans to do with its thousands of public soda fountains. Despite growing competition, the 70-year-old burger joint remains the world’s largest fast food chain. The global hospitality company says it serves 63 million customers daily.
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