Bad news for McDonald's soda fountain frequenters. Pittsburgh Uber Eats delivery driver Nathan Selkirk told Marketplace.org that his neighborhood McDonald's now charges for refills. This shift is upsetting loyal customers who have enjoyed free drink top-ups.
McDonald recently announced it would take down self-serve soda fountains by 2032. Franchise owners decide whether to charge for refills. Some places have eliminated self-serve machines, starting this changeover.
Marketplace asked Cornell University food and beverage management professor Alex Susskind about the practicality of the move. Guest-facing dispensers require a lot of cleaning and maintenance.
"Replace the ice, clean up the mess, and pick up the straw fragments," he said. The need for maintenance led to the elimination of self-service stations.
Former McDonald's chef Mike Haracz, a TikTok star for his comments about McDonald's dishes and operations, also remarked on the policy change. Most McDonald's customers use the drive-thru.
He said it costs McDonald's more to serve customers in-store than drive-thru. "They’d much rather you have drive-thru, you get some food, you get your drink, and you get out of there versus you hanging around and having to deal with people in the restaurant."
McDonald's pricing methods are under review, including drink refill prices. Recent estimates show McDonald's pricing have risen in a decade, fueling consumer discontent.
McDonald's struggles to retain customers with rising costs and changing regulations. The reaction over free refills highlights a major issue. To the dismay of many longtime customers, free refills may be ending at McDonald's and other fast-food businesses.