McDonald’s continues to disappoint customers with their rising prices and now… no more free drink refills.
The fast-food chain is reportedly now allowing individual restaurants and owners to decide whether or not to allow free drink refills, and many are choosing not to.
A customer in Pittsburgh expressed shock over the change after being denied a refill with Marketplace.org recently.
Not only that, but McDonald’s also announced last year that they are phasing out self-serve soft drink stations in their stores.
According to CNN, their plan is to completely eliminate them in all stores by 2032.
READ MORE: Why McDonald’s Takes Your Photo With Hidden Camera in Drive-Thru
These changes could mean big adjustments for other popular fast-food chains as well, since McDonald’s tends to be a leader in the world of drive-thrus and chicken nuggets.
“McDonald’s tends to be a leader in the industry. And very often, when they make big changes, other restaurants follow suit. McDonald’s is very smart about their costs,” CEO of consulting firm FoodserviceResults Darren Tristano said, per the New York Post.
It seems like this is already the case when it comes to the disappearance of self-serve soda fountains, as customers have noticed restaurants like Panera doing away with them already.
“The amount of cleaning and upkeep that’s required for these guest-facing dispensers is pretty significant. The ice has to be replaced, you have to clean up the mess, you have to pick up the straw fragments,” Cornell University food and beverage management professor Alex Susskind explained to Marketplace.
Plus, since the pandemic, most of McDonald’s business has fallen to the drive-thru, which also might explain the move to eliminate free drink refills as more people choose the drive-thru than the dining room.
The update follows news of other American restaurant chains facing hardships and shutting down stores across the country, including Chili’s and Red Lobster.
