Posted on 09/14/2023 2:11:27 PM PDT by Salman
Dollar items are vanishing at McDonald's. The next thing to go is self-serve drinks.
The burger chain told Insider it was phasing out soda-fountain machines in dining rooms across the US. The news was first reported by The State Journal-Register, citing several franchisees in Illinois. Restaurants in Illinois have already started the process, along with stores out West.
"McDonald's will be transitioning away from self-serve beverage stations in dining rooms across the U.S. by 2032," McDonald's said in a statement. " This change is intended to create a consistent experience for both customers and crew across all ordering points, whether that's McDelivery, the app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant."
Self-serve soda fountains allow fast-food consumers to refill their drinks multiple times. At a remodeled McDonald's in Orange, California, the self-serve beverage station has already been removed. Customers at that store must ask for refills at the counter.
The owner-operators interviewed by the Journal-Register said several factors contributed to axing the soda machines from dining rooms, including food safety, theft prevention, and fewer dine-in customers.
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(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Yep, yesterday’s news.
McDonald’s needs to go back to basics.
Get rid of all that fancy crap and go back to burgers and fries.
You can get all the refills of coke from the dude on the corner
Switch to Bud Light.
I rarely go to a McDonalds. I went this week. No person to take orders. Kiosk only. I walked out. Probably never to return.
I said goodby to Micky D’s many years ago.
I’m assuming theft is the major reason. Had a friend who managed a local McD’s, and she said the soda machines were a big theft problem. Customers would save their cups, wait until the dining area was busy, and then they would come back in and get “refills” of soda. She told her employees not to confront people because it was too much of a hassle.
“”Customers at that store must ask for refills at the counter.””
And as the minimum wage rises, ‘go to the counter’ means another kiosk/tablet, nonhuman interface.
Fast food establishments used to be the entry-level, job training for many people. I remember a bank supervisor explaining that if a person could staff a fast food cashier / register for at least 6 months, they would be considered for hiring at the bank. Money management and customer service. If they lasted at least 6 months without getting fired, they not only succeeded at money management and customer service, they must have shown up on time to work.
The ridiculous minimum wage has destroyed opportunities for many. Several years ago I read about a fast food hamburger machine that could make 300 hamburgers an hour. I remember a pizza joint with no visible humans. You used the tablet to order and pay. Your order is presented without human interface. There is nothing to loot.
RE: You can get all the refills of coke from the dude on the corner
LOL
Hunter: Why do you find that funny? I don’t understand.
The kids loved to make their own ‘combo’ soda flavors. It thefts and ‘no ice’ drinks must squeeze profits
This is why we can't have nice things. At least in California.
LOL. P__ssing down our legs and telling us its raining. The "consistent experience" is consistently small and no mixing sodas into one. And guarding against free refills. And saving money on having two soda fountains.
Stopped at a McD on I-65 heading to Nashville, some dude in front of me got the dollar iced tea, as I did, when I went to get my tea the dude was filling up a gallon milk jug and his large cup, he had a girl there blocking the view. I was left with no sweet tea, he drained it all and walked right out. I had to go to counter and get sugar packs.
The usual suspects will Trash McDonalds when they hear this.
I embarrassed myself not long ago when I was trying to buy a McD meal because my power had been off after a storm and rows and rows of restaurants and supermarkets were in darkness. I saw the 1/4 mile long drive thru line (of many others in my situation) and decided to park and go inside.
I admittedly hadn’t been inside a McD for about 5 years. Like H.G. Wells coming into the future in Time After Time (movie) I was baffled. ((Wells saw a newsstand front page sports article “Rams Maul Bears” and was flummoxed.))
All that kiosk choosing according to what is comfortable for the computer system. And knowledge you had to have before approaching the kiosk. (Even the picture of the drink didn’t offer information that the next page would allow me to choose a drink size. You had to know already.) A customer took pity on me and advised me including the little pyramid number to hold a table. But I didn’t know you had to pay before they started the order on your paper slip so wasted minutes for nothing. Call me old school. But now I’m trained like a puppy.
” This change is intended to create a consistent experience for both customers and crew across all ordering points, whether that’s McDelivery, the app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant.”
I love the language used here ... the ultimate of force feeding BS to the public.
There are 2 types of self serve. One where the different flavors are kept separate. One where all the flavors come out of the same spout. The latter type always tastes terribe an was a bad idea from day 1.
I never use the self-serve soda fountains at fast-food or 7-11 joints ever notice the green fuzzy stuff on them the seldom get cleaned.
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