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I wonder what the primary reasoning is. They mention health concerns, theft, and delivery orders but all three seem like fairly weak reasons to justify the incr
by boomboomsubban 3y ago
I wonder what the primary reasoning is. They mention health concerns, theft, and delivery orders but all three seem like fairly weak reasons to justify the increase in labor and the cost of a new cup each time.
Also, I don't think I've been in a McDonald's since they've started offering self serve soda. For some reason, when I stopped being interested in the playroom, I completely stopped going inside, even though I will with other fast food. Not really sure why.
- Simulacra 3y agoCost and Profit. A corporation very rarely, if ever does anything for health reasons.
- boomboomsubban 3y agoThat's a given, though health concerns can drive down profits. I'm wondering specifically, given the increased cost per refill.
- WJW 3y agoSelf service (unlimited) refill seems to be mostly a US-only thing btw. I've never seen one in anywhere else. If you want more drinks you have to pay more, which also presumably covers the cost of the extra paper cup.
- Reason077 3y agoSome fast-food chains in the UK, like Burger King and Five Guys, have self-service soda machines (Coke Freestyle). They don't say "free refills" explicitly, but there is nothing to stop you... Also, there's the cafes at IKEA, which have free refills in all countries, AFAIK?
- spoonjim 3y agoMcDonalds has one of the most extensive food safety programs in the restaurant industry and a sterling track record. McDonalds is perhaps the meal least likely to give you food poisoning of anything in America
- lr4444lr 3y agoDon't forget liability. Why risk customers damaging or contaminating something that might hurt other customers?
- 1123581321 3y agoNo need to worry about waste from refills when you don't staff the counter or give any visual indication that refill requests are welcome. That's the current case at any McDonald's remodeled in the last decade.
- qbrass 3y agoThey automated drink filling behind the counter so they don't need your free labor any longer.
- boomboomsubban 3y agoAs I mentioned, I haven't been in a McDonald's in years, don't they still need someone to initiate the refill and hand you the drink?
- JohnBooty 3y agoOne of the key considerations is how quickly you can move customers in and out. Ever work at a busy diner? One of the little tricks of the trade is to make sure the coffee's not too hot. You want the customers to suck it down immediately, not sit around an extra 3 minutes waiting for it to cool. It's probably more efficient and streamlined to give customers a drink rather than having them mill about at the fountain, and it's definitely more efficient to clear out loiterers who are hanging around and sipping free do-it-yourself refills.