McDonald’s ditches self-serve drink machines for US customers.
McDonald’s to Eliminate Self-Serve Drink Machines in the US
McDonald’s has confirmed that it will be eliminating self-serving drink machines from all of its restaurants in the United States within the next 10 years.
This decision means that customers will now have to get their refills from employees at the counter instead of filling up their drinks themselves.
“McDonald’s will be transitioning away from self-serve beverage stations in dining rooms across the U.S. by 2032,” the company confirmed in a statement to multiple media publications.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
It is also not immediately clear exactly how the change will impact drink refills, as every McDonald’s franchise location has its own refill policies.
The McDonald’s USA spokesperson also did not state if the decision will also impact McDonald’s restaurants in international locations.
The Epoch Times has contacted McDonald’s for further comment.
It is also unclear what prompted the move, although COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns have led to a change in eating habits for consumers, including a decline in fast-food restaurant dining and a rise in consumers ordering food for takeout, according to experts.
An increasing focus on cleanliness may have also prompted the change
The Springfield State Journal-Register reported that the pandemic sparked concerns about how to ensure self-serve stations are kept clean.
The publication reports that McDonald’s restaurants will be transitioning to the crew pour system after scrapping the self-service stations, which will also minimize contact.
Pandemic Changes Dining Landscape
The new system will also eliminate theft, the publication noted.
According to the Springfield State Journal-Register, some McDonald’s restaurants in Illinois have already begun the transition away from self-service stations, but those transitions won’t be fully complete until the summer of 2024.
Franchise owner Brad Davis, in Springfield, Illinois, told the publication that his restaurant was selected as a test location for the new “crew pour” system.
“It was an adjustment for customers and staff,” Mr. Davis said. “But we didn’t get too many complaints on it.”
The decision comes as McDonald’s has introduced a string of changes in recent years, including opening its mostly non-human-run, automated restaurant near Fort Worth, Texas.
That restaurant, which drastically minimizes human contact, is part of McDonald’s “Accelerating the Arches” growth strategy.
Multiple fast-food companies have also moved to embrace new technology in recent years amid a changing landscape, particularly in the wake of the pandemic.
This includes Chick-fil-A, which is currently testing out various new concepts in Atlanta and New York focused on mobile ordering, including a pick-up-only service and an elevated kitchen that sends orders to a four-lane mobile order drive-thru underneath, Fox Business reported.
Taco Bell has also started experimenting with a similar elevated kitchen format, according to t
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